Perspectives…”Wake up Call” - January 23, 2011

God sends me clear reminders sometimes of why I am here.  The role of mom is not part-time, right?  Here it is Sunday morning around 7am.  Yes, I am sleeping in; after a full week, Raymond is still sick, better, but still coughing up lots of gunk.  So we knew last night that we would not be going to church.  Little Roman (Romi to not get him confused with my husband Roman III) had a friend stay the night, and we were all up a little late. I was so comfy in bed and wanted to take advantage of the day available to sleep in, they don’t come very often.  Then, I hear Raymond starting to stir and moan.  The moaning means that he either needs to go potty or he already has and needs a diaper change.  I had a selfish moment, “Raymond…couldn’t you have let me sleep in a little more?” But as he moans again, it hit me, and hit me hard.  I put myself in Raymond’s shoes…..I imagined myself in a body that does not do what my brain is telling it to do, I imagined myself laying in bed, needing to go to the bathroom, but being completely dependent on someone coming in to get me out of bed so I can go.  I could see myself as Raymond at that moment, completely at the mercies of those taking care of him, every physical need, from being placed into his wheelchair, getting fed through his G-tube, to cleaning buggers, wiping his mouth of drool, every need he needs the help of someone else.  Even when Raymond plays with toys, he needs hand-over-hand to be able to hold and manipulate the toys.  Imagine being completely dependent on someone else??? 

That selfish moment was over quick, thank you Lord.  So up out of bed I got, and into Raymond’s room.  He greeting me with one of his cute little smiles, I moved his legs and arms so he could get big stretch.  He needed to go potty, so on the potty chair he went and into the bathroom to do his business.  Once he was finished, I cleaned him up and carried him to the couch for a little cuddle time.  He looked at me with his beautifully expressive eyes, like he was saying “thank you mommy”.  I gave him a kiss on his nose and said “I love you bud”….oops, he can’t hear me yet.  I grabbed his Cochlear Implant and put it on him, turned up the volume, then said it again….”I love you bud.”  His smile said it all, that smile spoke thanksgiving and love.  Raymond’s smile makes it all worth it; it is warming to my tired soul.

I found this from 1 John 4:17-18: “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

Thank you Raymond, for giving me another lesson on pure, unselfish, unconditional love.

Mom

Sick Little Boy - Jan. 21, 2011

Well, I am new at this whole “blog” thing, and I have hesitated posting, not sure what to write first.  See, I am a glass half-full kind of gal, and there are SO many amazing life experiences and blessing that have occurred because of Raymond’s disability, for all of us, our entire family.  I’m just not sure what story to tell first…there are so many.  But as I sit here trying to write, I am sitting next to my sick little boy.  A little background, on a normal day, when Raymond is healthy, he requires breathing treatments twice a day because of poor lung capacity, low trunk control and has a continuous cough because he does not handle his saliva or normal secretions well.  He gets 4 feedings a day through the G-tube, stretching and physical therapy and medicine throughout the day.  So, now that he is sick, he gets 3-4 breathing treatments a day, with VEST treatments (CPT-Chest Percussion Therapy, in picture), suctioning of secretions, and more medications (anti-viral & antibiotic).  When he gets a typical cold, it can very easily turn into pneumonia, so we aggressively treat to prevent that.  Now, as I am writing this, he has been sick for 5 days and has now shared it with me….yep, I’m not feeling to well, but must continue.  That would be any mom right to care for typical kiddos when they, themselves are not feeling well.  But…I think this is God’s way of slowing me down, keeping me at home, focused on my most important job, caring for my family.  I can’t run all over town doing errands or going to meetings for my volunteer work when Ray is sick.  I think God tells me to slow down and focus and He reminds me…”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13.  God will give me what I need.  So as I finish this post and give a slight yawn of exhaustion, I will give Ray a little hug before the next treatment, soon our older son, Roman will be home from Jr High with hopefully some fun news….so I will say goodbye for now….more stories to come. 

The Mom

Thanks for checking out my new blog Our Life with Raymond!

Hi! We are the Lara Family. Not your typical family as most would think....we are fun loving, sometimes goofy, and I hate to say it, but usually late. I call us the "Late Lara" family. I'm sure there could be more to describe us, but I can't think at this moment. I decided to start this blog as a way of being able to share the many blessings in our life that God has sent our way.   Our boys are gifts from Heaven, they truly are.  Roman is 14 and Raymond is 12.  Both our boys are unique individuals with special talents....but I want to share some of the talents and blessings that Raymond brings to our life each day that people might not realize.  This blog is a way to record our memories, fun stories, trials, and the ups and downs with Raymond.  See...Raymond has Cerebral Palsy (injury to the brain that happened during a very tramatic birth), Mitochondrial Myopathy (a simple definition would be the body's cells don't produce enough energy that the body requires...a very complex disorder), he is profoundly deaf, but has been hearing since age 6 thanks to a Cochlear Implant, he is feed through a feeding tube (G-tube) and has chronic issues with his GI system and lungs.  He is very medically fragile and completely dependent on us for his every need.  That all being said (and I really tried to make it brief) he is a beautiful gift from God!!!  He has blessed our entire family and continues to bless us each day.  If I am having a difficult day, it can all be fixed by a smile or giggle from Raymond.  I hope that this blog can be a way to share our ups and downs with others, and to share what God has done for us through the many trials we have had along the way.  There is so much to say about Our Life With Raymond.