So Much To Do

Days blend into weeks.  Weeks blend into months and here I am 2 1/2 months later posting.  Again, so much has gone on that I can only give you the highlights:

-We are in escrow on our Colorado cabin!  Yay!  We've been trying to sell that property off and on again for 3 years!  God's timing on this one for sure.  We are set to close escrow next month.  Praying all continues to go well.

-Jim went to Maine in April to check out towns and houses.  He REALLY liked it and was able to narrow our home search down to a specific area of about 7 - 8 towns.  It's a long term plan to move, but I still get a bit overwhelmed when I think about it.

Bangor

-I am almost 32 weeks pregnant and feeling VERY large.  I don't know if it's because I became pregnant so soon after having Grace or if this baby's coming early, but all my symptoms have been 4 -5 weeks ahead of schedule.  Right now, I am most definitely feeling like I'm in my 8th month.  Having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions.  Lots of aches and pains.  Tired more.  Ugh!!

-Isabel had ANOTHER surgery in March.  That poor girl has had 5 surgeries since coming home 2 1/2 years ago.  This was to fix the rod in her left arm.  It had migrated and was getting close to poking out of her elbow.  We had the same problem with the same arm in October 2013.  Luckily, it hadn't poked through yet, so it didn't have to be yanked out.  The doctor was able to pull it out, snip a bit off the end and put it back in more securely.  But it was another general anesthesia situation for our little girl, which is never fun.

Not a happy girl : (

-April began the birthday season.  Katie in April.  Will, Dan, Nate and Grace in May.  Next month is Isabel.  Baby due in July and then Anna's on her own in September.  We are busy and eating a lot of cake!

We are now winding down homeschooling and the children in local schools only have 3 weeks left. Hoping to keep summer plans to a minimum, but knowing our crew that's probably not going to happen. ;-)

Moving to Maine?

Ok, well, not now.  However, our family is seriously considering moving from one coast to the other.  Yikes!  As Jim approaches retirement, we are back to thinking about where to move, since we always knew we would move away for a bigger house with more land (for a cheaper price!) : )

We have a lovely cabin in CO on 17+ acres backing up to thousands of federal land. (Edit: This is not our main home.  This was to be our retirement home.)  However, we have far outgrown that home and are not up to building on. We are currently trying to sell it.  If you are interested in buying a custom cabin with a gorgeous view, let me know and I'll send you the info.  Seriously! ; )

The view from the front porch. So beautiful!

By chance, we were introduced to the idea of moving to Maine.  Since Jim and I have never visited there, we are trying to gather as much information as possible about the area.  Jim grew up near there, but never visited that state.  I joke with him that I will be sending him on a scouting expedition soon to check out some areas that look quite nice.

Have you ever been to or lived in Maine?  Please let me know.  Would love to know more!

Latest Ultrasound

I had an ultrasound Tuesday and was told I have a slight complication that requires me to "take it easy."  Ha ha!  Easier said then done with 7 children!!  

No more treadmill. : (  The treadmill is my sanity.  I have other restrictions, but that's the one that's going to be the hardest.  I have another ultrasound in April and if all is better then the restrictions will be lifted.  Praying that is the case.

The good news is that baby looks great.  She posed for us too.

Love!!

New 'Do

My (almost) 14-year-old is growing into a young man right before my very eyes!  He is already 2 inches taller than me and had his first shave.  He is getting muscular, veiny arms from rowing and now has decided he wanted to try out a new 'do.  It's just the beginning...

So cool! ;-)

Almost a Year

Wow!  What can I say?  Time flies when you're a busy momma!  I've been spurred on to renew this blog by my children and meeting a fellow blogger who asked me if I have a blog.  Well, yes, but a severely neglected one. : )

I know that my children enjoy looking back at old posts and it is nice to document our lives, even if I have no followers.  Not really the point.

Anyway, recap…

Baby Grace was born in May on Mother's Day!  It was also Dan and Will's birthday.  So, I now have 3 children born on the same day.  What are the odds?!?!

She was and is such a sweet, mellow baby; such necessary traits for #7. ;-)  Here's a recent picture of her starting to crawl.

Let's see… what's new with the kids… well…

Will started the rowing team last fall.  He's really enjoying it and would like to stick with it through high school and join the varsity team.  He's quite good at it, so we hope to find a way to make it work financially and with the busy rowing schedule.  Will is still homeschooled, but will attend our local high school in the fall.  He's really looking forward to it.  After months of looking at different options and discussing those with Will, we realized that he really wanted to attend the local high school.  We also believe that it will be a good fit for him.  

Will's in the middle in the black shirt.

Anna still loves horses and visits Sunny (our horse) every Thursday to train her, groom her and just love her!  She would go there every day, if I let her.  : ) Anna has been playing violin for a year now and joined the local youth symphony in the fall. She has played a couple concerts and we have so enjoyed watching her grow in this skill.  Anna is also homeschooled and will continue in the fall.  Both Anna and Katie are also part of a Keepers of the Faith group (think Christian scouts).  They are in a small group of lovely young ladies learning about Christ and what it is to be a godly woman. 

Katie is our budding artist.  She was taking some great art classes at a local art studio in the fall.  Unfortunately, she has had to stop the art classes since starting 4th grade at our local elementary school.  Since the art classes were in the morning, this was no longer doable.  I really enjoyed homeschooling Katie, but we felt that allowing her to try public school at this time was ok.  She has been asking to go and after talking and praying about it, we felt peace.  She started after the Christmas break.  Since she had never been to public school before, she had a lot to learn and get used to.  She really loves it, though.  Not sure if she will continue in the fall, but it's quite possible.

Daniel has grown so much this year.  He started Kindergarten at our local elementary school in the fall and has both excelled academically and matured a lot.  Daniel is so sweet with Isabel.  They are "best buddies" and I love to see how he takes care of her and plays with her so kindly.

Nate is a silly little 3-year-old.  He has a sweet side, but also is working through his frustrations with not getting his way and sometimes feeling pushed aside by the arrival of Isabel.  Even though it's been over 2 years, we can see he has "issues" with her.  He is either super sweet with her or he's pushing her off the swing!  He's getting there, though.  He attends preschool 3 days/week and enjoys his time at school.

Isabel has had yet another surgery since last spring.  Her last one was in December to fix her left arm/thumb.  The cast just came off 2 weeks ago and she is learning to use the thumb since it has been moved again to hopefully be in a better place for her to gain a pincher grasp with her pointer finger.  She attends preschool 5 days/week and gets much-needed therapies while there.  It's mostly occupational therapy.  She is extremely bright!  Isabel is very sweet-natured and wants nothing more then to be helpful and right by my side.

Grace is our little baby.  She is loved by all, of course.  Grace adores Maddy (our old golden retriever) and Maddy puts up with the "cuddles."  Grace is very mobile as she has mastered crawling and has started pulling herself up.  I'm sure she will be walking by 1.

And that brings me to the new baby arriving this July.  Huge surprise!  Really!  I found out late last year and honestly had a lot to settle in my mind about it.  Both Jim and I felt complete after Grace was born. We know that given our ages, Grace was a gift and we were so grateful for her arrival.  I was ready to move forward as a family of 9 and become a mentor for my older children as they transition through teenage years to adulthood.  I was ready to get back into shape and feel healthy again.  Grace's pregnancy was really hard on my body.  (Old age!)  So, when I found out that I was expecting again (and so soon after Grace's birth), I struggled.  I'm now 16 weeks and with the passing of time and seeing her little face on ultrasound, I have renewed strength to embrace this pregnancy and joy.

There's so much more I could share about the last 11 mths since my last post, but it would take far too long.  Not only would it be a marking of events, but a reflection of my continual journey with the Lord.  This last year brought ups and downs in different areas of my life.  Through it all, I knew that God would never leave me.  I knew that he would take his time with me to gently reveal what he would have me learn about him, about myself and the treasures found in his Word.

I hope to keep this blog updated.  It's been good to mark this place in our lives and look forward to all that is in store for us this year.

Still On

So, last Tuesday Jim took Izzy back down to Children's Hospital to have her left arm recast AGAIN!

What we didn't expect was a verbal lashing from the surgeon.  I understand he was concerned about the viability of her new thumbs, but he was insinuating we didn't and that we were providing poor care.

Jim handled it very well.  He explained that although he understands his concern for our daughter, he will NOT attack our character or accuse us of some sort of neglect; and we'd like an explanation for why the cast keeps coming off, not an attack.  

It makes me angry just thinking about it!  

Moving on...

Even though Izzy is already a very cautious, sedate child we have had to make some changes to our home life and schedule.  Izzy is now homebound.  She only leaves the house to go to church and even then she does not go in the nursery.  

It breaks my heart for me to say no every time she asks, "I come?" when she knows I'm going somewhere.

We are now 8 days with the new casts.  A record!  The new casts have both slipped a bit, but the left one has slipped much lower.  We are determined to keep this new set on, so Jim fashioned a harness of sorts to counteract the gravity and other forces pulling down on the casts.  She's pretty patient about wearing it as you can see in the picture below.

While the other kids were in the pool, she decided the doggie water was more her speed.

Next appointment is Tuesday the 25th.  Praying the casts stay on until then and that they will take them off for good and provide us with some splints/braces instead.

Looking forward to her wonderful OT to come back and show Izzy how to use those amazing new thumbs!

It Fell Off Again!

Really?!?

This is getting crazy!

Isabel's cast fell off of her left hand again!  AGAIN!!

Jim was at work today so I bandaged it up the best I could.

Luckily, she has a post-op appt already scheduled for tomorrow morning at Children's Hospital.  We're becoming regulars down there! : )

Goodbye February

I am NOT sorry to see you go!

February was a hard month.  February was a month full of surgeries, more therapies then I can count, a minor car accident, false labor pains and a faulty cast!

I am done with that hard month and happily welcome in March!

I am weary, but have renewed hope in all that lies ahead.

Recovery for Isabel with her new hands!

Continued improvement for Jim's shoulder!

New addition joining our family in early May! : )

Growing a missions organization!   

And all that God has in store for us!

Field trip at Huntington Library and Gardens.  Love that place!

Izzy's Puzzle Fun

Isabel does NOT like to be left out… of anything.  We have had to modify our lives so that she can be included with her two giant casts.  

When the older children are doing their schoolwork, she loves to do puzzles.  Kind of hard to do when you can't use your hands!  So, we have had to provide a little extra assistance to help her do her puzzles.  I laid the pieces out just below the spot where they go so she can just sort of "push" them in.  She was so proud and happy, though!

That sense of accomplishment is so important!

Puddle Fun

We finally got some rain yesterday and more coming tonight!!  Thank goodness!  We need it!

Anna, Nate and I ventured out to the meadow preserve by our house to play in the puddles.  He was running and having so much fun I decided to take a video...

That didn't slow him down.

This was after "the fall."

He could have stayed there for hours, if I let him. : )

Spoke Too Soon

Well, just before dinnertime last night, Isabel's cast fell off of her left hand!  Oh boy!!

My husband is the resident physician in our house.  He did a very careful job wrapping her hand and arm up. It was so important to protect that new thumb!

She did great last night and this morning before heading down to Children's Hospital to have her arm re-casted.  They are there now finishing up.

Jim said the new cast is a bit smaller which is nice for Isabel.  Never a dull moment around here!

Taken last night when the cast came off

Early this morning, about to head to the hospital

Still Doing Great!

Izzy was doing so well that we decided to go to church yesterday.  We kept her with us in church instead of putting her in Sunday School.  Didn't think she was quite ready for that! ; )

It was a challenge finding a dress with armholes big enough to fit over the casts, but I think it turned out well.  She was definitely excited to dress up and go to church!

Ready for church

With Daniel, her special helper

Her brother, Daniel, has been a wonderful helper to Izzy.  He fed her breakfast Sunday morning.  He peels tangerines and hand feeds her slices.  He builds Lego creations for her.  She points to the pieces and he builds it for her.  He is always there for encouragement, kind words and a hug.  

In fact, all of the kids have been great.  I told my mom that it has been a pleasure to watch so many acts of service and selflessness by my children in my own home.

Being Home is the Best Medicine

Izzy and Jim came home early afternoon yesterday.  She was still on a lot of medication, so quite groggy.  But she was eating and a bit chatty after a couple hours.

 She slept 10 hours straight last night, managed to get out of bed on her own and came into our room at 6am.  Other than a few tears when we had to give her the pain medication, she's been a very happy girl.  She asked for me to take her on a walk this morning, so the 5 younger kids and I walked about 3 miles this morning.  (Izzy was in a stroller, of course!)

We came home, had lunch and now she is playing Legos with her siblings; well, the best she can with double casts on her arms! : )

She is so obviously happy to be home.  All the kids are so happy to have her home.  Now we go on with our new normal for the next 6 weeks until the casts come off.

Thank you to all who remembered and prayed for our little girl.  The surgeon was very happy, Jim actually had a better experience then anticipated and best of all Isabel had no post-op trouble and adjusted to these enormous casts quite well.  Praying for continued healing!!

Post-Op Pics

Well, the surgery ended up taking 5 hours instead of the 3 hours as expected.  That was because they had to remove the non-functioning thumb on her left hand and the casting alone took a lot of time (as you can see in the picture below).  Those casts are HUGE!

Poor Baby Girl!

 Jim took these screen-capture shots of her hands after surgery and before they were casted.

Left hand

Right hand

That's just amazing to me!  I have to admit that I had a lot of reservations about going through with this surgery.  Time will tell with her hand function over the next few months.  We have a wonderful occupational therapist; at least until Izzy ages out of the program in June.

What is just wonderful news is that she had NO post-op stress like she had last time… no racing heart or high temperature for hours.  Thank you Jesus!!

We anticipate Jim and Izzy coming home tomorrow afternoon.  Her care will require all of us.  Already the kids are eager to have her home to take care of her.

There is no shortage of love in our home for our sweet Isabel!!

Praying for a good night's rest for Jim too!

In Surgery Now

Isabel went into surgery at 8:45am PST.  The surgery is supposed to last 3 hours, so we wait.

Jim sent me a couple pictures this morning from the hospital.

In the surgical waiting room early this morning.

Just before she went into surgery.  She looks so sad! :(

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

Surgery day for Isabel.

The day that was postponed from last November because of her heart.

The day that I wasn't sure we were going to do.  Tomorrow at 4:30am Jim and Isabel will leave for Children's Hospital for all the pre-surgery steps and a 8:30am surgery time.

The surgery is called pollicization surgery.  This is a follow up to her centralization surgery last April because her bilateral radial dysplasia.

We are praying for a successful surgery with no complications; especially post-surgery.  (She had a racing heart and extremely high fever for hours after surgery last time.)

We are praying that Isabel is not afraid and feels the love of her family and friends from afar.

We are praying for strength and wisdom for Jim as he goes through his day. (Especially being only 2 weeks post-surgery himself.)

Thank you for praying with us.  I will you keep you posted throughout the day.

Swimming in February?

Even though we live in a sunny state, we do live in a valley that has cold temps in the winter.  This winter has been pretty mild, but still the pool water was no more than 60 degrees.  These hardy girls didn't care, though!  The water was beckoning them…

Surgery Went Well!

After a night's stay in the hospital for observation, Jim is home and recovering well!  The surgeon said that the damage in his shoulder was as expected and he made the corrective cuts.  Now it's up to Jim to keep that arm moving at home and at physical therapy… every day for the next 2 weeks! 

So, so happy that all went well with his surgery and he is home!

One surgery down, one to go.  Isabel's surgery is on the 20th.  Hers is definitely going to be more complex and involve a much greater recovery time.  Poor little thing! : (

At the beach a couple weeks ago.  Lovely winter weather!

Season of Surgeries

Well, what a season God has us in right now!!  Last fall we dealt with illness after illness as my boys brought home stomach flu, strep throat, croup and the good ol' flu from preschool.  This was on top of me going through first trimester ills. Then my husband went to Africa on a missions trip and broke his arm!  Isabel's surgery date in late November was delayed because of concerns about her heart.  

Now Jim has been having complications from his broken arm and will have surgery tomorrow.  In addition, Isabel's surgery is scheduled for February 20th.  He is the one who will be taking her to Children's Hospital and staying the night with her since a germ-y hospital is not the best place for me at almost 7 months pregnant and I can't really sleep in the glorified window seat they provide for you to sleep on! ; )  This was our plan all along, but he will only be 2 wks post-op himself so we are praying for quick healing for him.

I know that through all this God will be right there giving me the grace and strength to do all the tasks I do in a day plus care for my husband and daughter post-operatively.  If you could please remember my husband in your prayers for a successful surgery tomorrow morning, I'd appreciate it.

I'll keep you posted.  Thank you!

4D Ultrasound Picture

I had another ultrasound last week.  Ever since my first was born 4 wks early due to severe low levels of amniotic fluid, I've been going to a high-risk pregnancy doctor for my ultrasounds for all subsequent pregnancies.  I also get ultrasounds more often.  Last week I got to see a great 4D picture of the baby.  At just 23 weeks, this just amazes me.  Our sweet little girl is growing and developing and we thank God that He chose to bless us one more time!