Go Team Anderson

Coulditbemythyroid.com

2010-01-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be aware of this, some probably less so - the bottom line is that Kristin has hypo-thyroidism (under-active thyroid) caused by Hashimoto's Disease (an autoimmune disorder where anitbodies mistakenly attack the thyroid) - it's actually quite common, especially among child-bearing women, and should be easily managed by taking a synthetic thyroid pill every day, indefinitely.

The short story is that about a year ago our Dentist noticed that Kristin's lower throat seemed slightly swollen - saying we should have her glands looked at. With the baby and the move, we didn't act on it until a couple of weeks ago, after again noticing that the base of her throat had a noticeable bulge. (We have since learned that you can't see a normal thyroid - only an enlarged one becomes visible because nodules, or goiters, begin to grow on it.)

Here is Kristin's report from this morning:
"I just got back from the doctor and found out the results of my thyroid ultrasound and bloodwork - and now I have a label for what's going on in my crazy body! :) I have what's called Hashimoto's thyroiditis (a hypothyroid auto-immune condition where my thyroid has failed and my body is attacking and destroying it). The doctor said he'd actually never seen an antibody count as high as mine (which I told Darin reminds me of the first episode of Star Wars when Qui-gon Jin tells Anakin's mother that he has an incredibly high mito-chlorian count - see, I'm just special :)). My thyroid is very enlarged and has multiple nodules on it (growths - like cysts - which my thyroid has produced in an attempt to secrete the hormone it's supposed to be producing, but essentially producing "duds"), but none of the nodules appear malignant or too large at this point. The bottom line is: my thyroid isn't working and I need to be on medication to simulate what a functioning thyroid does for your body. I will go back for more bloodwork in 7 weeks (to see if the medication dosage is correct and to see what my vitamin D level is - a dysfunctional thyroid/auto-immune condition can lead to more auto-immune conditions, like Celiac disease - where your body attacks gluten, and Lupus - I really don't know what that one is, and osteoporosis - which is why the doctor told me to start taking a calcium supplement with vitamin D - which is necessary for calcium absorption and should be a proactive step against osteoporosis :)).

All of that is to say, it's good news - I'm OK for now - and the medication should help me feel better (increased energy, help with metabolism, etc - it's funny, if you look up symptoms of Hashimoto's, it list things like mania, panic attacks, depression - so anyway, the medication should help with all of my mania, too :) )."

The Doctor was actually quite surprised that she has not had other prominent symptoms - like infertility. Apparently that is a common result of this condition: miscarriages, etc. So we left the office feeling extra thankful for the gift of our amazing four boys!

So, thanks for praying! :) We'll keep you updated if/when We know more!

Faith and Insanity

2010-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

I highly doubt that any American would have passed the faith-test Abraham did in Genesis 22. We are far too committed to our reason and ideals. And I, for one, would have found a dozen reasons or more why it hadn't been God who had told me to sacrifice my only son. Obviously child sacrifice is something abhorrent to a God of goodness and love, so a directive like that could not have come from my God. We Americans are well trained, through history and philosophy, in evaluating our "unalienable rights." Following Adams, Jefferson and Madison we carefully define our rights and establish our lives on the truths we have declared "self-evident." The North Star that guides us is a commitment to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." God's command to Abraham violated all three of those core commitments, and so I would not have obeyed it.

But Abraham did. And he is repeatedly elevated in Scripture as a man of faith, largely for this life altering moment. The turning point of the story comes when Isaac, only a young boy, looks up at Abraham on the third day of their journey and asks, "Father, I see the wood and the fire for sacrifice, but where is the lamb?" Perhaps Abraham had long rehearsed his answer or maybe the Spirit withheld these prophetic words until this precise moment. Either way, this Father's response conveys the depth of his confidence in the God he had been walking with for decades: "God himself will provide the lamb."

The author of Hebrews further elaborates that Abraham's decision to slaughter his only son, the son of the promise, was based on his belief that God could raise the dead, "and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death" (Heb. 11:19). Abraham was not fundamentally committed to his own happiness or freedom or even the life of his precious child. He did not base his decisions on his ability to reason out clear explanations. He simply listened to God and acted - throwing himself recklessly, completely upon His Father's will.

Ah, to be less Rationally American and more Faithfully Christian.

Adjusting the straps

2010-01-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

I had to raise the straps a notch on Micah's car seat this morning. It was getting hard to snap him in, which is not surprising given the fact that he has grown four inches in the last 11 weeks! (He has also gained 6 pounds, to a healthy 14 lbs. 8 oz.)

I remember adjusting straps for the other boys - it feels to me like a marker in the passage of time. As you watch your kids, you don't notice that they are growing so quickly - but then you realize their jeans are stopping well above their shoe line, or their coat is getting short in the arms. It's hard to believe that Seth is 9 and a half, Caleb is about to turn 8 and Joel is already 6. We have adjusted a lot of straps for these guys! Caleb gets to graduate from his booster seat a week from tomorrow...

A big adjustment we have just made involved Seth's schooling. He started the year with five other kids in 4th grade. A couple of weeks in, one of the four boys got sick and dropped out to homeschool (that was, of course, the guy he connected with best). Just before Christmas his other buddy in class shipped out to Germany with his family - Dad is in the Army. That left Seth with just three other kids, and a sizable gap in his pace of learning relative to theirs. So the principal and both of his teachers suggested that we consider moving him up into the 5th grade class - where there are 10 other kids and he would be more challenged academically. We talked and prayed through it and decided it would be the best solution for him this semester. So, starting on Monday, Seth will jump into 5th grade. How is that for a strap adjustment?!?

He has had to work closely with his math teacher this week to make the leap over a year of math concepts - but is making great strides and seems ready to go for it. The other subjects do not build as much concept upon concept, so he shouldn't need additional preparation for them. But we do expect he'll have to work harder to succeed at this new level. When we told him about our decision to move him up, he simply responded, "Cool." Later, after some thought, he agreed that it was the best solution, given the situation. Seth continues to deal with the struggle of having left such good friends in Charlotte and then having his two Louisville buddies leave him. But he is managing everything quite well, and growing into his faith and understanding through it all.

Creation Contrast

2010-01-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Kristin and I are again reading through the Bible this year and so began in Genesis on Saturday (thankful that our reading plan considers the weekend to be one day). Reflecting on the creation account this morning, I was struck anew by the vivid description of paradise - as a lush, tropical garden. "The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food" (Gen. 2:9). And He gave the first couple "every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it" for their nutrition and enjoyment (Gen. 1:29). Theirs diet was full and varied, their home was rich, warm and bountiful, and their lives were filled with discovery, joy and exploration. Imagine waking up each day with new hills and valleys to explore, new flaura and fauna to discover; a fresh experience around every corner - and all with a flawless companion, and with regular contact with the Creator Himself.

This is the vivid depiction of Eden in the Bible.

In stark contrast, we just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It is a tragic portrayal of the trudging survival of a father and son through the barren wasteland of a world without life. Everything is gray and covered with ash. They plod along a southward road, pushing a shopping cart with their meager food and possessions. The very few people they come across are either desperate thieves and murderers or wasted beggars more despairing than themselves. This ashen void is a good picture of Hell - a place without life, without hope. But the real Hell would also remove the one glimmer of light from the near total darkness of the story - the connection with another human being. And that will be the true hell of Hell - the removal of all contact with other souls - an unending ash-covered road across an infinite, barren expanse.

The Bible paints vivid portraits of both Heaven and Hell - raising the compelling, driving question for each of us about where we will be for all of forever. We were not made for Hell, for the permanent absence of relationship, for the severance from life, beauty and exploration. No, we were made to experience every facet of creation - to discover, to enjoy, to taste and see that it is, indeed, "very good." And we were designed to experience these things in eternal relationship with our loved ones and especially with our loving Creator and Savior - who endured Hell so that we would not have to.

(I was moved by Randy Alcorn's book Heaven - an inspiring vision and exhortation to seek out and "set your minds on things above, not on earthly things," [Col. 3:1-2].)

Darin vs. Kristin

2009-10-28T19:45:00.001-07:00

Time from surgery to standing:
D:8 weeks; K:5 hours

To walking:
D:3 months; K:24 hours

To helping with the kids:
D:8 weeks; K:1 hour

To mowing the lawn:
D:10 weeks; K:well, she never did that anyway...

To running any distance:
Ha ha ha ha ha

Micah Neal Anderson!

2009-10-28T05:05:00.001-07:00

For those of you who were not riveted to your facebook yesterday - here's the scoop:

Micah Neal Anderson was born at 6:47 pm Tuesday (10/27), weighing 8 lbs, 7 oz - 20 inches long. (All of our boys have preferred an evening arrival - Seth a Tues. at 4:46 pm, Caleb a Tues. at 4:56 pm and Joel a Wed. at 5:27 pm.)

We arrived at noon and were processed quickly back into triage - where we waited (the OR was full)... and waited (our doctor wasn't here yet)... and almost went in... but then had to wait some more (I did see the cute twin girls as they came out of the OR, so I guess it was worth waiting)... and waited... and then they took us back around 6 pm. Keep in mind that Kristin wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything since dinner the night before - so all day she was starving (still is, actually - though she enjoyed her grape juice this morning). After that it went quickly and smoothly.

Micah is a sweet baby - he sleeps with his mouth open and makes little murmur noises, almost like he's purring for you. The wonderful nurses here kept him for us last night, so we were able to sleep from about 12:30 until 6 - a pretty impressive first night's sleep! Micah did great, taking 1 oz at 11:30 last night and another at 3:30 am. He's due for another ounce shortly, but is enjoying cuddle time with Mom.

Kristin came through surgery great. The spinal block (and not laboring for 14-24 hours) made the procedure and recovery considerably easier than her previous C-sections (Hallelujah for that big answered prayer!). She was able to get up at midnight last night, not even 5 hours after they closed her up. It was painful, but she did it. She got up again at 6 am, with a little less pain and a little more speed. She is now totally tube free and only in moderate and expected pain. We'll be here at Norton Suburban until Friday or Saturday. Nana and Papa have the other boys (who are excited but a little bummed that they can't see him in person until we come home, thanks to flu season).

(A classic moment for me in this strange modern birthing process - as if updating facebook every 20-30 minutes wasn't strange enough - was getting Paul Bengtson's comment on one of my posts saying, "Darin, put down the video camera, it's time to have a baby." But technically it was an iPhone, not a video camera, so there.)

Thanks for all the encouragement and prayers!

10/27, 2 pm

2009-10-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Micah is scheduled to arrive via C-section at 2 pm on Tuesday, October 27. Please pray especially for Kristin as she cannot have anything to eat or drink after midnight Monday. Her folks will be staying at our house with the boys all week - so that part is well covered. We have everything we need and more to re-enter the baby phase. HUGE thanks to so many of you who graciously shared your baby clothes and stuff. Everyone is very excited - along with a variety of other emotions. We'll update facebook as soon as he is born, and send out an email as soon as we can. Thanks for praying!

19 Days and Counting

2009-10-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

October 27 at 2 pm. We've never known our baby's gender before, much less a name and much much less the date and time of their arrival. So it's been fun this time around to be talking about and praying for Baby Micah - and to know that he'll be here well before Halloween. (The boys wanted to dress him up as Yoda, but we decided he probably wouldn't be quite ready for that.) We're also thankful that it will be a scheduled C-section as opposed to the 2 emergency Cs that came after hours and hours of labor (I'd put numbers but Kristin would only have to correct them later).

Kristin is definitely feeling the effects of being 36 weeks along. But she is a trooper and keeps taking care of the rest of us in addition to lugging that chunker around. We reflected that in some ways the last few weeks of pregnancy might be the most difficult of parenting, because you can't put the kid down or get help from anyone else... If he decides to stand up sideways and beat on your gall bladder all you can do is poke him a little and hope he gets bored of it. And if he gets hiccups all you can do is wait 'em out.

Thanks for praying for all of us, especially Kristin and Micah! We are very thankful and celebrate with those close to us who have also just had babies: the Gareaus in Charlotte had Landon James, the Wojnickis in Louisville just had Daniel John and my brother (well, his wife) in Portland just had Sean David. All three baby boys had minor health issues that have mostly resolved but please also join us in praying God's richest blessing on them as well! More young men who will be raised to serve the King!

School and Stuff

2009-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

The boys have now completed three whole weeks of school - so we're all settling into that new routine. It's been funny to hear them each process the new reality. At different times and in different ways they have each asked Kristin, "So... what do you do all day?" It makes me smile anyway. The truth is that she has been surprisingly busy - with her daily shuttle service to school and church (I did just start driving myself on Monday, hallelujah!), shopping, cleaning 3 levels (!) and feeding this ever growing army. I keep encouraging her to rest, and she usually squeezes in 30 minutes or so with her feet up (or they swell up like overfull water balloons).

Seth had a bit of a sad week. Of the boys, he was the most affected by our move - really missing his Charlotte buddies. So we were very thankful when he made a good friend at Family Camp who also lives in Louisville. And then he immediately connected with two guys in his class - one of which he thinks is the funniest kid around. But on Tuesday he learned that his funny friend had shifted to home school, and his other friend at school will be moving to Germany since his dad is in the army. So pray for Seth as he accepts this new change and tries to be patient and thankful for the friends and family God has put around him.

Caleb has also mentioned several times how he misses his friends in Charlotte (notably Max - who we often suspected of being his secret clone). But he connects with people very quickly, and especially enjoys small children. Our neighbors on one side have a three year old daughter, and every time he goes out back Caleb checks to see if she's around for a chat.

Joel has two buddies he comes home talking about all the time. He really enjoys school - except for the work part and that he doesn't see us very much anymore. All three guys have mentioned that new reality - and K and I feel it a lot as well. We're very thankful for the school - and each of the boys seem ideally suited to their teachers and class environments - so we celebrate Eastide as a wonderful and timely blessing.

Generally, Kristin has been feeling decent. Her feet still swell every day, which does force her to slow down some. Her back has not been too sore yet, we're sure that's coming. Braxton Hicks contractions have already begun, sometimes quite frequently - and she is beginning to wonder if it might be related to how much she tries to do in a given day... Hmmmm. All indications show that the baby (Micah!) is doing great, growing well. Her glucose test came back clear - just a little low on iron which means one more pill a day. The date is Tuesday, Nov. 3, unless she goes into labor early, which we fully expect. It will be a C-section either way, as the risks are greater with a VBAC after each additional C-section.

And I'm doing better every week too. I'm almost 11 weeks out from surgery and can now get my foot to neutral, a 90 degree position. At 7 weeks it was in a toe point of about 35 degrees. I still have a lot of work to do to get to +30-40 degrees and to strengthen all the left leg muscles, but I've got a great physical therapist and am seeing progress every day. 12 weeks is the official time when they don't worry anymore about re-rupturing the tendon, so I should be able to get rid of the boot in just one or two more weeks. And I should also be able to eliminate the limp in that time. No sports or coaching for a while yet - but K and I are looking forward to taking Micah out for long, leisurely walks when her feet will remain normal size and I can normally put one foot in front of the other...

The Value of Christian Radio

2009-08-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

You know your kids are always listening - probably hearing a lot more than you give them credit for. Well, Joel (age 5) asked about the lyrics to a song he had been singing, because they had confused him a little - though he did find them catchy. What he heard (and had been singing) was, "I've got a couple ants in my tenders - and I've got some grits in my jeans..." If you've heard Francesca Battistelli's song (I didn't know her name either, I had to look it up) Free to be me you'd agree that it is catchy, and you'd be thankful that those are not the actual lyrics...

Medical Updates

2009-08-19T12:00:00.001-07:00

1. We just saw Kristin's doctor - 28 weeks and 4 days - due Nov. 5. The little guy is healthy and growing, measuring ahead of schedule. Strong heartbeat, good position. Likely C-section date will be Tuesday, Nov. 3, unless she goes into labor early.
2. I got out of my cast a week ago and everything feels much better. I've started PT, basically doing flexibility and strength exercises all the time. I started at -30 degree range of motion - basically a toe point position (I've been compared to a ballerina), moved thru -20 and now am around -10 degrees (approaching vertical). I should be walking normally in another week or two, and get the boot off another week or two after that.
3. All three boys are healthy and doing well. Seth got a strange rash two weeks ago that turned out being "5th Disease" or slapped cheek syndrome (because it looks just like you've been slapping your kid on the cheek). It didn't bother him, or the other two boys who got it during family camp. But it caused a little scare for us since it is dangerous for a pregnant woman to be exposed to this virus if she has not had the disease herself in the past. Thankfully, Kristin had it in the past and so is immune.
4. Bella is fine too. And she is much more active when her puppy cousin Donde comes to chase her constantly, nip at her heels and try to grab and hold onto her collar - constantly.

A New Day

2009-08-19T06:11:00.001-07:00

So the boys went off to school on Monday. For the first time ever we loaded up backpacks, straightened school uniforms (navy shorts, white polos) and outsourced our children's education. Kristin was definitely the most affected - thought the boys were also quite concerned about how long they would have to be there. Seth's question was, "how much longer than VBS will this be?" Joel still isn't super clear on the difference between an hour and a year (so each day feels like a year to him, I imagine). And Caleb - he's just as carefree as ever - started doing backbends as soon as he sat down on the gym floor with a bunch of strangers (oh, and his best friend is, of course, a girl - named Lilly). Kristin and I held it together fairly well. She said the strangest thing was just how quiet the house was (we need a stereo on the main floor it seems). But she held it together ok until she picked the boys up and heard that they had all had a fantastic first day - then she broke into sobs driving out of the parking lot, so thankful it had been a good experience.

All in all we just feel very blessed to be able to send the kids to this great little Christian school. It's the prefect place for each of them right now. Seth's class only has 6 kids total (4 boys, 2 girls) - so he'll get plenty of individual attention. Joel's class has 14, and he'll love the commotion. And Caleb - well, he's Caleb, so he'll just enjoy each moment (and probably miss half of the assignments as he daydreams). Maybe we should all be a little more like Caleb...

Kristin update July 10, 2009

2009-07-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we were at the doctor for about 2 hours this morning - the doctor from Charlotte hadn't faxed the operative reports, so the doctor here didn't have info on what type of surgery was performed (apparently there are like 5 different ways you can do repairs based on what you find when you get inside), and after placing calls to the Charlotte office (while we were in the office this morning) and not receiving further info, they decided to go the cautious route (not wanting to have Darin progress too quickly through the stages of recovery and then rupture the repair and have to start all over again ... SO, that means Darin's in a black cast (he chose the exact cast Seth had on his arms :)) for the next 3-4 weeks, and then he'll go into a hinge cast or maybe the walking boot -- I think he was a little bit bummed today, but he already feels so much better just being out of that huge white splint thing - the cast is so much more streamlined and comfortable (and his toes stick out and it doesn't come all the way up to his knee like the splint did!)

I'm exhausted - we've had so many early mornings and just draining things lately - I'm taking my parents to the airport tomorrow at 6:30 (they're going to Colombia on a mission trip - that's why Darin's preaching these next 2 Sundays), then we'll be driving 2 hours to go to Darin's cousin's bday party (he's turning 4 - we're starting his lego collection :)), then 2 hours back to Louisville to have dinner with a family from church - it will be a busy, tiring day (right before another busy Sunday), but it's good - maybe this next week will be a week of rest!?! :)

The Waiting Game

2009-07-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

How interesting is it that my first official preaching assignment here in Louisville would be on Psalm 6? Not a Psalm I was particularly familiar with. But I had to laugh when I first read it, even as I was coming out of the haze of my Achilles-repair surgery. "My bones are in agony... how long, O Lord, how long?" So I'm preaching this week about waiting for the Lord. Definitely not something I am particularly good at. In fact, it might be one of the things I am considerably bad at. Back when I could drive Kristin would often hold me back from passing road hazards on small country roads like a farmer with a load of hay, a big mower deck or one of those scooters that can't really keep up with cars... Yes, like Indigo in the Princess Bride, "I hate waiting."

Nevertheless, here I am - immobilized until September. Waiting on new insurance cards; waiting on that 10-14 day post-op visit (it's now day 16) to change my lovely leg dressing; waiting to bathe normally again; waiting to drive again; waiting to walk again without crutches. And now trying to actually learn what it means to wait for the Lord.

(p.s. next week I preach on Psalm 7 - about enemies, persecution and injustice... please join Kristin in praying that God does not give me as immediate an illustration for that lesson.)

I am a Genius

2009-06-24T14:34:00.001-07:00

Most people, after rupturing their Achilles tendon halfway through their second game of (over 30) indoor soccer, would get the memo. Most people, after surgery and 4 months of rehab, would probably retire to more tendon-friendly pastimes - like golf, reading, wii or video-editing. But no - I am not most people. And, in my defense, I did play for nearly two years after my comeback from the first surgery - probably more than 50 or 60 games (and I even scored once or twice in there). But then, in the last game of the season - my last game in Charlotte... I heard and felt that all too familiar "pop," and collapsed to the turf. In the nanoseconds of my descent to the scratchy green surface a million images raced through my mind: Kristin's face when she got the call, my ortho doc's face when I hobbled into his office again, surgery, recovery, rehab - all THE VERY WEEK we are preparing to move across country, start a new job, and my wife is 5 months pregnant. Indeed, I am a genius.

The Streak Continues

2009-06-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

So last Thursday we had our 18 week ultrasound, with very pink expectations and very blue results. 4 of us predicted girl, and Kristin and I (at least) had built up considerable excitement about bows and dresses, long hair and nail polish (ok, I can't say I was that fired up about nail polish, but you get the point). But Joel called it - he said it would be fun to have a girl, but "Come on, it's going to be a boy!" And he actually wanted a boy - since he wasn't sure if it was a girl if he would, in fact, be a big brother... Now, he will definitely be a big brother. Anderson boy number 4 is on his way - still scheduled for November 7 (though a C-section will probably be scheduled somewhat before then). Top name contenders right now are "Luke Daniel," "Drew Joseph," and "J.P. - John Paul." Kristin and I have worked through our disappointment and can honestly say we are excited about another boy - confident that boys are what God has designed us to raise, and that He has a mission for each of our young men to accomplish.

Next Steps

2009-05-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today is a turning point day for the Anderson crew. First, because we have officially announced that we are following God's call to help build up His church in Louisville, KY. And second because it might (no promises here) actually mark the time when I start to blog (hold the applause, both of you).

This really is the culmination of a dream we've had for over 10 years now - to work with Kristin's mom and dad in ministry - preaching the word, making disciples and planting churches - together! I remember when her folks got to their first senior pastorate in Florida, how Mike (I have to call him that now - Papa just doesn't feel very professional) prophetically invited me to lead his 3rd church plant. I have always been inspired by his approach to Biblical community, centered in small groups - and by his commitment to plant churches. Now we have the privilege of coming alongside two people who have already greatly impacted our lives (and happen to be family members) to do the work of ministry together!

It looks like our last Sunday in Charlotte will be June 28 - please join us in praying for a smooth transition in which we can finish well here and get things started well in Louisville!