Change is a GOOD Thing!

Here's a family update -

Jordan - 4 years old! Wow, I just can not believe she is four. I love her personality & am excited to see her flourish this year. She loves reading. Her favorite center at school is book center. She loves to sing! Her favorite songs are right now are the songs on the soundtrack to Frozen. It is a fabulous movie & I am ready for it be out on DVD! She is behaving a ton better & loving being around Joseph. This is HUGE - seriously she wants to hold him, love him, kiss him, etc. It is the sweetest sight to see. She is growing up so fast.

Joseph - 13 months old :) He is reaching up to play with toys & turn things on. He is able to push up on his stomach and hold his head up for long periods of time. He is trying to army crawl & getting frustrated when it does not work. He gets everywhere by rolling. He is super fast! He is able to stand with support for a few minutes. His core is still really weak so he locks his legs to stand. He kicks constantly. He really likes kicking in the bathtub. He will even do it on command. He smiles when I say kick kick kick then he starts. He is sitting much better & continues to improve on being able to sit without propping. He is now lifting his head if he is in the crawling position. He can not quite stay up on all fours but he is trying. His medical stroller (wheelchair) has been approved by our insurance! His stander will be approved soon. The insurance company originally excluded some options that we need so we had to submit it again. These will make daily life so much easier! We are not giving up on him walking at all - it's the exact opposite. I wanted to get the stroller so that when we are out on a walk, the zoo, etc.... he is supported and in the proper position. He just flops and slides in the regular strollers. This one will make him be upright and working on posture. The stander will be used for a minimum of an hour a day. It will make Joseph work on standing in the proper position. He will gain strength and mobility by being in the stander upright. He is learning to drink out of a cup with a straw. He is able to do this with a cup called a sip a mug :)

He makes progress and continues to work really hard. He has an appointment on March 4th with the pediatric metabolic geneticist. I am excited to be going to see Dr. Gibson. He is highly recommended by everyone. We will be looking for answers as to why he has the hypotonia.  He will look from things like chromosome issues, proteins, enzymes, etc... I am hoping that we will be able to get a full blown genetic test done to be sure there is not an issue with one of his chromosomes.

Me - oh geeze - where to start? The main thing is that I am feeling much better after a visit to my doctor to adjust my medicine. December and January were really hard emotionally. I was crying all the time when I was at home or church. I have adjusted behaviors and paired with the new dose of meds, I feel like myself again. I am not on Facebook anymore. If you thought I was being rude and deleted you as a friend - sorry. I made the decision and it has really changed my life. I notice myself more involved with my kids and not sitting around staring at a screen. Basically - keeping life simple, organized and actually scheduling me time at home. I am more cautious about committing to something and trying to be less busy.

Prayer requests -
the most important is for our family unity
Jordan to continue to thrive at school, be more happy, and improve behavior
Joseph to continue to improve physically
Finances - medical bills are piling up so I just need peace about them and paying as we can

The Celebration Continues...

I took cupcakes to Jordan's Class at First Protestant - she loved everyone singing to her & the sweet treat :) All her friends said thank you Jordan & response was oh mom they love me!

 

 

 

 She had her friend Leigh Ann hang out with her on her real birthday! Her first sleep over :)

At our church, when you turn 4 you get to come in the sanctuary and worship then go to children's church. Emilee was so sweet - she saw Jordan and said "its your first time! yeah!" and she took her hand to lead the way. I absolutely love kids sweet hearts and spirits!

Jordan's 4th Hello Kitty Birthday Party

 

Snow & Princess Jordan

We were pleasantly surprised when we woke up one morning to SNOW! Seriously, I was clueless that it was even a possibility. We got dressed and played right away! Jordan and I sang the song from Frozen - do you want to build a snowman?

Jordan & Joey went to the Princess Ball at our church! Seriously it is the absolute cutest thing ever! Dad's and their Daughters at a fancy dinner & dancing. Jordan loved everything about the evening :)