Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Posted on February 14, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

My Valentine

• I have really ugly feet.  No.  REALLY ugly feet.
• My feet smell, most of the time.
• I’m allergic to most things that clean my skin.  So, the wimpy soap I use isn’t always good enough, so I smell.
• I have a short temper.
• I’m an addict.
• I’m not the most thoughtful man on earth.
• I’m messy.
• I leave my shoes all over the house.
• I’m selfish.

Some of those things she knew before she married me.  Some of them she didn’t find out until we moved in together.  She chooses, every single day to continue to love me.  There is nothing in the world that makes me happier than that.

I don’t always make it easy to love me.  But she makes it look easy.  I take it for granted most days.  I am not a huge fan of Valentine’s day, because of the commercialization of it, but let me  say this.  She truly is my Valentine.  Every day, she chooses to love me,  and there is no way I could ever ever earn that love. Thank God I don’t have to!

Posted on October 14, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

A Father’s Love

4 weeks ago, I almost wrote a post about our Father’s love.  I was gonna write about how I know I could never wrap my head around His love, but how I thought I pretty much got the idea.

I’m not going to write that now.  When I saw Gemma for the first time… I can’t even describe the feeling.  Still, to this day, every time I look at Gemma, my eyes swell up, and I can’t believe how much I love that little girl.  It’s the most surreal feeling I’ve ever felt in my entire life!

Two days after Gemma was born, a doctor came in and asked us if they could give her a lumbar puncture to test for meningitis.  That hurt like I can’t even describe.  Parents out there, I am sure understand the feeling.  I got to thinking about it, and I realized…. God gave His only son for us.  Not to get a lumbar puncture, but to be beaten, spit on, stabbed, and then nailed to a cross!!!

I can honestly say, I don’t think I could do that.  Heck, I could hardly approve a lumbar puncture, which would make sure she was healthy!

I’m writing this to say… I was wrong.  I cannot, and will never be able to understand God’s love.  There was a minute where I thought I may be able to wrap my head around it.  I can’t.  What an amazing week!  What an amazing God!

Posted on October 10, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Gemma Auden McMahon

Gemma was born October 7th at 7:44 am.  She weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 19 inches long.  She’s beautiful, and perfect in every way.

When Gemma was born, mama bear (Andrea) and Gemma had a slight fever.  Nothing insane.  Since then, they’ve been running blood screens on Gemma.

Her CRP count has been exceedingly high.  A normal CRP count for a new born is 0.9.  Gemma’s on Thursday was 9.6 and on Friday had spiked to 11.6.  This means that Gemma’s body is fighting off an infection.  The doctors can’t seem to pinpoint where.   On Friday, a Neonatal specialist came in and said that he needed to make sure that Gemma’s infection was not in her brain, (Meningitis) by doing a lumbar puncture, which is a spinal tap but needed our approval to do so.  Ouch.  This parenthood thing is TOUGH!!  Andrea and I discussed it and decided that we really had no choice.  It’s hard to say, “OK… you can stick a needle in our baby’s back.”.

The results came back negative, PRAISE GOD! We thought that was great news.  We thought that meant that there wasn’t an infection.  Yesterday they told us there still was an infection and little baby Gemma had to stay at the hospital until they A) found the infection or B) she’s completed a full round of antibiotics, which could take 7-10 days.

Gemma is currently in level 2 of NICU.  Level 2, I think means pretty much she is NOT in critical condition.  Andrea and I are the only two allowed to visit her, and have to literally scrub in, and put on gowns to see her.  It’s so surreal.  This is not anything I ever imagined our first baby’s birth would be like!

We spoke with her pediatrician last night and we got more information than anyone at the hospital could give us.  Worst case scenario Gemma will be in the hospital until next Sunday if the antibiotics she is on now work.
If her blood work comes back improved today, like a CRP level of 9, and then even more improved tomorrow, there is a chance we will be able to take Gemma home and give her the love and care she needs, and get the rest of her antibiotics either by a nurse that comes to our home, or by taking her to out pediatrician.  That is what we are praying for today.  I would love it if you prayed with us!

We’re praying for wisdom for the doctors treating her.  We are praying that she is touched with God’s healing hand, and that her body is able to fight this infection (wherever it is, most likely in the blood).  We are praying for strength, courage and wisdom ourselves to understand what is happening.  We are both new to this parenthood thing, and we HATE seeing poor Gemma have to go through all of this.  If you could pray with us, that would be great!

For right now, we are in a hotel by the hospital, so we can feed Gemma and be close to her.   Andrea and I are working in shifts during the night, so we can each try to get a little bit more than 1.5 hours of sleep at a time.

I know that this could all be going way worse, but now I understand when parents talk about their child hurting.  It sucks bad.

I will continue to update this site with any news and I’m even trying to make a page for pictures.

Posted on September 16, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

What is Your Guess?

Our baby girl is due on October 8th.

Andrea is dilated 1.5 cm and 50% effaced.

Toby says she’ll be here on September 28th.

What is your guess?

Posted on September 14, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Dear ABC Family

I wrote this to ABC Family.  I’m still waiting on a response.

Dear ABC Family,

I have a bone to pick with you.  I don’t even really know where to begin.  When I think of the word family incorporated with a tv channel, I automatically think, “Oh, this is something the entire family can watch together.”  I almost get excited. I think of the opportunity to talk to family about real life issues.  (As I thought was going to be possible with your ‘hit’ show, “The Secret Life”)

Now, the content of the shows don’t bother me as much as your rhetoric and target audience. (I won’t touch on the wonderful acting today)  The name of your channel is ‘ABC Family’.  Family.  Now, at first glance I thought, “The Secret Life”, what a wonderful opportunity to talk to a child about premarital sex.”  Amazing my astonishment when this show was filled with some (horribly thought 0ut) plots.  Not only does a teenager get pregnant, but her dad is cheating on her mom, her christian friend becomes a slut, (from my understanding) another man’s wife dies, (or the other way around) and merely 2 weeks later he is sleeping with another woman.  Wow.  Now, I am sure that this is great television to some, but I have to disagree with the way you are targeting our youth for this kind of garbage.

If you have a defense for that show, (Which I’m sure you do) how on earth do you explain another one of your prime time shows, “Greek”.  (GRΣΣK). I really don’t have to explain further do I?  How do you justify targeting young kids to watch this junk?

I urge you to consider changing the name of your station to something a little more reasonable, instead of just changing your tag-line to “A new kind of family.” That’s a little misleading.  The options are endless.  Maybe ABC Half:  “Just not good enough for the REAL ABC.”  Or, ABC Trying To Take a Dollar While Corrupting Our Youth “Seventh Heaven could only carry us so far.”

I might be being a little harsh.  Maybe I’m jumping the conclusion.  But your plots are not those of a family show.  Your situations are not ones that a child should be watching.  Your characters are not ones children should be aiming to be.  In today’s world, something needs to change.  I urge you to promote the change.

Thank you,

Posted on September 1, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

5 Weeks.

For those of you under a rock, (or, if you’re just new here) my wife is due to have our first child in 5 weeks.  That is one of the reasons I have not been blogging a lot.  I have been very busy with ‘real life’ and that kind of jazz.  Preparing for a baby is difficult.  Especially if you have no clue what you’re preparing for.

Painting, building, sandbags, boarded up windows, I’m pretty sure some of those things aren’t 100% necessary but better safe than sorry, right?  It’s funny that if I want to get a dog the humane society would have to come look at my home to make sure it’s suitable, but to take a baby home all I have to do is install a car seat right. (Which the fire department will do for me.) Kind of weird how America works.

Well with that said, I’d like to say, sorry for not writing here.  I know you all look forward to it so much…….

right?

Anyway, I’ll try to write a little bit more when I have time.. What should I write about?

Posted on August 21, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Together.

We’re moving.  “But I thought you had moved already?” you might ask.  We have.  And we’ve put a lot of sweat and effort into this new house.  The thing no one ever really thinks about, is you have to move out of your old place.  You have to clean it up.  So, with that said, we’re still ‘moving’.

I’ve been so excited to get into this house.  Maybe too excited.  I have not, until today, taken a second to look backwards.  That little one bedroom, one bath apartment was our 1st home.  That is where we went on our wedding night, it’s where we’ve sat together, countless nights (Ok. they’re not countless, they’re very countable actually) watching T.V. or just talking to each other.  Heck, not to be too graphic, but that’s where we made a baby…  That’s where I got to know my wife. That’s where we found out she was pregnant together… That’s where we freaked out together… That’s where we dreamed together.

Today, I returned to the apartment to do some finishing touches, including painting over somethings Andrea had painted on the wall.  As I took that paint brush and ran it over the painting it hit me.

Everything hit me.  All at once.  Not just moving, but everything.  10 months ago, we started an adventure together.  Life.  Where we would go, we had no clue. (We even spoke of up and moving to Oregon at one point)  We moved into a one bedroom apartment that allotted us NO personal space.  We learned about each other.  We argued with each other(and when we argued, we had to work it out.. I couldn’t go anywhere and hide.)  We prayed with each other.  We grew to love each other more.  She became a wife, and I became a husband.  We created a life together, and we created a life together.  (I wrote that twice on purpose…. )

Now, She’s going to be a mom and I’m going to be a dad.  We’re going to be parents together.  She probably has a better connection with the reality of it.  The truth is.  I didn’t fully and probably… still don’t.    But it’s all starting to sink in.  In 6 weeks and 6 days, we will start another part of life together.  With someone else.  Someone who poops and cries a lot.  And the weird thing… I’m excited.

Why am I excited?  Well, because we’re gonna have a beautiful child.

Also though, because, we’re gonna be together.

Posted on August 13, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Rich/Poor

Times are tight.  It’s no secret for anyone.  Money is harder to come by, and when you come by it, you have to work twice as hard to get it.  Everyone knows that nowadays.

When I was in my early 20’s. (Words I never thought I’d say) I was a bar manager.  What that meant was I got paid 800 dollars base every week.  I also got to take 4 bar shifts of my choice. What that means is I was making an additional 500-800 dollars depending on the week.   Do the math.  It was a good amount of money.  I’m not saying I was rich, but what I am saying is I had money.  Now, what I was spending that money on is something different.  I was spending that money to fill a void.  I spent it to feel accepted.  I spent it (at least 100 dollars a day) to get high/drunk.

Now.  I work as an IT professional.  I’m not going to say my salary, because I’ll probably get laughed off of the interwebs, and we don’t want that.  I have money, but it’s tight.  But what else I have is incomparable. I have a wife who loves me, a strong support from friends and a little baby girl on the way.  I have a found love from Jesus Christ, who died for everything I did when I was at the bar.  And last but not least, I have peace.  Peace.

So, as I sit here convicted, constantly stressing about my bank account and how much money goes into it versus how much comes out, I am reminded by my Savior and Lover of my soul, I am rich in so many other things that money doesn’t really matter.

AND: If I sit around all day long and obsess over money, and argue about money, and cry about money, and pray about money, and think about money, and think of ways to get money and, did I say cry about money?  I might just miss a second to tell my wife I love her, to imagine what my daughter is gonna look like in 15 years, what I’m gonna tell her the first time a boy breaks up with her, what I’m gonna tell that boy the first time she introduces me to him, what an amazing love I’ve found in Jesus, to pray for friends safety (and/or recovery) to pray for my wife’s healthy pregnancy and to just give God all the praise and glory I can.

Amen.

Posted on July 15, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Never Be The Same

I want anyone who reads this to take a second out of their day and tell the people in your lives how much they are appreciated.

Call your mom, your sister, your husband, your wife, whoever.  Tell them you love them.  If you’re arguing with someone, fix it.

There is nothing so bad that it can’t be fixed.

Let the people in your life know you love them.  It might be the last time you ever get to tell them that.

Make today count.

Posted on June 15, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Thank God!

My mother and my sister both passed away in June. June is kind of a bitter sweet month for me. This last weekend my brother was in a car accident with an 18 wheeler. It wasn’t the worst accident in the world. But, when I talked to him, I have to say, I’ve never been so happy to talk to my brother. 18 wheeler accidents can turn bad quick. And my brother walked away from it. Not bump, bruise or scratch.

I have to shout praises for this one. I can’t thank God enough for not taking my brother from me. Because it could have happened. But it didn’t. I know he’ll say it wasn’t that bad, blah blah blah, but the truth is, every time I think about what could have happened, I get a little emotional. Thank God for any of us waking up this morning! But, today especially, thank God for letting my brother wake up.

I can’t say much more, I’m sitting here getting emotional all over again. Praise God!