December 2008~

Dear Journal~

Tovah Ben Ami here.  Sorry if I haven't written; been busy trying to get the house ready for Christmas, getting our shopping done, running back and forth from appointments: you know, typical stuff, particularly this time of year.

Our kids are excited:  they know that in just a few short weeks, Santa Claus will be paying a visit, bringing surprises for good little boys and girls.  They are trying their best to be on their best behavior, which is very much appreciated by us.  We also will be celebrating Hanukkah, so that's on our minds, too.  (We're Jewish, but we also celebrate Christmas.  We're Messianic Jews.  We believe in Christ, what He stands for.)

Wally has been nothing but a joy to our family.  He is learning English at an incredibly fast rate, and Hyman, our "birth" child, can't be any happier.  He has a playmate he can pal around with, and not worry so much about the burdens of having a disabled sister.  This is going to be a very special Christmas, not only for us, but for Wally!

Nashi, meanwhile, continues to fight, as only she can.  She was recently in the hospital last month for a week (another upper respiratory infection that went into pneumonia); she was very sick, gave us some few anxious moments.  She is getting stronger, but with the cold/flu season upon us, we have to be so careful.  What may seem like a minor inconvenience to most people, for Nashi, it can mean life or death.  She can get sick at the drop of a hat; when she gets sick, it seems our whole world stops.

We know we can't keep her inside forever, but when we do take her outside, we bundle her up good, and we do a lot of praying--an awful lot of praying!  So far, other than her recent bout with pneumonia, she's been holding up, which has been nothing short of miraculous!

Yesterday we met another family who is going through the exact same thing we are.  Ted and Heather Abramson have a son, Tyle, who has Canavan disease.  Tyle is four, five years younger than our Nashi, but he faces a lot of the same situations that our daughter does, and now we don't feel so alone.  It gives us a sense of hope, and comfort, because we now know that there are other families going through this.

We met the Abramson family yesterday while we were out at the store, doing our shopping.  (It was just Terri and myself:  the kids were home, as was Nashi's nurse, who also acts as babysitter.)  It felt good to get out, even if only for a few hours; we needed it. 

And thank God, no problems came from Nashi.  She behaved herself.  :)

Of course, the boys wondered what we brought home; we told them, "None of your business.  It's for Christmas".  My wife kiddingly said, "And if you peek, I'll break your arms!"  I got a bit perturbed at her; you don't say that to kids!  (I guess she wanted them to know that she meant it, but I'm sure she wouldn't actually do it!  LOL)

Anyway, the boys have been behaving themselves, and it looks like Santa will be visiting them on Christmas morning.  We could use a reprieve from the kids; they've been pretty wild lately (Nashi, not so much, but the boys have proven to be a huge handful)!

They will also get stuff from Hanukkah; that's the beauty of this time of year.  The kids get extra presents because we celebrate BOTH Christmas AND Hanukkah!  :)

Well, I am going to go.  Too early for Bonzo to be up.  I will write in here again soon; either I or Terri will.  In any event, you'll hear from us on a regular basis.  Just pray that things continue to go well, particularly for Nashi's sake!  And may you have the most blessed, wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah season!

Yeshua bless!

~Tovah Ben Ami. :)