What is the Truth?

This last two weeks, I have been working hard at getting back into the school scene. As I mentioned in my last post, I have been assigned to read a philosophy book written by a French man named Michel Foucault if any of you are familiar. Apparently he is one of the foremost writers of what is called the postmodern movement in rhetoric. This is not just restricted to the literary community, but is widely embraced in the sciences, history, sociology, and so on. As I understand it (which at this point is still a bit shaky), the whole point is that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Truth is supposed to be dependent upon the "community" you are a part of, your life experiences, and the perspective from which you veiw the world. My truth would not be the same as yours. As I have read literally hundreds of comments from my classmates over the last two weeks on this text, I have been really quite surprised at the acceptance and even championing of this belief that truth is relative, truth is subjective. There were many threads on our discussion boards that even addressed religion in light of this philosophy, and I am sad to say that almost all of my classmates were in agreement with these teachings! I suppose that will be my challenge in this course to understand the concepts without embracing them as my own; to be in the world but not of the world.
As I have thought about these concepts over the week, I found comfort as I reflected on the teachings of the gospel. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father, that he has blessed me with a testimony of the gospel! I can't imagine living in this world with the uncertainty that the things I believe could shift or change. I know that my Heavenly Father lives regardless of what happens in the world around me. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that he atoned for my sins. There is nothing that can change that absolute truth. I know that the gospel was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith, and that we have a prophet today that speaks the absolute truth from our Father in Heaven! Truth is not relative, or subjective, or individual. It is eternal! How thankful I am for that!

The Blessing of the Gideon

I told Michelle that I would post some details about Gideon's blessing up on the blog. (Although I think that most everyone who is considering coming already knows. Unless, Skip or Debbie? How about it? Just kidding!)

Fast Sunday in February is February 4th, and we are planning to bless Gideon in sacrament meeting (which begins at 1:00pm). Bradley has a conference in Vegas on the previous Wednesday-Friday, so we are all going to be down there, and traveling back up on Saturday morning.

Kim is quite graciously considering hosting a family dinner on Saturday night--thanks, Kim!

I am VERY much looking forward to showing off my plump, adorable, alert, incredible baby boy to all of you who can make it. If you can't, that is TOTALLY okay and won't hurt our feelings in the slightest. But we are excited to see as many as can come.

a clarification

Just a note to clarify... the "blessings" post was actually from Mom. But, it could have been just as well from Dad.

Dad

Blessings

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Blessings

We have more blessing than we can count! We had an excellent stake conference this weekend that challenged us to endure to the end and continue to become more Christ-like. I came away feeling very blessed.

We are excited to attend the blessing of Gideon on Feb 3 at 1:00. It will be grandchild number 20 to be blessed, and we have attend all of the blessing, which is another one of our blessing to be able to do that. I am in awe of what a wonderful family I have been blessed with and how well each of them is doing. We pray for each of you each day and we know Heavenly Father is mindful of you and your trials as well as ours.

For those of you who know Marilyn Jaques, she isn't doing well. She did come home from the hospital today. Her blood pressure has been extremely low and she has had a urinary infection. Her blood pressure is stable without meds as of today. She is in the last stages of cirrhois of the liver from the Hep C she has had for several years. Andrea, Matthew, his wife and 2 year old came on Friday. They will be here until Tuesday. It is possible her other two sons will be coming soon. It has been very hard on Clark. He had knee replacement surgery a few weeks ago and is getting around pretty good. Keep them in your prayers.

We are fine with the 4th of July weekend for the reunion. It is busy in the Duck Creek area all summer. Hopefully, we will be moved by then, if not you can all help!

We are getting the house appraised tomorrow. It will take a couple of days for the results, then on the market it will go. Hopefully, someone will buy it and let us rent until we need to leave.

Grandma Peters is moving back to her place in Laguna Woods this coming weekend. She hasn't liked her apartment and having to go downstairs (on the elevator) for her meals, etc. A couple of days ago she had an offer of the place but she turned it down and said she needed to move back.
Have a great week!
We love each of you so much!

Where is Everyone?

I have been faithfully checking the blog to see what all of your opinions are about the family reunion. Thanks Brad for your vote of confidence. The rest of you, write something! ;-) I actually logged onto the computer this morning to work on my graduate class. I must say, it has really humbled me! It is all online which in itself has been a learning curve for me. I have spent just as much time this week learning all of the tools and programs as I have reading my textbooks! My class has about 50 people in it, and there are many impressive resumes as we have been "introducing" ourselves this week. The first text we are reading is actually by a French philosopher (yes it is an English class, on discourse actually), and I think it may as well be in French because it is so hard to understand. Sigh...Hopefully as I start to exercise those parts of my brain that have been on vacation for 9 years or so, it will start coming back to me! Our home edition has been put on a brief hold as the temperatures have plummeted out west. I hear you easterners are having a balmy winter-lucky ducks! What other news do we hail from the other side of the country? I am sure I am not the only one who would love to hear more from our Virginia Rosses. Gideon looks great (as do the other two) and we're so glad to hear he is doing so well. That is about all for the Martin family. I hope you will catch us up on your news everyone!

Cute kids

Shrinking the Big Head

Nobody wants their kid to get a big head. Keryn and I were so serious on that point we put our kid under the knife! :-) It is the morning after the shunt surgery. Gideon had follow up x-ray and CT scans. Everything is looking very good.

One important measure has been head circumference. When he was born, it was 34.5cm. Over the following days it went to 35, then 35.5, 36, 37, 37.5, 38. Slowly but surely the size crept up. After one day of having the shunt in place, his head is now measuring 34.5cm. Since babies experience normal growth in head size, we guess that his head was already a bit fluid enlarged when he was born.

Yay for modern medicine and caring doctors, nurses, and a loving family and Father in Heaven!

Shunt Surgery

We had an appointment with Gideon's neurologists today and he had another CT scan. They've recommended that we have the shunt put in, so we'll go in tomorrow morning for the surgery. If all goes well, we'll only be in the hospital for one night after the surgery.

The shunt has been described to us as a tube the size of a piece of spaghetti that will run from the ventricle in the brain, under the scalp, and down into the abdominal cavity. There is going to be enough tube put in that he'll have enough to grow to full size with this one shunt. The surgeon didn't make it sound like it is very common, but certainly possible for a kid to go a couple of decades before needing a shunt revision.

Of course, the purpose of the shunt is to drain excess fluid away from the brain. Normally, the fluid would flow away from the brain through the same opening the spinal cord goes through, but because of things related to the spina bifida, a part of the brain is misshapen and isn't allowing the fluid to flow down like it normally would. The shunt will solve that problem. However, if the shunt breaks or gets kinked or clogged or whatever, it will have to be replaced in another surgery.

The doctor also tells us there is a risk of infection that hits between 5-7% of kids that get this surgery. In that case, the hospital stay is a few weeks long until the child is fully recovered. We are very confident in Gideon's general good health right now and I am praying we won't have any complications. He is eating and sleeping so well and I expect his mother's milk will prove to be a good shield.

Again, thank you for all of your prayers on Gideon's behalf.

re: Reunion

Keryn and I talked about your proposal and we think it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm not aware of any work plans that would goof up the 4th of July for me, but I'll need to check on that as well. Count us as a definite yes on the activity and a probable yes on the date.

a few thoughts on reunion

Wow. Everything sounds great!!! ... except for one little thing... the dates. Of course, by then Mom and I will be retired and have lots of time. However, the 4th of July could be pretty crowded in the mountains. Is this the only time we can all go? If so, let's go for it.

Dad

Test

Reuniting

Well now that the new year is upon us, it is time to start thinking about the reunion this summer! First and foremost, we need to settle on some dates. With the limited input I have had up to this point, we are thinking about the week of the 4th of July. That would probably be Wed. July 4th through Saturday July 7th. I need feedback on these dates! Do you love it, hate it, can't do it...put it out there.
Next, as you all know, we would like to try a camping reunion. For those of you who feel a little less hardy, the campsite that we are considering can accomidate trailers and RVs. They have dumping facilities, water pumps, bathrooms with sinks and flush toilets, and shower facilties. Our family has camped there for years, and we camp in our tent. We always bring bikes and fishing gear. There is a little fishing lake, lots of hiking trails, an area where we can play volleyball, or baseball; there is lots to do. Cedar City is also less than an hour away, and we often go down there once during our stay to grocery shop (they have a Super-Walmart) and sometimes see a movie. There is also a little village right down the road from the campground that has a gas station and a hardware store. Lots of people ride four wheelers in the area, and there are lots of trails for that kind of stuff. The weather is pretty warm during the day (shorts and t-shirts). The evenings require pants and jackets. We often get afternoon rain. We can easily make day trips to places like Bryce or Zion National Parks if that interests anyone. Brianhead resort is also minutes away.
I hope this gives you an idea about what to expect, and the information you need to give us some feedback. We realize this is something a little different than what we have done in the past, but we are so excited, and we know it can be so much fun! If anyone needs us to help them get camping gear, let us know. We have access to extra tents, sleeping bags, and the like. We are also equiped with most of the stuff we will need for cooking. Your family will most likely be assigned to be in charge of a meal during the reunion. More on that as we solidify plans.
I hope to read lots of your comments, positive or otherwise! (;

Christmas Eve

Steve got our family a portable fire pit and all the fixins for S'mores on Christmas Eve. It was so fun to snuggle together and have a quiet treat together on that most quiet of nights.

Expanding...

After a lot of talk, planning, more talk, and lots of thought, we have finally broken ground for our addition. We are planning to add a two car garage, a family room, and a fourth bedroom to our little house. As our boys get bigger by the moment, and as we continue to accumualte stuff, we seem to need just a little more room. Theo (known in some circles as the "Navajo Backhoe") has now drafted our plans, had them approved by the city, and excavated the area where our foundation will be poured. I still marvel at his industry even after seeing all that he has already acheived in the beautification of our home. He has done everything by hand and the sweat of his brow. What a worker!

christmas etc

well, i opened my christmas present today from my whole family. :) wow!! because i promised mom i would take some, here are a few pics:








i can't even begin to tell you...wow. i can't thank you enough for this amazing gift. it is so cool! the number of hours that you all must have put into this is just too much. it means so much to me to have received something so thoughtful from my sisters and mother. i especially love the personalized square with all the people, my family, on it.

i know i don't tell you guys enough how much i love and appreciate you, but i really do. i am so lucky to have such a selfless and supportive family. i know that you all don't agree with my decision on how i live my life, but you have been there for me and loved me nonetheless. i know a lot of people that can't say the same for their families. you all set such great examples for me and offer advice whenever i need it and i am glad for that.

thank you so much for this wonderful gift. it means more to me than i have the words to express.

love,
deb

Gideon Update

Oh man. I just take it for granted that word gets around faster than it does about what is going on. Nicole chided me for not keeping everyone more up to date, so here is the latest on Gideon. He was born on Monday, December 18th. He had his back surgery on Wednesday and we were able to come home with him that same Saturday. That meant we got to be home for Christmas which we hardly dared to hope for. All of your prayers and faith have really paid off thus far!

Since he has been home, he has been a lot like any other newborn. He is really getting into a groove with eating. He isn't very fussy and he sleeps well. The incision on his back is healing very nicely. We'll have to keep on eye on that part of his spine as he grows since there is always the chance that scar tissue will cause the spinal cord to stick in one place and not grow well with the rest of his body. But so far, so good.

The biggest concern we have right now is about his head. We have to watch out for the accumulation of fluid on his brain, called hydrocephalus. If too much fluid builds up in your skull, it could put pressure on the brain and cause brain damage. This is quite common in kids with spina bifida and about 81% of them will need to have a tube put in their head, called a shunt, that will drain the fluid out of their head, under their skin, and down into their belly.

Gideon's head is growing a little more quickly than we'd like to see, which is an indication of the onset of hydrocephalus. The soft spots on his head are also starting to bulge out a little bit. We're keeping a close eye on the situation and he may end up getting the shunt surgery next week. It is something we'd obviously hoped to avoid, but we've been so blessed already we could hardly complain.

Keryn's mom and sister have been staying with us since shortly after he was born, helping us to watch the other kids while we were at the hospital. Yesterday, Keryn's mom went back home to Las Vegas. She has a son and daughter-in-law and their two kids living with her right now and the daughter-in-law has some medical problems and was admitted to the hospital for reasons we're still not entirely clear on yet. She was more needed there than here, so off she went. She has been such a saint through everything that has poured over her this year.

Keryn's sister, LaDale, is still staying with us until the 13th when she'll go back home to Colorado Springs. She has been so helpful and we feel blessed that she is in a position where she can offer so much of her time to us. Keryn, particularly, appreciates the blessing of getting a bit more sleep than she might otherwise get with a husband at work and two toddlers running around the house.

I imagine that you are curious, as we were, to know what the myelomeningeocele on his back looked like. Here is a before and after picture. You can click on the picture to get a bigger version.

re: dad's kite story

hahahahahahhahahahaah!!! man, that story never gets old. i love it.

Perhaps a Darwin Award Winner

Well, if all of you promise to never tell anyone in Detroit, I'll tell you my story of how I virtually shut down the city with some kite string:

It was a blustery spring day. I had a new kite and was enjoying flying it at the school yard. The conditions were perfect and I wanted to fly even higher than my one ball of string would allow. So I went home and asked my mom for more string. She gave me a roll of "Christmas String." It was regular string with a strip of aluminum foil wrapped around it to make it prettier.

Out I went. I ran my kite as high as it would go with the regular string, then tied on the Christmas String. Up it went even higher. I was having a great time.

Then the wind started to die down. And the kite started to come down. Not wanting to give up, I kept trying to regain altitude... to no avail. So down came the kite.

The trouble came when the Christmas String made contact with the powerlines over the playground. It drapped from one to another and then "Bang!!!" With a loud cracking sound and a big ball of fire, the power lines came crashing down. They danced around like an out-of-control fire hose, shooting sparks instead of water.

I stood there all amazed. I threw the string down on the ground (probably saved my life) and backed into a corner of the playground. In what seemed like moments, sirens started to scream. Police and fire trucks came roaring to the scene. I watched in horror, sure that I would be arrested and executed by the next day. But no one seemed to notice the frightened little boy standing in the corner... watching.

Interestingly, every spring, around the time the kites began to fly, our teachers would warn us all about the evil little boy who killed power to the city by flying his kite with Christmas String. I never confessed (until now) but was sure that everyone knew I was guilty.

Dad (Darwin Winner)