We had a crazy, busy week with VBS at our church. The kids had a blast. Little Asher who has been crying every time we drop him off in the 2 year old class went from not wanting to go to crying when I picked him up and not wanting to leave. His teacher is one of those people who just has a gift for little kids and Asher loved him. It was neat to see Asher enjoy it so much. Calvin was in with his usual Sunday school teacher and that worked great for him. He had so much fun this week that on Friday night when he was saying prayers before bed, he prayed, "thank you God for sunday school." Which is so not him, he usually tells us how much he doesn't want to go to church. And Mia, well, we bumped her into the 2nd grade class because my mom, Grandma Cheri, was teaching it. So, that was a great fit for her and she also had such a fun week. I, of course, am exhausted. I need a vacation! Ha! And so we are, we are heading to the beach and will be camping with my brother's family for the next few days. The kids are excited. This will be the first time in a tent for them and I don't know how much sleep we will really get, but we are looking forward to cooler weather and time away. :) Mia continues to have seizures daily, but we do feel like they are not as strong and we are hopeful that they will soon no longer be a daily occurrence. Thank you, as always, for praying!
Mr. Bob - Last night, we asked Calvin to pray at bed again...and he ran through his typical thank you's...Thank you for Mom, Dad, Mia, Asher, Grandma...etc...and at the very end he said, "thank you for Mr. Bob." We love your family and are so grateful how you love on our kids!
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day Daddy! We love you!
Today our pastor gave such a good sermon at church. He was teaching about Philippians 4:1-13 where we are commanded to not be anxious about anything, but in everything to give thanks to God. We can be at peace about really difficult situations because God is sovereign and His plan is best. I kept thinking about Mia and all that she's going through/been through. Brad and I can tell you that we have clearly felt the peace of God during different times of Mia's life. The first when she was 1 day old and immediately shipped off to surgery. During those 4 or 5 hours that she was in surgery, we were completely at peace, overwhelmed by it. There was nothing to be anxious about because God was in control. And He still is. He always will be. It's been a rough few months with all of the seizures that she's going through. But we don't have to be anxious about it, we can walk through it KNOWING that God is in control and His plan is far superior to ours. We don't have to understand why, we just have to trust Him. And we do. Sure, we don't like to see her have seizures, but ultimately, we know that when she is seizure free it will be because of God and His timing, His plan. And if He chooses to allow the seizures to continue, that doesn't minimize Him. We are just going to trust His plan and His time. He's walked her through so much, He'll walk her through this. As always, thank you for continuing to pray!
Friday, June 19, 2015
Mia Update
Mia has been at full dosage of her new drug since last Thursday. When I say full dosage, I don't mean the maximum dosage possible for her, I just mean the amount that the doctor wanted us to get to in order to see if that would stop her seizures. This drug takes about 5 days to reach steady state in her blood and so it's been a week since we got to that dosage and she's still having seizures. So, I spoke with her neurologist and the plan is to slowly increase one of her drugs and just monitor the results from that. We can tweak as we go, but hopefully we should be able to get to a point where she is seizure free. So, I get to keep making notes as we change things and monitoring her seizures and we'll just go from here. Thank you for all that are continuing to pray for her! She had a pretty bad seizure on Wednesday while my mom was babysitting her. It lasted quite a bit longer than her usual seizures, so that was scary for my mom and concerning for us. But we continue to trust in the Lord and lean on Him as we work through this time!
Next week is VBS for us. It will be a very busy week for the kids and me too. I volunteered to co-coordinate crafts for the elementary kids and well, let's just say there's a lot on the plate right now. I will be thankful when the week is done. Pray for us, that the kiddos would stay healthy, that everyone would have fun and that Asher would do well with the little kids. Pray also for our neighbor, she approached me today and told me she signed her daughter and niece up for VBS. They are definitely unbelievers and I'm so excited for their kids to be at VBS for the week. Pray for seeds planted with those kids...with all the kids there!
Next week is VBS for us. It will be a very busy week for the kids and me too. I volunteered to co-coordinate crafts for the elementary kids and well, let's just say there's a lot on the plate right now. I will be thankful when the week is done. Pray for us, that the kiddos would stay healthy, that everyone would have fun and that Asher would do well with the little kids. Pray also for our neighbor, she approached me today and told me she signed her daughter and niece up for VBS. They are definitely unbelievers and I'm so excited for their kids to be at VBS for the week. Pray for seeds planted with those kids...with all the kids there!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Sweet Moments
The kiddos are getting bigger and I'm trying to cherish all the sweet moments. I usually end up waking Asher from his nap because I don't want him to sleep super long because he won't go to sleep at night. Yesterday when I went in to wake him up he was groggy as usual and so I laid down on his bed and started to talk with him. I was just talking so he wouldn't fall back asleep. We talked about Sunday school and the lesson from that morning, and then we talked quite a bit about his snack at Sunday school which had been cookies. He mentioned that someone put their cookies on the floor and looked at me and said, "that's not good mommy." And then after we talked some more he looked at me and said, "I like talking in bed mommy." What a cutie, I can't get enough of his sweet words.
Calvin is growing up right before our eyes and we've seen such a tremendous growth in maturity over the past few months. His brain is always working and he is always asking questions. A lot of times they are about God and how He works. Like, "Did God make everything?" "Did God make that house?" Or the other day he was asking me, "Is God everywhere?" "Is God in our fridge?" "Is God in our TV?" I don't think I was that inquisitive as a 4, almost 5 year old. And of course he absolutely has a fear of death and will tell me all the time that he doesn't want to die, but this morning he said, "Mama, I don't want you to go to heaven." Of which, I responded, "Why would you not want me to go to heaven?" And he then said, "I don't want you to go to heaven before me." Sweet sweet boy.
Mia is doing well, we still have been having seizures. We had two yesterday, but we are officially at our new dosage as of last Thursday, so I'm hoping that when everything settles and is in full effect in her system, we won't see any seizures anymore. We so appreciate all of you praying for her, we are so grateful for that and we trust that God will continue to see her through this...and us!
Calvin is growing up right before our eyes and we've seen such a tremendous growth in maturity over the past few months. His brain is always working and he is always asking questions. A lot of times they are about God and how He works. Like, "Did God make everything?" "Did God make that house?" Or the other day he was asking me, "Is God everywhere?" "Is God in our fridge?" "Is God in our TV?" I don't think I was that inquisitive as a 4, almost 5 year old. And of course he absolutely has a fear of death and will tell me all the time that he doesn't want to die, but this morning he said, "Mama, I don't want you to go to heaven." Of which, I responded, "Why would you not want me to go to heaven?" And he then said, "I don't want you to go to heaven before me." Sweet sweet boy.
Mia is doing well, we still have been having seizures. We had two yesterday, but we are officially at our new dosage as of last Thursday, so I'm hoping that when everything settles and is in full effect in her system, we won't see any seizures anymore. We so appreciate all of you praying for her, we are so grateful for that and we trust that God will continue to see her through this...and us!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Changing Meds
So we are still in the middle of changing meds for Mia. Yesterday she had a pretty bad seizure with no advance warning and ended up falling in our kitchen. It was really scary because she could have injured herself pretty bad from the fall. By the grace of God, she did not. Today I ordered her a helmet. When Brad brought it up last night (getting her a helmet), my heart dropped. I don't want her to wear a helmet. But the more and more I thought about it and processed it, the more sense it made. At least until we sort out her meds and know that they are working fully and she isn't having anymore seizures, then she probably should be in a helmet. She doesn't always let us know when they are happening and she is not good at getting on the floor when she feels one coming on...so for her safety, she should be in a helmet. It won't be pretty, but it will be safer. Please, continue to pray that her seizures would stop.
Tomorrow is our last swim lesson and I'm so pleased with Mia and Calvin's progress. They both have improved quite a bit over the last two weeks. They cannot swim yet, but I see marked improvement from both of them. Calvin will probably get swimming quicker...because his coordination is better, but Mia has a lot less fear in the water than him. We are going to do it again...the lessons...after VBS and our small vacations we have planned.
Right now we are having a wonderful summer thunderstorm! I love the smell of the rain and listening to it fall. It reminds me of God's mercies and His creation. Thank you Lord for the rain!
Tomorrow is our last swim lesson and I'm so pleased with Mia and Calvin's progress. They both have improved quite a bit over the last two weeks. They cannot swim yet, but I see marked improvement from both of them. Calvin will probably get swimming quicker...because his coordination is better, but Mia has a lot less fear in the water than him. We are going to do it again...the lessons...after VBS and our small vacations we have planned.
Right now we are having a wonderful summer thunderstorm! I love the smell of the rain and listening to it fall. It reminds me of God's mercies and His creation. Thank you Lord for the rain!
Thursday, June 04, 2015
Back In The Swing Of Things?
For a long while I was updating our blog almost daily. If it went more than two days I felt bad. Then we added another child and I probably updated twice a week...well, with the addition of kid number three, I feel like I have almost fallen off the blog wagon. I'm just a busy mom and when I do sit down for a break, writing on the blog is not my first choice. But...I do love skimming back over the years and seeing the growth of all the kids. This really has become my baby book for them. And I started printing out a hard copy of the blog a few years ago, but never got around to finishing it. I want to do that. I want the kids to be able to read through it and get a little glimpse into their childhood. Which makes me want to write more. Ha, we'll see how long it lasts!
Yesterday was a bad day for seizures with Mia. She had 4. Our most significant number since we started getting them at the beginning of the year. Immediately my brain starts to generate a list of what if's...what if this caused it, what if that...I guess it's just par for the course with a child with special needs.
So, please continue to pray for Mia. Pray that she adjusts quickly to the new medicine and that it fits her needs.
Calvin is especially good with her. If she is with him and having a seizure, he immediately comes and gets us. She had one at the lunch table yesterday and we didn't hear her telling us that she felt like falling, but Calvin did and immediately shouted out to us, "Mia feels like falling." We were able to quickly be beside her to make sure she didn't fall and be with her during the seizure. He's a very compassionate brother and he loves his sister dearly.
Yesterday was a bad day for seizures with Mia. She had 4. Our most significant number since we started getting them at the beginning of the year. Immediately my brain starts to generate a list of what if's...what if this caused it, what if that...I guess it's just par for the course with a child with special needs.
So, please continue to pray for Mia. Pray that she adjusts quickly to the new medicine and that it fits her needs.
Calvin is especially good with her. If she is with him and having a seizure, he immediately comes and gets us. She had one at the lunch table yesterday and we didn't hear her telling us that she felt like falling, but Calvin did and immediately shouted out to us, "Mia feels like falling." We were able to quickly be beside her to make sure she didn't fall and be with her during the seizure. He's a very compassionate brother and he loves his sister dearly.
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Summer!
Summer has officially arrived. At least for us it has.
On Friday we had a bit of a scare. I was getting Mia's evening dose of medicine ready and I noticed we were nearly out, so I grabbed the box with the other bottle in it only to realize that there was no other bottle. We had already grabbed that bottle and we didn't have any more medicine for her. My heart panicked. I had enough for her evening dose, but not enough for her morning dose. By the grace of God, Costco was open (we get our meds there) and the pharmacy was able to add her order to the list, however, they weren't for certain it would arrive the next morning. It showed the medicine was available, but they said if someone else placed an order for it before them, then the medicine could go there instead. We immediately asked our friends and family to pray. It was a rough night and morning for me, but by the grace of God our medicine made it to Costco in the morning. She got her dose a bit late, but thankfully she got it. I'm such a planner and I'm usually ahead of the game in reordering medicine because I don't want to be in a position where we don't have any, but this is the first time we get two bottles in a prescription and so now I've taken both bottles and put them where her meds are and when I only have one bottle left, I will know it's time to reorder.
We started Mia's new medicine and she is still having seizures. We anticipate that happening for a bit while we are weaning her off one medicine and increasing the next medicine. But, please, as you remember her, keep praying that she would be seizure free soon.
Mia and Calvin started swim lessons this week. We are taking them to a gal's house who does private lessons. They are having a blast. They both love being in the water and aside from sticking their faces in, they are working hard at everything else. Today she had Calvin floating on his back by himself. He didn't know it, but he was doing it.
Mia is now 40 pounds! Woohoo! I almost can't believe it. 40 pounds is a big deal because now she could technically ride in a booster seat instead of her forward facing car seat. We will keep her in the car seat as long as we can because it is safer, but it's nice to know there are some options. And she's getting bigger! It took 7 1/2 years, but we've made it to 40 pounds! That's a big deal. :)
We are winding down with school, but will continue to work on things over the summer. Just not the same intensity as the school year. But overall, the kids do better when we have a bit more structure in the day, so continuing on with some school stuff will be great on multiple levels. Mia did super well this year. She still has some struggles, but overall, she's did a great job of keeping up with all of her goals. Her favorite subject was always science. She studied stages of life, plants and animals, the human body and we ended with bugs. The kids especially liked growing butterflies and ladybugs...I mean ladybird beetles. I can't figure out why we don't use their formal name. ;)
On Friday we had a bit of a scare. I was getting Mia's evening dose of medicine ready and I noticed we were nearly out, so I grabbed the box with the other bottle in it only to realize that there was no other bottle. We had already grabbed that bottle and we didn't have any more medicine for her. My heart panicked. I had enough for her evening dose, but not enough for her morning dose. By the grace of God, Costco was open (we get our meds there) and the pharmacy was able to add her order to the list, however, they weren't for certain it would arrive the next morning. It showed the medicine was available, but they said if someone else placed an order for it before them, then the medicine could go there instead. We immediately asked our friends and family to pray. It was a rough night and morning for me, but by the grace of God our medicine made it to Costco in the morning. She got her dose a bit late, but thankfully she got it. I'm such a planner and I'm usually ahead of the game in reordering medicine because I don't want to be in a position where we don't have any, but this is the first time we get two bottles in a prescription and so now I've taken both bottles and put them where her meds are and when I only have one bottle left, I will know it's time to reorder.
We started Mia's new medicine and she is still having seizures. We anticipate that happening for a bit while we are weaning her off one medicine and increasing the next medicine. But, please, as you remember her, keep praying that she would be seizure free soon.
Mia and Calvin started swim lessons this week. We are taking them to a gal's house who does private lessons. They are having a blast. They both love being in the water and aside from sticking their faces in, they are working hard at everything else. Today she had Calvin floating on his back by himself. He didn't know it, but he was doing it.
Mia is now 40 pounds! Woohoo! I almost can't believe it. 40 pounds is a big deal because now she could technically ride in a booster seat instead of her forward facing car seat. We will keep her in the car seat as long as we can because it is safer, but it's nice to know there are some options. And she's getting bigger! It took 7 1/2 years, but we've made it to 40 pounds! That's a big deal. :)
We are winding down with school, but will continue to work on things over the summer. Just not the same intensity as the school year. But overall, the kids do better when we have a bit more structure in the day, so continuing on with some school stuff will be great on multiple levels. Mia did super well this year. She still has some struggles, but overall, she's did a great job of keeping up with all of her goals. Her favorite subject was always science. She studied stages of life, plants and animals, the human body and we ended with bugs. The kids especially liked growing butterflies and ladybugs...I mean ladybird beetles. I can't figure out why we don't use their formal name. ;)
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