MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

We continue to be thankful to all our friends, family, and to our church.  We are very blessed to have you in our lives supporting us and praying for us.  We hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  We had a great time celebrating together--this is the first time since Isaiah's birth that we were all healthy.  It was a miracle!!!  Thank you for praying.

Isaiah's surgery on November 20th, for his left hand, ears and G-tube site, went well.  We start rehab therapy on his left hand in January.  Dr. Chang, Isaiah's hand specialist, was so thrilled with the movement in his newly separated fingers, that he said to me, "I'm so glad you talked me into this surgery."  It'll be exciting to see how Isaiah progresses with his new hand/fingers and gains new movements, strength, and abilities.

Isaiah did fail his second sleep study test.  He is now on oxygen at night.  He will need a repeat MRI of his brain and spine to make sure there has not been any shifting since his spinal cord surgery.  The doctors are not quite sure why Isaiah drops his oxygen levels so frequently while sleeping.  Please pray that whatever is causing Isaiah's desaturations will be found and be treated effectively.  We would love for him to come off of the oxygen.

In the summer, Isaiah will have to head back to the feeding clinic in Bethlehem.  He continues to struggle with his daily tube feeds, and with pain, retching, and vomiting.  The doctors are all in agreement that if Isaiah starts eating again, many of his digestive issues may go away, and he can come off some of his medications.  We will give you more details as we get closer to that time.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease 2 months ago.  It has been a very difficult path for me.  My body is having a tough time adjusting.  Pray that somehow God will miraculously heal my body, or at least allow my gut to be free of pain and severe digestive issues from having a gluten/wheat allergy.

2. For a healthy and pain-free New Year!!!  Even though Isaiah has some hurdles to overcome this coming year, he continues to have a wonderful and happy outlook.

3. My nephew, Jude Emr continues to improve.  He is as cute as can be, and we love spending time with him.  My brother, Dan Emr, entered Dave and Lori into a competition to win a car.  They are neck and neck for first place.  It would be a huge blessing to them to win this car that provides safe travels for their children.  Please see the instructions below to vote for them.  You can vote up until December 31st.  Thank you for your help!!!!

Follow the link below to read the entry their brother Dan wrote for them and then vote.

Here are a few quick answers to questions people have been asking:

- How often can I vote? Once a day EVERYDAY (this means one vote per person per day - we don't want to be disqualified for failure to follow the rules)

- How do I vote? Click here: http:// driventomakeadifference.com/ vote/78/ Once registered it only takes 5 or less clicks to vote - that's less than 45 seconds a day.

- What else can I do to help? Share that you are voting on your social networks. More sharing leads to more voting. The best link to share is http:// driventomakeadifference.com/ vote/78/ as other links don't work on mobile devices.
- What's at stake? A brand new Crosstrek or Jetta. All we need is the most votes!

- When does voting end? December 31, 2013
- Who can vote? Any one with a facebook, google, or twitter account. We have entire families voting for a win! If you have a gmail.com account you can vote - simply click on the register using Google+.

If you have any questions, please ask!

Thank you on behalf of the David and Lori family