Update on Lil H

** Update: Pediatrician believes that it is the start of JRA. Rheumatologist won't confirm JRA until 6 weeks of swelling. Either way, Lil H is doing okay right now. She isn't showing any signs of discomfort like her sister did. We will visit the Rheumatologist next month for a follow-up appointment.


The nurse called tonight and told us that her ANA test was positive. We most likely will talk with the pediatrician tomorrow. We are extremely sad right now, but will continue to pray that God will guide us through this trial. Thank you again for all of your prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

Ten on Tuesday

Mr. D and I just took a weekend trip to Dubai. We left the girls with our friends -- 3 different families pitched in to take care of them. It was the first time for us to leave them overnight -- and we left the country when we finally did it!!

Here are 10 things we did in Dubai:

1. Slept in!!
2. Toured the city in a double-decker bus
3. Shopped at the gold souk -- came out of there with some sunglasses, and not made of gold :-)
4. Took a dinner cruise on a dhow boat
5. Met a wonderful couple from England
6. Dined on Steak and Shrimp
7. Slept in again!!
8. Walked and shopped the largest mall in the Middle East -- The Mall of the Emirates
9. Watched people snow ski -- yes, SNOW ski. The mall has an indoor ski slope.
10. Missed the girls terribly

Birthday Party Pics

Lil H and Lil N turned 2 !! Here are some pics from the party.

Update on Lil H

Lil H is doing better. The swelling in her ankle has gone down somewhat, and she seems to be walking better. The test results for the ANA test are still not in though. We should hopefully get those results early next week. Thank you for all your prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

Prayer Request

As most of you know, Lil N was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis last fall. She had steroid injections before we made the trip to Qatar and has been doing wonderful ever since. We continue to pray that God will take the arthritis from her body and that once the steroid injections wear off, she will be fully healed.

Unfortunately, Lil H has begun having some problems. I noticed about a week and a half ago that she was not walking so smoothly in the morning. However, a blister on her foot from a new shoe allowed me to hopefully believe that was what was bothering her. She showed no signs of being uncomfortable or in pain, just walking a little abruptly. On Sunday, I finally decided to make an appointment with the doctor after examining her ankle. It was very swollen and puffy. We left for the doctor Monday morning and the day included seeing 2 different doctors, X-rays, and blood samples 3 times! The Pediatrician initially thought bacterial infection or septic arthritis; however, all her blood work came back normal. Somewhat baffled, the Pediatrician called Lil N's Rheumatologist here and requested that he aspirate Lil H's ankle so that we could learn more from the liquid that had built up around it. We met with the Rheumatologist last night and he did not think aspiration was necessary and thinks it looks more like tenosynovitis. Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon. It is sometimes caused by rheumatism or arthritis and may be caused by infection. We are obviously hoping that this was caused by an infection, and not anything dealing with rheumatism or arthritis. One important blood test that we do not have back yet is the ANA test. With Lil N, this test was positive. We need Lil H's to come back negative, or it is almost a sure sign that she will have problems with arthritis too. We should have the results of that test in a week or so. For now, Lil H has been prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine. The doctor says that if this is tenosynovitis, then it should go away in 2-6 weeks. Please pray for both Lil H and Lil N that God will give them comfort and restore their health.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

Ten on Tuesday

Because of the lack of pork in Doha, and the fact that the beef is just a little different ( I think they get it from Australia), you eat chicken -- a LOT of chicken. Here are the ten ways that we've had chicken since we've been here:

1. Chicken Meat Loaf
2. Chicken Shawarma
3. Fried Chicken / Chicken Strips
4. Chicken Spaghetti
5. Chicken Tortilla Soup
6. BBQ Chicken
7. Chicken Almondine
8. Baked Chicken
9. Grilled Chicken
10. Chicken Tacos

Now that's a lot of chicken!

Wordless Wednesday

Ten on Tuesday

Top Ten Things I miss about home:

1. Family
2. Friends
3. Church
4. Our dogs
5. Oak Trees and St. Augustine Grass
6. Steak from Texas Roadhouse and Chicken Fried Steak from the Longhorn
7. Target, Walmart, and Krogers
8. Red Lights and Stop Signs
9. Our Doctors
10. That the majority of people speak the English language