Joel and Jenny's Blog

Monday, February 28, 2011

Lyla Vids

A little glimpse as to why we always say she brings us smiles every day. :)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Baby Ethan...

...will be with us soon!

We get to meet him on February 24th--can't wait!

:) :) :)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Song

Here's a link to a song about Lyla, and many other children with stories like hers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJOSMB0QhFY

Praise the Lord for His healing power and grace.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Thursday, February 10, 2011

What a Month!

February is shaping up to be quite an eventful month in these here parts...here's a (kinda long) rundown:

1) PACKERS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!!!!! Unbelievably awesome, and a great way to lift our spirits during the winter doldrums/deep freeze!

Packer Backer Fun!

So sad that my Charles Woodson (#21) got injured during the game :(

Went icefishing with my sweetie (above).

And Lyla in a little Packer recliner being incredibly cute (below)--I was sorely tempted to buy it!

2) I finally got my on-call position back in IV therapy! Super pumped about not having to learn a new area, and being able to work with my IV therapy friends again! I'm so glad I'll be able to be on-call or per diem, so I can choose when I want to work. I plan on working 1-2 shifts a week. :)

3) LYLA: Lyla got her Suresteps! She's actually not too sure about them yet--she's adjusting to the new sensation of having them on, but they do keep her feet and ankles aligned much better.

Here's a video of her walking with her Suresteps on--

Also, Lyla had a doctor's appointment yesterday with her primary physician. She now weighs 22 lbs 12 oz (3rd percentile on the regular charts) and is 33.5 inches tall (somewhere between the 10th and 20th percentile on the regular charts!). Her doctor was very pleased with how well Lyla's doing, especially her progress in gross motor skills--crawling, cruising along furniture, getting up to standing next to furniture, walking with a walking toy. We are now going to try to focus a little more on communication and some fine motor stuff. I would love for her to be able to do just one sign. I have been working on "all done" and "more" with her for awhile. The OT says once she does just one sign, she'll take off from there. Also, I want to start working more on her ability to communicate preferences with even just a noise, and helping her to understand that when she makes a sound that it is meaningful rather than just babbling.

Another thing I want to work on is getting Lyla to eat more independently--she will be having a "feeding study" done at the clinic with a dietician. I'm pumped because they'll be able to see where she's at with chewing and textures and swallowing so that I can have more guidance on how to help her progress toward self-feeding. I do ask for prayers for Lyla in these areas. It seems that she will be able to walk some day, and I would really love it if she could talk and feed herself as well. I never feel that I am very good at knowing how to move forward with helping her to progress--it just doesn't come naturally to me, so I am very grateful for all the professionals who do know how to help. I am also grateful for prayers for Lyla and for prayers for Joel and I--that we have wisdom in our parenting with her, and that we can help her along as much as possible! We certainly can't do it on our own!

As I said in a recent post, Lyla is becoming more social lately and is enjoying being around other kids so much! I have joined our local MOPS and have been enjoying it immensely--such a great way for Lyla to get some kid time, and for me to get to know other moms. Also, we are going to start some music therapy for Lyla--we went to a group music therapy session last week and Lyla really seemed to love it. She got really excited and was crawling up to all the kids and smiling and being a little nut. All the other kids in the group have Trisomy 21 (Down's Syndrome)--it's pretty neat. We are also going to be starting an Early Childhood Family Education class called Toddler Time in March. Should be fun!

4) We are closing on our house on February 25th! Can't wait to have a place of our own. Pics to follow...

5) Lyla's newest cousin, Ethan Thomas, will be arriving at the end of the month! Most likely he will arrive by scheduled c-section, since he is breech. Joel's brother, Joshua, and his wife, Bryana, are eagerly awaiting his arrival (as are we!). Can't wait for Lyla to have another playmate. :)

Though February (up north here anyway) tends to be kind of a downer month sometimes--as winter wears on--this year it has been a time of encouragement. The Lord has really been working in my heart and in my life. The Lord (very clearly) helped me to realize that I was starting to think that my happiness and joy was based on whether or not Joel and I would be able to have another child. It was becoming a big struggle for me. But the Lord, in His gentle way, reminded me that no matter what happens in life, He is enough. He is the source of true joy and happiness. And if I make my relationship with HIM my priority and my goal, then I will have joy regardless. I had lost sight of that. I fully trust God's plan for us, and if that does not include more children, I am okay with that. God is good all the time, and He sees the big picture. He set my heart right and has given me peace and joy in the process. Thank you Lord. And thank you for your prayers too!

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

(one of my all-time favorite verses)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Popper

This is currently her favorite toy...

...she's somewhat obsessed with it!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Packers are

SUPERBOWL BOUND!!!

The hero of the game, BJ Raji :)

(I'm a little pumped)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Lyla has a friend...

...who lives in the oven!

Playing by the oven and looking at herself is one of her favorite things to do these days. :)

We are realizing more and more how social Lyla is. She really loves playing with other little kids. I'm looking forward to signing up for some ECFE classes so she can get some more play time with little ones!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Tenuous Steps

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Another Special Birthday

Today is my dear mother-in-law's birthday. Always a wonderful, caring, and loving mother, wife, and friend.

Happy Birthday Carol!

the beaner playing "boom" with Grandpa John :)

Friday, January 7, 2011

4 pieces of news...

1) Today is my beautiful mama's birthday. Mom, thank you for being a mother who is selfless, loving, fun, hard-working, and beautiful both inside and out. Love you so much.

Happy Birthday!

Mom & Naomi

2) As many of you know, my littlest niece, Naomi, was doing (and not doing) some things that her doctors were very concerned about. She was in the hospital for a whole week to go through a slew of testing. We, of course, were very concerned that there could have been something seriously wrong...many prayers went up. Well, she just got all of her lab results and they all came back normal! Also, the neurologist did not think that anything is wrong neurologically either. And, she is now only taking formula (soy formula, to be exact) and Abby says she is a new baby. She is getting stronger and happier and is doing all the things that 5 month-olds should do. Praise the Lord! We hope that's all it takes, and that she will rebound in no time. Thanks for all your prayers--we sure know that God is still in the business of doing miracles. :)

3) Yesterday Lyla went from kneeling to standing next to a piece of furniture all by herself for the first time. She is still crawling like crazy and continues to improve with her walking, but now she is starting to master the transitions, which can be quite tricky. Yay Lyla!

Also, next week she is going to be fitted with some "Suresteps" which are little braces that go around her feet and ankles. They will help keep her ankles steady and supported so she will be more confident with her standing and walking. I can't wait to see what she'll do!

This is how I found her sleeping in her crib yesterday morning. :)

Joel and his parents, and Lyla too

4) After 8 months (we moved out of our Willow Street house in June), we're finally going to have our own place to call home. I never thought we'd get this house because the original asking price was quite a bit above our price range, but after much negotiating the sellers came down $25 k. Amazing! We will close at the end of February. Praise the Lord.

Here are a few pics--

I guess we're meant to live in blue houses :)

This is the view from the deck off the back

Isaiah 25:1 O Lord you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.