Dan Gould

Tag: Family

  • Jackson is coming Home!

    We made it!!!!  Jackson had surgery yesterday at 7:00 am the procedure to take out his adenoids and tonsils only took 20 minutes at most.  We were fortunate that Jackson slept off the sleepy juice instead of getting really cranky and mad.  The doctor said that typically kids come out of anaesthesiology very irritable and upset.

    Yesterday seemed to be pretty easy in the Hospital, we had a great nurse named Latrina.  Our ENT said that the first day is always the easiest, GREAT, and days 3-5 are the hardest!  So we will see how it goes for the next couple of days.

    After spending all day at the Hospital, Josiah and I came home to sleep while Stephanie and Nana stayed at the Hospital.  Stephanie said that Jackson slept very good last night, didn’t toss or turn like he normally does and was quiet.  The quiet thing we will have to get use to.

    Special thanks for the prayers, visits, and stories of similar scenarios.  This always helps us realize we are not alone and shows us how BIG God is!

    Jackson and Daddy 1 hour after surgery
    Jackson and Daddy 1 hour after surgery

  • Surgery Tomorrow

    Jackson is all set for surgery tomorrow.  We have to be at Centennial Medical Center at 5:30 am.  Yuck!!  His surgery is scheduled for 7:00am and should only take about 30 minutes to take out his adenoids and tonsils.  From there we will go to recovery, then to his own room on the pediatrics floor for at least 24 hours of monitoring.  The ENT said that days 4-6 are the worst and we have to keep him hydrated.

    We welcome visitors and would love the continued prayer.  Nana will be here tonight to watch Josiah and care for all of us.

  • Jackson Update and Prayer Request

    Well we got the results today from Jackson’s sleep study.  The doctors report showed that his tonsils and adenoids are causing him to snore and struggle breathing at night to where he does stop breathing.  But there is also a mild case of central apnea.  This involves the brain and one that our neurologist thinks could be caused from the shortness of breaths causing the read to be that way.  He wants to see the report so he can advise what needs to be done as well as see how Jackson responds after the surgery.

    So, Jackson is scheduled to have surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids on Thursday.  We are waiting for the nurse to call with all the details today.  Nana is driving down from MO tomorrow to help with Josiah and our sanity.  Please continue to pray for our little guy.  He has had such a ruff start to a very young life.

    Here is how you can pray specifically:

    – Pray for HEALING

    – Pray that God would be in Control

    – Pray that the doctors have wisdom in what is going on and how to treat it

    – Pray that surgery goes well and recovery is fast and painless

    – Pray that Josiah still gets attention and isn’t affected negatively by whats going on with Jackson

    – Pray that God would be our provider spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially

    – Pray that God would multiply our sleep, comfort our fears, and give us supernatural peace and rest

  • Our Early Time

    This morning as we were getting ready Josiah said something that really caught me off guard but encouraged me also.  As he was in the shower he said, “Dad, we haven’t had our early time yet.”  I had to ask him what our early time was and this is what he said.  You know that time you get up early to talk with God.  WOW!

    A couple of weeks ago Josiah got up a little after I had and came out in the living room to ask what I was doing.  I told him that I get up early to read my Bible and talk with God.  I had no idea that it totally registered with him, but after today I understand that it has.

    Here is the lesson for me . . . He is watching everything that I do!  I know I have a lot of bad traits and habits that unfortunately Josiah and Jackson will probably pick up.  However, what I model for them is impacting them in real ways.  Nothing humbles me and yet excites me more than what Josiah shared with me today.  It almost like I was being held accountable by a 4 year old.  But he is watching, and as he grows, he will remember that his dad would get up early to spend time with God, and hopefully he will do the same thing because I modeled that for him.

    This song captures what I am feeling right now!

  • Back from Cali and the crazies begin

    Stephanie and I had a great time in California attending The Gathering at Saddleback Church.  It was a much needed break!  However, when we returned it didn’t take Jackson long to give us another scare.

    When Jackson sleeps he sleeps hard, but he sounds like he is snoring but we are learning that it is probably more of a wheeze.  On Sunday Night, he decided to stop breathing while he was sleeping.  Stephanie and I are already on edge at night because of his history, so we called the doctor, and the nurse asked how long he would go without breathing, I told her that I put my hand on him and he started breathing again.  The nurse said that it could be a form of sleep apnea and we should take him to the hospital.  So, we wake up Jackson, load up Josiah and start driving to the Children’s Hospital that we got to visit just 2 weeks ago.  Of coarse at this time Jackson is awake and seems to be his normal energetic self.  The ER Doctors were great, and said that by what they are seeing there is no reason for them to keep him; but if we would feel better they could monitor him through the night.  So we asked to stay since we have already met our deductible and just paid the $100.00 co-pay to address a problem that is unseen when he was a wake.

    So, Sunday Night Stephanie and Jackson stayed the night in the Hospital and Joe and I came home.  Jackson didn’t sleep much Sunday night so they were not able to observe him like we had hoped for.  He did fall asleep for a little nap in the morning and the nurses were able to hear him sleep.  At least they were able to hear what we hear and understand why we were there.  Later that afternoon Jackson fell asleep for a longer period of time and again stopped breathing a couple of times and the nurses were able to witness it this time first hand.  The monitors that were hooked up to him showed that he stopped breathing for about 7 seconds a time.  That’s good news but still not normal.  After they saw this, they did a throat and nose x-ray to see if there was any blockage and called an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.  We have an appointment tomorrow with the same doctor that clipped Jackson’s tongue when he was newborn.  The doctor says that it could be his tonsils or adenoids.  His tonsils are to much bigger than they are supposed to be but she couldn’t see his adenoids.  So needless to say we are home.  We know a little bit more than we did on Sunday, but we still have a son that stops breathing when he is sleeping.  Please continue to pray for him and our Family.

  • Devo with a 4 year old

    Tonight Josiah and I started reading a little devotional that his teacher puts together and give the kids when they leave for the weekend.  Tonight the title was, “He’s always Watching”. The lead verse was Psalm 32:8,

    “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8 (nkjv)

    After we read Josiah prayed.  He thanked God for his mom and dad.  And then prayed for our house to sell and that I would be a better leader in our services.  Kids are so awesome!

  • Goooooaaaaal . . . Pumpkin Patch . . . Friends

    Today started early with Josiah’s soccer game.  Joe played really well, he had a couple of assist, takeaways, and scored four goals.  It was so much fun watching.  Nana, and Papa were here to take in all the action.  From there, we ate breakfast at McDonald’s and then went to a pumpkin patch to pick up some pumpkins for Josiah and Jackson.  The boys had a great time picking out their pumpkins and playing with the straw.  All the pumpkins sold helps raise money for a youth group mission trip.  Great Idea!!! Right now, Josiah has his neighborhood friends in the backyard playing with the water table.  Here are some pics from today.

  • Stress . . . Can’t do a body good!

    Since Jackson has been born, the stress levels have been high for me.  In January I found out that I had high blood pressure.  Some of that I believe to be the high stress of both ministry and the things going on with Jackson, but most of it I have been told is genetics.

    So I said all that to say this, this week I seemed to hit the climax of what my body can take.  On Tuesday my wife had a doctors appointment and found out that she needed to take a test on Wednesday to determine what the next steps were.  I guess that stressed me out a little too much causing me to experience some chest pressure on Tuesday Night.  I had never felt like that before and it really freaked me out . . . enough so that the next day, Wednesday I made and appointment to see the doctor.  However, I never made it to the doctor on Wednesday because of other circumstance that seemed to culminate at 2:00pm yesterday.

    As I was sitting with Stephanie, who was just coming out of anesthesia, I got a phone call saying that Jackson was given to much medicine and was being taken to the ER.  Also at this time Josiah was needing to be picked up from school.  So needless to say, I needed to be in three places at once.  I left my wife there with the nurses and rushed to the hospital to make sure Jackson got the care he needed.  On the way to the ER I made phone calls to get Josiah and Stephanie picked up.  Thank goodness we had some life lines that were able to drop what they were doing to meet our needs.  The good news about yesterday is that Jackson and Stephanie are both ok.  Jackson never seemed to miss a beat and slept most of the 4-5 hours we were at the Children’s Hospital.  So yeah yesterday was stressful and my body felt it.  The pressure was still there and I was fearful that I might have been experiencing the beginning stages of a heart attach.

    I had already canceled may 3:25 appointment on Wednesday and set up an appointment with the doctor for 8:15 am on Thursday, but Wednesday Night, I didn’t know if I should wait that long, so I called the doctors office and talked to the doctor on call.  I explained my symptoms and told him my levels and he encouraged me to get some rest and get it all checked out in the morning.

    So there I was today, feeling better than yesterday, but still wanting some answers.  The doctor came in and listened to everything, gave me a EKG, chest x-ray, and blood work.  Everything came back normal.  Even my blood pressure today was the lowest it has been in 6 months.  I am still waiting on the Blood Work and think it should be good since it was good just a couple of months ago and I have been eating better.   However, this doesn’t mean I am out of the gray.  He said that by the test everything seemed to be ok.  But with my family history I should watch it.  He thinks that stress is the cause of the problems and pain that I was experiencing.  He also said, and I wish I would have had him put in writing, that I need a vacation!  Lucky for me, Stephanie and I are going to Cali Sunday for 5 days.  It couldn’t have come at a better time.

    Since this morning I have been thinking about the changes that I need to make in order to live a longer and healthier life. After all, my wife and kids deserve to have me around as long as they can.  And I believe some of the best parts of life are ahead of me not behind me!  I will post later what the plans are and how I believe they will help me live with less stress.

  • Soccer 101 – We are getting better!

    Last Night was Josiah’s third soccer game, one in which he played three quarters.  He is really becoming pretty good when he stays focused on the game and not playing super heroes with his friend Brandon.  But at 4 years old, what can you expect?  However, I am learning a ton through this process.  I am learning a lot about myself, Josiah, other parents, other kids, and about a game I don’t know much about.

    As a kid, we played soccer at recess but that was it.  In Jr. High and High School it wasn’t even an option.  Times have changed and I don’t have to drive very far to see kids of all ages playing soccer.  This year is Josiah’s first year to play.  We have been working on dribbling the ball, kicking without falling down, and stealing the ball, (this is the simplest since I just tell him to try to get it from me, he thinks its a game).  These things seem to be working because he is getting better.  Words can’t explain how much fun it is for me to watch him have fun on the field. In fact, on Saturday, Stephanie and I even talked about possibly coaching Josiah’s soccer team next year. (scary I know)  Not that we are any better than the Coach that Josiah has this year, but hopefully the learning curve is not to big.  After all, I have a good resource with teenagers who could help us coach and make up for our lack of knowledge!  Could be an adventure!

  • Go Hawks!

    The boys were at it early today with pre-game team pictures and then the game.  Josiah was so excited all week!  His highlight real included stealing the ball, running all the way down field to have one of his team mates steal it at the last minute to kick it in the goal!

    Josiah is such a team player that he still gave two thumbs up after it happened!  I am so proud of him.  He is really getting pretty good.