Happy New Year; New Year’s Resolutions and Reflections

1. January 2010 Michael

Hey guys,

Happy New Year!

We wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.  2009 was a crazy time for us with lots of ups and downs

Mandy finally coming home and all of the adjustments we had to do to make this happen.

Mandy’s first eye surgery

Having to replace the tubes in her ears

Her victories over Pnuemonia and H1N1.

Losing one of Mandy’s grandmothers

Her Second Birthday  – More on this later

Her first Christmas home

Her Second Eye surgery- I’ll tell you about this too

We have been through a lot, and if I had to catagorize 2009,I would call it the year of God’s faithfulness.  It has been very difficult at times But there have been some really incredible events that remind us again and again that God has our back.  Its no wonder that he says that he will never leave us nor forsake us

To catch you up,  I will have to go back several months.  In October, Mandy contracted both the H1N1 Flu virus and Pnuemonia. She ended up bing hospitalized. She came through with flying colors and recovered quickly.

Then November came along and tragedy struck.   Mandy’s Grandma Robin, Teresa’s mom passed away. It was very sudden, and hit us very hard.  I know Mandy didnt understand what was going on, but I could tell that it affected her.   It was a very hard time for us. But we know for sure that Robin had acccepted Christ, and that she is in heaven.  but we still miss her.

Rolling forward to December.  That was a very eventful month for us. First, Mandy celebrated her second birthday. Grandma Laura  and Grandpa Jerry flew in from New Mexico and spent several days with us. They had a blast with Mandy and spoiled her rotten, just like grandparents are supposed to. My favorite image was  Mandy sitting in my Dad’s lap while he sang the same songs that I grew up on.  That was an incredible treat.  She got some really cool  presents too including a playpen that her Grandpa Bryan  gave her.  You should see her sitting there playing with her toys.

Next came Christmas.

For the most part it was pretty quiet. We spent it at home and rested.  But there was one really neat thing that happened. A couple of days before Someone knocked on our door. I opened the door and there was a man holding a huge basket of goodies. He asked me if we were the B’laes’;s and Handed me the basket and two big bags. One with a ham, cheese, rolls etc. The other held presents for Mandy. The thing is; I have no idea who sent them. I did not recognize the man and he refused to tell me .  the packages were marked from Secret Santa.  It was very special and I would like to thank whoever was responsible.

Finally came Mandy’s second surgery which happened on Wednesday December 30. Her eye doctor successfully removed the cattarct from her right eye. He was expecting some difficulty because of the size of the eye. However everything went off like clockwork. This included transportation, timing, waiting room, pre-op, everything.  I remember we went outside to wait for the cab and had a quick bite to eat. We finished our lunch, and the cab pulled up.  Sometimes we end up waitng an hour or more. It couldn’t have gone any better. i can just see God up there tweaking events just to remind us how special we are to him.

This brings us up to the present.  Mandy is recovering nicely, experiencing some pain. Yet she is still the happy little girl that never ceases to amaze me.  I actually saw her sitting up in her crib on her own for the first time tonight!

I realize that you have missed out on some of this journey and I am truly sorry for that.  It has been hard to keep up with all of the postings along with Mandy’s care and trying to keep things going. So with this being New years day,  I have decided to turn over a new leaf and start a new years resolution. I will do my best  to post every week and let you know how Mandy is doing. I will also try to shoot one video per month as well.  Expect the new post on Sunday.

I know this has been a long post and I thank you for taking the time to read it. Mandy’s story has been an incredible adventure for us and I enjoy sharing it with you. It shows  how our Heavenly Father cares for us, even the small things.  He has brought us through many things and I’m sure that there is more coming. Yet he is still faithful. If you are going through a difficult time, talk to God and let him help you. I know from first-hand experience he will not let you down.

Love  in Christ,
Michael, Teresa and Mandy

PS. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below

PPS If you want to be notified when there is a new post, fill out the form on the side of this page and cllick the link in the email you will sent and you will recieve an email each time I post.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

Mandy’s Story Continues; Your Long Awaited Update

19. October 2009 Michael

Hi all,

It has been crazy busy here in Mandy land, thus the lack of updates. I’m not going to make any excuses; I will just do better. I commit to write one update per week, which should be released on Sunday.

Mandy is doing pretty well. She is growing like crazy. She is now up to 19.8 pounds. She has not gotten sick, which is amazing considering that both Teresa and I have been very sick. It took us over two weeks to finally get over it. We have done everything possible to keep her well, washing hands often, controlling coughs etc, but it hasn’t been easy. It is a miracle for sure.

So she acts like any other 2 year old. She chews on everything in sight, plays with her toys and cries when she is wet or wants be held which is often.   There is nothing as cool as holding your daughter. There is so much peace, and I wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world. Even with poop, vomit and mucus, and waking up in the middle of the night to suction her, it is worth it.

One really cute/ slightly annoying thing is she likes to chew on her feeding tube. Just tonight, I checked on her and found her soaking wet and her bed covered with formula. Sure enough she had either pulled or chewed off the feeding tube. Oh well it all comes out in the wash.

So coming up on our very busy calendar, is an MRI on Tuesday October 20, for the purpose of checking to see if she is going to need surgery on her head to move the plates where they belong. They overlap slightly. They will have to put her under Anesthesia to accomplish this.

So please pray that this procedure goes well and that there are no side effects. Also lift up our finances and the eye surgery that Teresa will be having in a few weeks. I will share more on that later.

Love in Christ

Michael Blaes

PS Please let me you are still out there by commenting on the blog below. Also join our mailing list to ensure that you receive the updates which I promise will be more often.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

Quick Prayer Request

27. July 2009 Michael

Hi Guys,

It’s been a busy time in Mandy Land. She caught a bug over the weekend, so we have been doing 24 hour care, keeping her fever under control etc. I haven’t gotten a lot of rest as a result. All that being said, here is the latest

Thursday was a grueling day for us. We had 3 doctor’s appointment in the same day. Fortunately they were all in the same building. ? Anyway We saw Gastro, Respiratory, and her pediatrician.

All had pretty much clean bills of health for Mandy. She was a little gunky, needing to be suctioned frequently. Then Friday morning she started to run a fever and was absolutely miserable. Nothing would console her. We held her for hours, and finally she fell asleep.

It is absolutely true what they say about sleep. It is the best way to fight and recover from illness. This is especially true in Mandy’s case. After she woke up, she was a new kid again.

But we are not out of the woods. She is still not at 100% yet. Please pray for her to finish getting better.

Love in Christ,

Michael Blaes

PS. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

7. July 2009 Michael

Hi Guys, At 8:00 Tomorrow, Mandy will be having surgery tomorrow on her eyes. The doctor wants to do a full examination to see if they can repair her Cataracts. He will also clear her tear duct as well. I’m not really that concerned with it, Mandy has done very well under anesthesia in the past. But there is always a risk.

Thanks for your prayers,
Michael Blaes

PS. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

3 Major Updates… Maybe 4?

29. June 2009 Michael

Hi Guys,

I have a couple of major updates. Fasten your seatbelts and keep your hands inside the ride at all times. Sorry just had to set the scene….

Mandy is doing great. She is gaining weight now steadily. She is about 19 pounds now. When I think of where she has come from, I just want to hit my knees and just praise God. In fact sometimes I do. ? She has now been home almost 4 months now and for the most part things are going very well. Teresa and I are having a blast watching her grow. I love playing with her, especially tickling her and watching her giggle. All I can say at this point is Praise You Lord!

There have been some trials. Mandy can catch a bug so easily, because of the open Trach, so that is a constant challenge. Recently she came down with some kind respiratory infection. It took us over two weeks to get her well. Because of this we are limiting her exposure to doctor appointments and tests, along with short walks. We are not taking her to church at this point, which is a little frustrating. It’s hard to get the feeding you need when you aren’t attending as regularly as we would like to. All that being said, God is good, and he is still on the throne.

One really cool thing that happened is Mandy has been taken off of her heart medicine, and the Doctor doesn’t want to see her for a year. Wow! How Cool is That? Another prayer answered. I asked him if he thought she would need any more heart surgery in the foreseeable future, and he clearly said “I don’t think so”

Next Mandy will be having eye surgery on the 8th of July to determine what can be done with her vision. We know that she can see some, are not sure exactly how much. We had an ultrasound done and found that her eyes are not detached as was originally feared by her eye doctor.

Next Mandy saw a whole bunch of doctors about a week ago and they are collaborating to determine what can be done with her cleft palate. We are hoping that it can be repaired, but there are many questions still to be answered. I learned early on to stop asking the question “When?” and start asking “Whats next”

Finally The doctors are concerned about the growth of the plates on her skull. Her soft spot is still exposed and from what I am understanding, it should have grown in. So the team will be addressing that as well. It might involve some plastic surgery to repair. I’ll keep you updated as things develop.

Oh I almost forgot! One last update. We are moving! As you can probably imagine, a one bedroom apartment gets a little crowded with 3 people. Add to that all of the staff that works with Mandy and it gets pretty crazy. Teresa and I work from home, and it has hard to be productive with all of the noise and distractions. So we requested a 2 bedroom apartment from the complex and were 4 down on the waiting list, and our number finally came up. So we will be relocating at the end of this week. I’m pretty excited. We will have more room and have some private space for ourselves too. Praise God!

Prayer requests
Please pray for Mandy’s safety on the 8th, and that God would guide the doctor’s hands. Also pray for wisdom for the team that is making the decision about Mandy’s cleft palate and skull issues. Also for wisdom and grace for us so that the move goes smoothly.

Love in Christ
Michael Blaes

PS. As always, please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below. We appreciate your feedback, and I cannot count the number of times that God has used you to restore us and give us peace.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

Mandy has a small setback

4. May 2009 Michael

Hey Guys,

It has been a crazy week. Mandy caught a bug, and has been sick all week. She’s been running a fever off on and on all week. But after several days of antibiotics and lots of love she is finally feeling better. She is moving around again. She pretty much slept all week.

It’s really hard to sleep when you know your little one is not feeling well. You feel like you are on alert, waiting for something to happen. How so like our heavenly father. The bible says he watches over us.

Life is precious, and we are not even promised our next breath. We have to just rest in him and know that he has everything under control.

Now that Mandy is feeling better, I expect a relatively quiet week. She has one follow-up appointment with her Pediatrician, and not much else. I’ll give you all an update next week on how she is doing. I’ve been working on some new videos and I will try to have those up soon as well.

Thank you for your prayers!

Love in Christ
Michael Blaes

PS. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

PPS. If you aren’t receiving the updates from Mandy’s Story fill out the form on the side of this page. You will receive an email from mandysstory@aweber.com click the link in the email and you will be notified every time I add a new update.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

Mandy’s Dedication on Easter Sunday

19. April 2009 Michael

Hi Guys,

Mandy has been home, for just over a month now. And things are going very well Teresa and I are finally getting used to the schedule. Mandy is growing by leaps and bounds.

It has not all been smooth sailing though. Earlier this week we had a little emergency. Mandy coughed out her Trach, and the hole with her neck started to close before I could replace it. It was a little scary, but I remembered my emergency procedures, and Mandy was just fine. It did mean a night in the emergency room though.

Last Sunday, which was Easter, we finally dedicated Mandy to the Lord. Check out The video below. It was an incredible experience, and signified the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Teresa and I are excited with the possibilities. But there is nothing quite so cool as watching your child grow up.

Think you for your prayers and support. We could not have gotten this far without them.

If you are struggling with anything at all I encourage you to trust the Lord. He will never let you down.

All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Love in Christ
Michael Blaes

PS Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

First Week at Home

23. March 2009 Michael

Hey Guys,

Hopefully you had the opportunity to read my last post. Mandy has been home with us for a week now and things are going great. Her weight as of this morning is 15.6 pounds. So she is continuing to gain steadily. But there have been some very cool things that have happened as well

Her skin has improved. She used to get horrible diaper rash and rashes on her face. That has cleared up. Mandy has very sensitive skin, and it had gotten to the point having to use water wipes to clean her bottom. Now we use the wipes designed for sensitive skin, and she is doing just fine. I think it must have been the industrial cleaners that were used on her clothing and bedding at the hospital.

Mandy does require a lot of care. Fortunately we have a lot of help. We have a nurse during the day from 7am to 3pm. Then Teresa and I have her care from 3pm to 11pm. After that we have attendant care from 11pm to 7am. It has been a lot of help.

Teresa and I are still catching up on sleep, but I hear that’s par for the course with a new baby. I’m sure that we will make the adjustments needed.

Thank You for all the prayers and support!

Love in Christ
Michael Blaes

P.S. The best way to keep up with the blog is by subscribing to our email list. Simply fill out the form on the side, click the confirm link on the message we send you and you will be notified every time we post anything new.

P.P.S. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

Mandy is coming home!

13. March 2009 Michael

Hey Guys,

Its official. Teresa and I have completed our training including the 24 hours of total care. To be honest Mandy’s care is not that difficult. There’s just a lot of things to do, and it’s repetitive. Heres how a typical day goes.

6:30 am Mandy wakes up check diaper and suction her if needed

8:30 am Breathing Treatment, and a massage ( to loosen the secretions) and suctioning diaper change if needed

9:00 am Start first feed and medication

10:30 am give mandy a bath, change clothes, and trach care

12:00 pm start second feed

12:30 pm massage and check diaper suction if needed

2:30pm check diaper

3:00pm start third feed

4:30pm massage and check diaper suction if needed

6:00 pm start fourth feed, do meds, check diaper and suction if needed

8:30 Breathing Treatment, suction, trach care change into pajamas and change diaper put mandy to bed

10:30 check diaper

12:30 check diaper suction if needed

2:30 am check diaper

4:30 am check diaper

and it starts all over again the next day

And that doesnt include therapy, cuddling, or extra suctioning or extra dipaer changes. And we have include some play time too.

Whew! I got tired just writing it down.

And we were tired after that night. But everything went great.

So everything is set, equipment and supplies delivered, Nursing and Attendant Care hired. Now all we need is Mandy herself!

So…

Mandy is coming home on Monday! She is supposed to be here at 9:30 am sharp. We are so excited! Its the end of a 15 month long journey and the beginning of another. Praise God!

So your’e wondering, whats going to happen to the site?

Well I plan to continue it and keep it updated with new pictures, news and share all the trials and the

triumphs as Mandy grows and God leads. expect a new post about once a week.

Now let me totally serious f or a minute….

Going through this experience has been both the hardest and the most joyous time of my entire life. It has been very difficult at times, and Ive shed a lot of tears. But I have learned to trust God in a way that I never would have otherwise. I know that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has never and will never let me down. and so I say to you my friends, No mater what you are going through; Put your trust in your Lord and he will see you through.

God Bless You and Keep You Make his Face to Shine Upon You and Give You Peace.

Love in Christ,

Michael Blaes

PS. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »

Does Kurt Warner really know my daughter?

1. March 2009 Michael

Hi Guys,

It has been a busy time for us. As I mentioned in my last post, Teresa and I have been staying at the hospital for almost a month now, learning all of the aspects of Mandy’s care. Its been an incredible time, getting to know her all over again and finally being a family. Let me recap some of the things that have happened.

We have Mandy on the passing air valve up to about 30 minutes at a time. I cant tell ‘you how cool it was to hear her making noise for the first time. Actually I can. I created a video, keep an eye out for the link. I cannot wait to hear her babble and cry.

Next Mandy is continuing to get more and more active. Ive seen her lie on her tummy and hold up her head and look around. She’s doing that very consistently now. And yesterday She propelled herself from one side of the crib to the other in one push with her legs. It will not be long now! Once she gets started, there will be no stopping her.

Also Mandy has some pretty famous friends. There are a group of ladies from the Arizona Cardinals that come in to volunteer, including Alice Wizenhunt, the coaches wife, and Brenda Warner, Kurt Warner’s wife and they all adore Mandy. But last Friday, we got the ultimate surprise. Kurt Warner himself showed up in our hospital room! He even held Mandy for a bit. Teresa and I were just astounded to meet him, especially after he gave all the Glory to God after the NFC Championship. It was a treat that I will long remember.

Back to the training…

Teresa and I have finished all of the training. Now it’s down to one final test. We have to do total care for her for 24 hours. That is set for tomorrow morning. Please pray that God will give us what we need to get through. Ill try to post tomorrow and let you know how things went. Shortly after that Mandy will go home. All of the pieces are in place now.

Mandy is going home and we cant wait!

Love in Christ

Michael Blaes

P.S. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

Uncategorized | 0 Comments »