Luv'N Lambert Life

Mental Health, Homeschooling, Epilepsy and More

blessings

Great News from Our Recent EEG Study with MUSC {Epilepsy Awareness}

by

Earlier this month, Emmalee and I went to MUSC for a four day Video EEG study to see if she showed signs of Rolandic Epilepsy or Epilepsy in general or if she had outgrown it.  It was a long week for both of us but in the end we discovered that Emmalee is officially seizure-free!  I am so very thankful for this blessing in our lives.  We have been assured her brain is perfect and working great, with beautiful waves.  According to her doctor she is an extremely smart little girl, but I already knew that!!

This doesn’t mean we are done with Epilepsy in our lives.  Laycie still has to take medication to keep hers in control.  Emmalee must be careful of stress and traumatic accidents that could trigger Epilepsy in her again, as once you have Epilepsy it can easily be triggered unexpectedly at any time.  It does mean I can relax and not be overly cautious with her as she grows though.

I am, as always, thankful to God for answering this prayer in our lives and allowing my daughter to continue her life normally.  We are currently going through genetic testing to see if there is a trait that is carrying through since we have spent 5 generations dealing with this disorder.  Though we haven’t been able to pinpoint anything as of yet, we are hoping with the new seizure panel that is being developed, that we will be able to locate something.  I will update as we find out more.

Baby Has A Name {Thoughts From Me}

by

This week I have been sick with a head cold so I haven’t managed to get a lot done around the house.  I finally gave in and got some Tylenol Cold to get rid of my cold before it gets worse and spreads to the kids.  Needless to say, I have learned my lesson about sleeping underneath my ceiling fan when it’s allergy season!

This week has been a lax and lazy week for us.  We had our usual therapy appointment and we’ve had several phone calls to set up our next set of appointments but we have managed to stay home this week.  I’m still waiting on the call to set up Emmalee’s overnight Video EEG but I’m sure it won’t take long for that to happen.

Emmalee is having an overnight Video EEG to see if she is having the same spikes throughout the night that Laycie has.  If so, this would explain why she has trouble sleeping and functioning first thing in the morning and possibly why I do too.  Knowing how her brain is working also helps me know how to set up her days to work best for her and us as a family.

As a photographer, I’ve really been wanting to take my camera out with the kids to take some new pictures.  The other week I bought a new tripod so that I can capture family pics with the kids, as well as take better maternity pics of myself before this sweet boy of ours arrives.  Unfortunately, the head cold and the weather have been against me making this happen!

Speaking of my sweet boy, I don’t think I have mentioned that we have chosen a name: Jackson Lucas Lee Lambert will be arriving in late August.  In the past week, my belly has really popped out and baby Jack-Jack has made his presence known.  He’s a super-duper kicker, giving me strong thumps throughout the days and nights.  He also loves listening to his big sister sing to him every day, as his strong kicks tell me every time he hears her voice.

Last week I got in a little thrift store shopping and found Jackson a Winnie-the-Pooh bassinet/bedside sleeper and matching swing.  There were bonus sheets included.  Both make soothing music to help him sleep.  I also scored a like-new wipes warmer to keep his wipes warm when I clean his little tooshie.

We are thankful to all the recent clothing donations we have received from various local families in our homeschooling assocation, VBHE.  These loving gifts allow me the extra money to purchase the other things we need to bring Jackson home, like his new bed, as well as continue to provide for his older brothers and sisters.

I am very thankful to feel a bit better today though I’ve still been pretty lazy.  I’m more than ready to get back into my normal daily life.  I hope this update finds everyone well and in good spirits.  May you have a blessed week yourselves!!

One Call Away ~ A Memoir by Brenda Warner {Booksneeze Review}

by

Retail: $16.99 US



     One Call Away: Answering Life’s Challenges with Unshakable Faith is the true story of the life of Brenda Warner, wife of NFL Champ, Kurt Warner.  Over the years, Brenda’s life has become a fairytale dream come true but it hasn’t always been that way.  Brenda spent many years struggling to have faith in God, make ends meet and care for her beautiful family with little to no help other than that which God provided for her.  In One Call Away, Brenda tells of her life’s struggles and how she overcame all with God’s help.  She also tells the experience of how Kurt’s life changed over the years, making him into the strong Christian father that he is today.  She shares the experience of their growing relationship together, raising a child with an unexpected disability, the loss of her parents in a terrible natural disaster and how she made it through each event to become stronger and more faithful than ever before.  One Call Away is an inspiring story that will leave you praising God for the blessing he provides each of us daily.

     One Call Away: Answering Life’s Challenges with Unshakable Faith by Brenda Warner with Jennifer Schuchmann is available from Thomas Nelson Publishers for $16.99.  You can also purchase this book through Amazon.com.

* Disclaimer: This book was provided to me for free to review by Booksneeze.com.  I was not required to write a positive review, only to read this book and provide my personal opinion.


Chats with my Daughter {Epilepsy Awareness}

by

Today my oldest daughter and I had a chat about her Epilepsy.  She is eight and has had this disorder since she was three months old.  She doesn’t remember a time when this disorder was not part of our daily life.  It is all she’s ever known.

Recently, she has been making mention of things she can’t do having Epilepsy.  In several recent conversations with her brothers, I have heard her make mention that she is not able to hit her head.  Though this is true, her reference was that she was unable to have even the smallest tap to her skull or she’d immediate go into a seizure.  I immediately realized that my sweet eight year old was confused and needed to have a chat about “E”.

I sat her down and explained to her that yes, we do have Epilepsy and reminded her that I have it, as well as her baby sister.  I explained to her that this disorder should not stop her from trying to do anything she really wants to.  That, within reason, she is able to fall, hit her head, and try until her hearts is content.

She has told me that she wants to learn to ride a horse.  While this does make me nervous I will not prevent her when the time comes.  I will provide her with a helmet along with a skilled rider to guide and teach her.  I want her to do these things that God calls her to enjoy. 

She has learned to swim recently and is learning to hold her breath.  I worry that something will happen, like any good mother, but I want her to swim so that she can go deep sea diving some day if her heart desires.  I want her to enjoy whatever experiences are offered into her life.  I cannot allow this disorder to hold her back. 

When I was a child, I was prevented from doing many things because of my own Epilepsy.  I was not allowed to try when I should have been.  I was not provided this chances out of my Mother’s fear of losing me to my Epilepsy.  I do not want these same things for my daughters.  Instead, I want them to live this life to the fullest, taking only the necessary precautions and never missing out on the gifts that God provides them.  Had I listened to the naysayers about my own Epilepsy, my girls would not exist because I was not even supposed to chance childbirth with them.  Listening to my heart and my God provided me with three of the most beautiful blessings I could ask for. 

Our talk today reminded me how much this disorder does still affect my sweet girl.   It reminded me that she is growing up and needs guidance as to why we take precaution, as well as why I do allow her to live her life to the fullest, as normal as she can. 

Epilepsy is a part of our life, but it is and never will be all of our life.  I cannot live in fear that a seizure may come, but I can live aware of that and provide that awareness for my beautiful girls, while still allowing them the most normal of life. 

And that is the plan.  I’m sure there will be more talks about Epilepsy over our lifetime, just as there was for me with my Mom.  I’m thankful to have lived with this disorder all of my life so that I am able to provide the patience, guidance and love needed to all of my children.  It’s not been an easy disorder to live with but we are “blessed” to know what it is and what to expect, as well as how to continue to live with it and prepare ahead for the next generation, which it may or may not be passed on to.  For now, I’m just thankful for talks with my sweet girl, to be able to help and encourage her in her life’s goals, even while living with Epilepsy. <3

God’s Truth {Thoughts From Me}

by

Lately, this one thing has been weighing on my heart.  I have noticed both online and off, that many people profess to be Christians.  Yet these same people still go around talking and thinking about things like many Non-Christians do.  This truly saddens my heart.

Please, note that I am not saying I don’t do these things at times.  I do.  I also do my best not to.  No one is perfect and if we were I’m sure our name would definitely be Jesus.

I have noticed many professed Christians talking in negative language about others who have ticked them off.  I have noticed others speaking of situations that are possibly negative, yet never shedding a Christian light into the “what if it wasn’t like that” aspect of thinking.  I have seen in my own family, members telling other members “sometime life is better without that person in your life”, speaking of what’s considered to be unwanted drama in their lives.  I have even seen sisters turn against sisters and brothers against brothers over such things. 

My question is: is this what God really wants?  Is this thought process of negativity, of turning against one another, of NOT supporting decisions, thoughts, love and caring relationships through thick and thin, truly what God wishes of us as Christian beings?  Does God want us supporting each of these negative thoughts with a “yes I see it your way”?  OR Does He wish for us to see life and love through His eyes? 

My answer is to take a step back and truly view the situation.  Truly attempt to see Life and Love through the eyes of the Father.  View things as He wishes us to see and don’t take the first response as your answer.  Some things are better left to prayer. 

God doesn’t wish us to turn our backs on one another.  He doesn’t wish us to JUDGE one another or to LET GO of one another.  He wishes for us to see each minute thing, each burden through with love and support and caring of one another.  By all means, He KNOWS we are NONE perfect but He asks us to STRIVE to be our best.  Yet HOW can we be our BEST when we are busy being our worst? 

Stop what you are doing today and really let these thoughts, these statements I have made, sink in.  Let the TRUTH of God’s LOVE sink in.  He loves EACH OF US REGARDLESS!  Why do we NOT LOVE each other in the same way???  Why do we allow the DEVIL to work in our lives, instead of allowing God to do His work instead?  Today, I am making the conscience decision to LET God WORK in my life, as it should be in all our lives.  God Bless!

A Decade of Thanks {2000-2010}

by

I started this blog post yesterday but was not able to finish because my littlest little was not feeling well. 

My inspiration for this came from many sources.  The one source that I found the most inspiring was Marsha’s blog over at Taste and See God’s Goodness.  The blog entitled Saying Goodbye to a Decade speaks of just that and reminds us all of the wonderous events that can happen in 10 short years.

As I look back over the past 10 years, I see many things to be thankful for. 

  • The birth of my three wonderful children: Winston in 2000, Emmalee in 2003 and Laycie in 2008. 
  • Being lead to homeschool my children through the love and word of God.
  • Finding God and Jesus and choosing to allow them to become part of my life, admist all of the chaos.
  • Learning to appreciate the small moments in my life and all that God has provided me with.
  • Reconnecting with my family on my Dad’s side.
  • Our country’s survival of the attacks on 9/11/2001.
  • My survival of two car accidents in ’04.
  • and soooo much more!

I can hardly believe that 10 years have passed since the Millenium came.  So much has happened and so many changes and blessings have occurred.  It’s a blessing to be able to look back and see all of those things, all the trials and tribulations we have made it through and all of the good memories we have to last for decades to come.  I pray that this decade is as much of a blessing as the last one has been!

Verified by MonsterInsights