- Core (History, Language Arts, Bible): Sonlight Core A - I absolutely fell in love with this package when I saw it at a homeschool convention. Last year we used Heart of Dakota, and it was okay; however, my kids didn't like the reading selections. We really enjoyed their Bible and History, but we were ready for a change.We also purchased Sonlight's kindergarten and second grade readers/language arts.
- Science: Sonlight A. Luckily, we found this on ebay in like-new condition. I'm also pretty excited about this (it came with several books and a DVD). Last year we used Apologia. I think Apologia would work well for older kids, but it didn't work well for my kids. It was a big text book that in my opinion wasn't reader-friendly for younger children.
- Math: Staying with Math-U-See. Little Lou will do Primer, X-Man will do Beta. LOVE MUS. The only issue I have is that there are 30 lessons and our school year is 36 weeks. Small issue, but I thought it was worth noting.
- Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears kindergarten and first grade. Last year X-Man's handwriting improved VASTLY with the help of this program. We really liked it, so we'll use it again this year.
- Health: Alpha and Omega, Horizons Health 1. This year we added a health program. It looks like it covers quite a bit of info, but only on the surface level. There's 50 lessons, but they appear to be pretty simple, almost an introduction.
- Additional: We also purchased a PE book, some art appreciation books, and some classical music CDs. Due to X-Man's fine motor delays, we also purchased a few activities that should help him (Little Lou is VERY interested as well!).
Showing posts with label Little Lou. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Lou. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Curriculum 2013-2014
Just in case anyone was wondering, I wanted to share out curriculum choices for this year.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
A Much Needed Change - Science Curriculum
Today was the smoothest day so far. It went so well that we actually finished our school work before lunch (we normally have an hour or two to do after lunch).
Yesterday went pretty well too - except, we started at 10:00 instead of 9:00. Oh well. My friend Emily brought us a ton of vegetables from her parents garden, so we ended yesterday with making zucchini bread (used this fantastic recipe but left out the walnuts since Lou isn't a fan). That counts for math, right?! The bread is almost gone - even my hubby ate some (and asked if I would make some more). If you know how picky he is, that's saying a lot.
Today I was not looking forward to Science at all. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Science - it's been my favorite subject for as long as I can remember (except Chemistry. I HATE Chemistry). But, our first day of Science was rough. We purchased Apologia's Astronomy book and the issue is that the book is for K-6th grade. In order to make it though the book in one year, there's four or five pages of textbook reading per lesson. Plus there's a journal and experiments. I could tell on the first day that the book wasn't going to work for us. At least not this year.
I consulted with another homeschooling mom, and decided that I'm coming up with my own Science curriculum. We're going to study space, but in an easier, kindergarten appropriate way. I want him to LOVE Science, not dread it. So, I have a ton of small books about space, and we have a very extensive public library. We'll read two books about space per week. My parents also gave me some of my favorite books from when I was a kid (Just Ask books by Weekly Reader). So, today, we read "What is A Star?". The kids LOVED it! They know the order of heat intensity (blue is hottest, red is coolest), size classification (dwarf up to supergiant). And learned so much more than they did using the textbook last week.
We also made our own stars. We each decided how hot we wanted our star to be (X-Man wanted the hottest - blue, and Little Lou wanted a star with mid-range heat - yellow). Then, they decided which size (both wanted supergiant). I helped them trace a circle on construction paper, they cut them out on their own (more fine motor work!). Then on one side, X-Man wrote the name of his star, how hot it was, and the size. On the front we swirled glitter glue to signify the gasses that swirl on each star. It was amazing to me how much information they retained.
We're also going to spend time each week observing nature (Mason method) and using a notebook to sketch an observation. I feel so much better about science now. And less stressed. So far, we pretty much love homeschool!
Yesterday went pretty well too - except, we started at 10:00 instead of 9:00. Oh well. My friend Emily brought us a ton of vegetables from her parents garden, so we ended yesterday with making zucchini bread (used this fantastic recipe but left out the walnuts since Lou isn't a fan). That counts for math, right?! The bread is almost gone - even my hubby ate some (and asked if I would make some more). If you know how picky he is, that's saying a lot.
Today I was not looking forward to Science at all. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Science - it's been my favorite subject for as long as I can remember (except Chemistry. I HATE Chemistry). But, our first day of Science was rough. We purchased Apologia's Astronomy book and the issue is that the book is for K-6th grade. In order to make it though the book in one year, there's four or five pages of textbook reading per lesson. Plus there's a journal and experiments. I could tell on the first day that the book wasn't going to work for us. At least not this year.
I consulted with another homeschooling mom, and decided that I'm coming up with my own Science curriculum. We're going to study space, but in an easier, kindergarten appropriate way. I want him to LOVE Science, not dread it. So, I have a ton of small books about space, and we have a very extensive public library. We'll read two books about space per week. My parents also gave me some of my favorite books from when I was a kid (Just Ask books by Weekly Reader). So, today, we read "What is A Star?". The kids LOVED it! They know the order of heat intensity (blue is hottest, red is coolest), size classification (dwarf up to supergiant). And learned so much more than they did using the textbook last week.
We also made our own stars. We each decided how hot we wanted our star to be (X-Man wanted the hottest - blue, and Little Lou wanted a star with mid-range heat - yellow). Then, they decided which size (both wanted supergiant). I helped them trace a circle on construction paper, they cut them out on their own (more fine motor work!). Then on one side, X-Man wrote the name of his star, how hot it was, and the size. On the front we swirled glitter glue to signify the gasses that swirl on each star. It was amazing to me how much information they retained.
We're also going to spend time each week observing nature (Mason method) and using a notebook to sketch an observation. I feel so much better about science now. And less stressed. So far, we pretty much love homeschool!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Homeschool - Two Days In
Thursday was our first day of homeschool; it went pretty well! The day started with some french toast casserole that baked in our slow-cooker overnight. School began with a prayer, pledge of allegiance, and calendar time. Then we did a short history lesson - it came with a family tree that they filled out (I wrote Little Lou's for her) and colored. As they were coloring, I did a short interview about their favorite things - I'm interested to see which items change at the end of the school year.
We also read a few pages in our science book. It was obvious that I can't do science right after history again, too much reading for two little ones. We've changed the order of subjects - they'll also only do science two times a week (they'll do art some days instead).
Then we worked on a rhyme about the animals and which continents they live on (they got to run and jump so they were very excited about that!). Next we had a short devotion and practiced our first memory verse (Matthew 19:14) - we have a CD which plays the verse in a song which has made it easy for me to memorize the verse (even Little Lou almost has it memorized!).
Next we had our first lesson. At the beginning of each lesson (one new lesson per week), there is a DVD with a teacher explaining the new material - I LOVE this! We did some practice with our cuisenaire rods and he did a worksheet (he got every problem right - woohoo!). I use a composition book as a math journal for Little Lou. She practiced writing numbers 1-5 and then put that amount of stickers on each number.
Then, it was lunch time! We also took a break before heading back to our classroom.
After lunch I had X-Man read a book on his own (he'll read a short book or one chapter out of a novel) while I worked on a phonics lesson with Little Lou. After that, we did some handwriting - that was difficult. X-Man has always had delays in fine and gross motor skills, so some things were very difficult for him. He is also a perfectionist, so if his work doesn't look exactly as he would like it, he scribbles all over the page or cries (Mom, Dad, does this sound familiar?!). He had a few meltdowns, so we cut the lesson short. Day two was much better for handwriting - we actually were able to extend our lesson! X-Man writes the letter 'F' like a champ now.
At the end of each day, all three of us read a book together. Then we do a mini-book report. I write the name of the book and author - then there's a place for both of them to note if they liked the book or not (X-Man has to write 'yes' or 'no' and Little Lou circles a happy or sad face). We keep these on note cards attached to a binder ring. This can help me keep track of which books we've already borrowed from the library and help me to determine which type of books they'll like going forward.
Then they get free time - I have a play kitchen and a few toys in our classroom they can play with. They can also read books, or work on a maze/dot-to-dot book I made (printed free worksheets then put them in page protectors so they can use dry-erase markers on them over and over again). They can also play with some sensory bottles I made, do tangrams, work on geoboards, flashcards, or artsy stuff. We also listen to orchestral music (they can already recognize some of the parts from 'The Carnival of Animals') and I prepare our lessons for the next day.
After school, we got some frozen custard and then went to the pool - that's homeschool P.E., right?! We ordered pizza for dinner - pretty much, the perfect day.
All in all, I think (two days in) that homeschooling is going to be a great fit for our family. It's so nice to be able to customize each lesson to meet their needs. It's also wonderful to get hugs and kisses all day from my sweethearts. Yep, I'm a fan of homeschooling!
We also read a few pages in our science book. It was obvious that I can't do science right after history again, too much reading for two little ones. We've changed the order of subjects - they'll also only do science two times a week (they'll do art some days instead).
Then we worked on a rhyme about the animals and which continents they live on (they got to run and jump so they were very excited about that!). Next we had a short devotion and practiced our first memory verse (Matthew 19:14) - we have a CD which plays the verse in a song which has made it easy for me to memorize the verse (even Little Lou almost has it memorized!).
Next we had our first lesson. At the beginning of each lesson (one new lesson per week), there is a DVD with a teacher explaining the new material - I LOVE this! We did some practice with our cuisenaire rods and he did a worksheet (he got every problem right - woohoo!). I use a composition book as a math journal for Little Lou. She practiced writing numbers 1-5 and then put that amount of stickers on each number.
Then, it was lunch time! We also took a break before heading back to our classroom.
After lunch I had X-Man read a book on his own (he'll read a short book or one chapter out of a novel) while I worked on a phonics lesson with Little Lou. After that, we did some handwriting - that was difficult. X-Man has always had delays in fine and gross motor skills, so some things were very difficult for him. He is also a perfectionist, so if his work doesn't look exactly as he would like it, he scribbles all over the page or cries (Mom, Dad, does this sound familiar?!). He had a few meltdowns, so we cut the lesson short. Day two was much better for handwriting - we actually were able to extend our lesson! X-Man writes the letter 'F' like a champ now.
At the end of each day, all three of us read a book together. Then we do a mini-book report. I write the name of the book and author - then there's a place for both of them to note if they liked the book or not (X-Man has to write 'yes' or 'no' and Little Lou circles a happy or sad face). We keep these on note cards attached to a binder ring. This can help me keep track of which books we've already borrowed from the library and help me to determine which type of books they'll like going forward.
Then they get free time - I have a play kitchen and a few toys in our classroom they can play with. They can also read books, or work on a maze/dot-to-dot book I made (printed free worksheets then put them in page protectors so they can use dry-erase markers on them over and over again). They can also play with some sensory bottles I made, do tangrams, work on geoboards, flashcards, or artsy stuff. We also listen to orchestral music (they can already recognize some of the parts from 'The Carnival of Animals') and I prepare our lessons for the next day.
After school, we got some frozen custard and then went to the pool - that's homeschool P.E., right?! We ordered pizza for dinner - pretty much, the perfect day.
All in all, I think (two days in) that homeschooling is going to be a great fit for our family. It's so nice to be able to customize each lesson to meet their needs. It's also wonderful to get hugs and kisses all day from my sweethearts. Yep, I'm a fan of homeschooling!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Curriculum Selection Time!
Hi friends,
We are in the process of choosing home school curriculum. I wish I would have gone to a home school convention back in April; unfortunately, I was so busy with work stuff and thought I knew what I wanted to do (HA!), so I stayed home. So, with the help of X-Man, we are beginning to choose what we would like to study next year. I originally thought I would go with one company's curriculum so that I could do less work (all the school days would already be mapped out for us). But, as I'm finding the time to do more research, I'm finding that we have SO much flexibility, so why not use that to our advantage?
X-Man LOVED learning about the planets in preschool this year (he knows the planets in order and loves looking for planets in the sky at night) so, we've decided that we're going to study Astronomy with Apologia this year. Their elementary Science curricula are based on creation. There are six topics to study for K-6 (which don't have to be studied in any particular order), so this year we'll do Astronomy - if we like it, we'll do it again when X-Man is in 6th grade and Little Lou is in 5th. Next year, we'll let Little Lou select the science curriculum since whatever we do next year will be studied when she is in kindergarten and again when she's in 6th grade. We also have some great friends who gave us a membership to one of the best Science Institutes in the country, so we'll be spending lots of time there.
For math, we've decided to use Math U See. What I like about this is that there are DVDs that correspond with the lessons. This means they'll be learning math from someone who knows what they're doing, and I'll be learning right along with them! We'll likely supplement with some extra workbooks (X-Man LOVES workbooks!).
For reading, history/social studies, and Bible, I'm still doing some research. This is where you come in! If you are a homeschooling parent, please let me know if there's certain curricula that you've really liked (or didn't care for). For social studies, I'm finding that most curricula begin with a study of your home state or home country. To be honest, I'd rather that my children have a world view than a local view and would prefer to begin studying the world and over time focusing on our local history. I've been feeling stronger and stronger urges to do some mission work and would love for us to do that as a family someday.
Also, X-Man is reading at an advanced level, so I'm having a tough time finding accelerated readers with kindergarten level English/writing lessons. I'm thinking we'll do Handwriting Without Tears since he could use quite a bit of help with handwriting - then maybe doing a 1st or 2nd grade reading program (this is where our library comes in!). I think I may also have him start a blog of his own as he gets better at spelling and writing (of course we will be VERY closely monitoring his blog).
We're getting very excited about home school, in fact, X-Man asked me today if we could start school tomorrow. I told him we still have to order our books and will begin school in August. His response: "Why don't we start in July, that's one month sooner." This kid is SO excited to start school - hope this sentiment lasts all year!
Anyways, any tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
We are in the process of choosing home school curriculum. I wish I would have gone to a home school convention back in April; unfortunately, I was so busy with work stuff and thought I knew what I wanted to do (HA!), so I stayed home. So, with the help of X-Man, we are beginning to choose what we would like to study next year. I originally thought I would go with one company's curriculum so that I could do less work (all the school days would already be mapped out for us). But, as I'm finding the time to do more research, I'm finding that we have SO much flexibility, so why not use that to our advantage?
X-Man LOVED learning about the planets in preschool this year (he knows the planets in order and loves looking for planets in the sky at night) so, we've decided that we're going to study Astronomy with Apologia this year. Their elementary Science curricula are based on creation. There are six topics to study for K-6 (which don't have to be studied in any particular order), so this year we'll do Astronomy - if we like it, we'll do it again when X-Man is in 6th grade and Little Lou is in 5th. Next year, we'll let Little Lou select the science curriculum since whatever we do next year will be studied when she is in kindergarten and again when she's in 6th grade. We also have some great friends who gave us a membership to one of the best Science Institutes in the country, so we'll be spending lots of time there.
For math, we've decided to use Math U See. What I like about this is that there are DVDs that correspond with the lessons. This means they'll be learning math from someone who knows what they're doing, and I'll be learning right along with them! We'll likely supplement with some extra workbooks (X-Man LOVES workbooks!).
For reading, history/social studies, and Bible, I'm still doing some research. This is where you come in! If you are a homeschooling parent, please let me know if there's certain curricula that you've really liked (or didn't care for). For social studies, I'm finding that most curricula begin with a study of your home state or home country. To be honest, I'd rather that my children have a world view than a local view and would prefer to begin studying the world and over time focusing on our local history. I've been feeling stronger and stronger urges to do some mission work and would love for us to do that as a family someday.
Also, X-Man is reading at an advanced level, so I'm having a tough time finding accelerated readers with kindergarten level English/writing lessons. I'm thinking we'll do Handwriting Without Tears since he could use quite a bit of help with handwriting - then maybe doing a 1st or 2nd grade reading program (this is where our library comes in!). I think I may also have him start a blog of his own as he gets better at spelling and writing (of course we will be VERY closely monitoring his blog).
We're getting very excited about home school, in fact, X-Man asked me today if we could start school tomorrow. I told him we still have to order our books and will begin school in August. His response: "Why don't we start in July, that's one month sooner." This kid is SO excited to start school - hope this sentiment lasts all year!
Anyways, any tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
April Fools!
It's April 1st, which just so happens to be one of my favorite days of the year. People sometimes talk about their love languages, for some it's gifts, or affection, or acts of service. My love language is pulling pranks on those I love. I love that there is an entire day devoted to one of my favorite past times.
In the past, I've put change in my hubby's shoes, or 'short-sheeted' the bed, or made a drink that looked like sweet tea but wasn't. I also (at least once a week) like to hide somewhere in the house and jump out at him when he's not expecting it. This year, rather than focus on pranking my husband (besides the scary leprechaun that was anxiously waiting for him in the bathroom this morning), I decided to focus my efforts on the little ones.
They're still pretty young, so I didn't want to do anything too mean; I decided to mess with their food. For breakfast, they had gummy worms in their cereal. I thought I was so clever. That is, until church this morning when they were VERY loud and hyper. Note to self: gummy worms are NOT an ideal breakfast food.
For lunch, I made them peanut butter and jelly and placed gummy worms in their sandwiches (I obviously learned my lesson from breakfast). It was so funny to watch their faces as they unexpectedly bit into something rubbery in their sandwich. We also finely chopped some cookies to make 'dirt' for their yogurt. X-Man thought this was so cool! Little Lou, on the other hand, threw a complete tantrum and cried under the table while yelling "We don't eat dirt! Dirt is NOT yummy!". She eventually came around. I also gave them an apple with a gummy worm inside, and grape jell-o that looked like grape juice. It was hilarious watching them try to drink out of their straws!
I've also enjoyed reading my friend's pranks on Facebook. And several businesses (Google, Coffee-Mate, International Delight, Old Navy) have also had fantastic jokes today. I sure would hate to have big news to share on April 1st. I think you'd have to wait a day or else no one would believe you.
Anyways, I'm hoping to get a few more gags in today - especially for my sweet, unsuspecting hubby. (Or, I could just be saying this so that he worries all day about my evil schemes...) I hope you have a great April Fool's Day filled with great memories!
Thanks for reading!
In the past, I've put change in my hubby's shoes, or 'short-sheeted' the bed, or made a drink that looked like sweet tea but wasn't. I also (at least once a week) like to hide somewhere in the house and jump out at him when he's not expecting it. This year, rather than focus on pranking my husband (besides the scary leprechaun that was anxiously waiting for him in the bathroom this morning), I decided to focus my efforts on the little ones.
They're still pretty young, so I didn't want to do anything too mean; I decided to mess with their food. For breakfast, they had gummy worms in their cereal. I thought I was so clever. That is, until church this morning when they were VERY loud and hyper. Note to self: gummy worms are NOT an ideal breakfast food.
For lunch, I made them peanut butter and jelly and placed gummy worms in their sandwiches (I obviously learned my lesson from breakfast). It was so funny to watch their faces as they unexpectedly bit into something rubbery in their sandwich. We also finely chopped some cookies to make 'dirt' for their yogurt. X-Man thought this was so cool! Little Lou, on the other hand, threw a complete tantrum and cried under the table while yelling "We don't eat dirt! Dirt is NOT yummy!". She eventually came around. I also gave them an apple with a gummy worm inside, and grape jell-o that looked like grape juice. It was hilarious watching them try to drink out of their straws!
I've also enjoyed reading my friend's pranks on Facebook. And several businesses (Google, Coffee-Mate, International Delight, Old Navy) have also had fantastic jokes today. I sure would hate to have big news to share on April 1st. I think you'd have to wait a day or else no one would believe you.
Anyways, I'm hoping to get a few more gags in today - especially for my sweet, unsuspecting hubby. (Or, I could just be saying this so that he worries all day about my evil schemes...) I hope you have a great April Fool's Day filled with great memories!
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
December Iowa Trip
We went to Iowa during the first week of December. I love traveling around Christmas time. It's so hard to believe that last year during the same time, we were flying every week to Iowa. I do miss seeing the airports decked out in their holiday cheer, and I miss that time that I got to spend with X-Man (or Little Lou when the husband took X-Man). This trip, all four of us drove to Iowa.
We made really good time - I was a little nervous for this trip because 1 - it was our first trip with a potty-trained kid, and 2 - it was December. We got to see a lot of snow. I believe snow in the country is so much more beautiful than our city snow. The drifts on the side of the road were beautiful.
'Icebergs' on the Mississippi
Once we made it to Iowa, we checked in at the Ronald McDonald House - it looked so beautiful with all the Christmas trees! We got to meet some wonderful people who helped put our lives in perspective. There were a couple clubfoot babies there, it was nice to be able to talk to a mom who was in my situation last year. I was excited for her on the changes that were going to happen to her baby! We also met a woman who had a child with several heart issues. She said her child had to be revived almost daily - whenever she gets upset there's a chance her child will lose consciousness. I can't even imagine how scary that must be for her. It helps me keep my life in perspective and want to help others whose children were born with defects.
Also, in the house I read this poem. I remember reading it before, but kind of forgot about it. I love it so much and it really does voice how I have felt and has helped me make the most of our situation:
Love it. Every time I read it I get a little teary.
Okay, back to our Iowa visit. The morning of X-Man's visit, we had breakfast while the hubby loaded the car and warmed it up for us (since, Iowa is arctic-like in December!). Well, our car wouldn't start. Luckily, there's a free bus that goes between the parking lot across the street and the hospital. The kids actually LOVED the bus!
We arrived at the hospital and got in to see Dr. Morcuende very quickly. Unfortunately, X-Man decided that he needed to throw a huge tantrum. We were still able to get him to cooperate - Dr. Morcuende was very impressed by how good his feet look. He said we'll need to get at least one more set of Mitchell's with the plantarflexion stop, then we'll be able to get a 'normal' pair of Mitchell's.
After our appointment - we took a bus back to the RMH. We arrived just as AAA was finishing up with our car - luckily, it was just a dead car battery. I don't really remember our drive home, so it must have gone well!
I cannot tell you how incredibly thankful I am of all that Dr. Morcuende, and all the staff has done for my X-Man. I am so thankful for Dr. Ponseti who first implemented a non-surgical method of treatment and for all those that have followed in his footsteps.
We made really good time - I was a little nervous for this trip because 1 - it was our first trip with a potty-trained kid, and 2 - it was December. We got to see a lot of snow. I believe snow in the country is so much more beautiful than our city snow. The drifts on the side of the road were beautiful.
'Icebergs' on the Mississippi
Also, in the house I read this poem. I remember reading it before, but kind of forgot about it. I love it so much and it really does voice how I have felt and has helped me make the most of our situation:
Welcome to Holland
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this…
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.
Written by Emily Perl Kingsley
Love it. Every time I read it I get a little teary.
Okay, back to our Iowa visit. The morning of X-Man's visit, we had breakfast while the hubby loaded the car and warmed it up for us (since, Iowa is arctic-like in December!). Well, our car wouldn't start. Luckily, there's a free bus that goes between the parking lot across the street and the hospital. The kids actually LOVED the bus!
We arrived at the hospital and got in to see Dr. Morcuende very quickly. Unfortunately, X-Man decided that he needed to throw a huge tantrum. We were still able to get him to cooperate - Dr. Morcuende was very impressed by how good his feet look. He said we'll need to get at least one more set of Mitchell's with the plantarflexion stop, then we'll be able to get a 'normal' pair of Mitchell's.
After our appointment - we took a bus back to the RMH. We arrived just as AAA was finishing up with our car - luckily, it was just a dead car battery. I don't really remember our drive home, so it must have gone well!
I cannot tell you how incredibly thankful I am of all that Dr. Morcuende, and all the staff has done for my X-Man. I am so thankful for Dr. Ponseti who first implemented a non-surgical method of treatment and for all those that have followed in his footsteps.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Five months of catch ups - Quick look at October and November
Well, again - I'm a slacker. I think I just get overwhelmed once I let this blog thing go without a post for too long. Enough is enough. If you'll read, I'll post! It's been a busy five months, but I'm going to try to get you caught up.
October was great - we went to three trick-or-treat events. X-Man was a zookeeper, Little Lou was the sweetest ladybug. X-Man also 'graduated' from physical therapy - he made wonderful progress and we are so thankful for Lindsay and all she's done for us.
NOVEMBER
In November, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our amazing family. We were filled with Christmas spirit before December and had all our Christmas decorations out before Thanksgiving! X-Man had an appointment scheduled in November to see Dr. Morcuende but we had to reschedule until December. My next post will be all about that appointment!
OCTOBER
October was great - we went to three trick-or-treat events. X-Man was a zookeeper, Little Lou was the sweetest ladybug. X-Man also 'graduated' from physical therapy - he made wonderful progress and we are so thankful for Lindsay and all she's done for us.
NOVEMBER
In November, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our amazing family. We were filled with Christmas spirit before December and had all our Christmas decorations out before Thanksgiving! X-Man had an appointment scheduled in November to see Dr. Morcuende but we had to reschedule until December. My next post will be all about that appointment!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Lou is two and X has flexible feet!
So, this time I'm not going to apologize for taking months (again) to post an entry. I'm a slacker. If you've been following, this is nothing new. Well, let me re-phrase... I'm a slacking-blogger. I'm a busy girl, for real. I've been busy taking care of my amazing kids, planning a two-year party for my darling Little Lou (she chose an insect themed party, which was AWESOME!), taking X-Man to weekly PT appointments and AWANA (more on that later), working more hours from home than ever (job-security yo!), all while trying to keep a clean home and sleeping eight hours a night. So, blog posts have been pretty low on the priority list - understandably so, right?!
As I mentioned, Little Lou is now two. It's so hard to believe. I remember when that sweet girl was born. Perhaps the most prominent memory is that of the first night in the hospital. In the middle of the night, I hear the LOUDEST baby coming down the hall. The baby was getting closer, and closer, and I think I may have said "That better not be my kid!" - guess who it was...
This girl:
Now, two years later, she is a confident, spunky, beautiful little girl. She loves animals (in fact, she has to kiss them when she sees them in books or in real life), baby dolls (she tries to sleep with five of them each night and names them all 'Kitty Cat' or 'Turtle'), and insects. If she sees a bug, she'll immediately try to hold it, and, if for some reason she's not allowed to hold the bug (because of pinchers on ickiness), she will stomp it until it no longer moves. She's passionate.
So, X-Man has started AWANA - he is a first year Cubbie and LOVES it! He is so good at memorizing scripture and enjoys earning things for his efforts. Tonight he earned his first patch for his vest, I am one proud Mama!
As I mentioned above, X-Man has been going to physical therapy each week. Three weeks ago, his physical therapist, measured his dorsiflexion, and it measured at... ready for this? Twelve-fifteen degrees. If you have a child with clubfoot, you know this is amazing, especially for my guy who was at zero less than a year ago! So, the following week, Lindsay (his PT) measured again, and both feet were again, between twelve-fifteen degrees. So, we are now going to PT every other week - we're very excited about this! We still stretch every evening, and I can tell there's a huge difference between now and even two months ago.
I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of September. It's even harder to believe that a year ago I felt unsure and scared of X-Man's future with clubfoot. We thought for sure that he would have to have an ATTT and even that didn't have guaranteed results. Luckily, we were able to avoid that surgery and he is doing better than ever. He has a very confident walk - most people call it a strut, and he runs as quick as children his age without clubfoot. So, life has been good here. There's been a lot of craziness and keeping bust, but the big things are all in place, I feel incredibly blessed.
As I mentioned, Little Lou is now two. It's so hard to believe. I remember when that sweet girl was born. Perhaps the most prominent memory is that of the first night in the hospital. In the middle of the night, I hear the LOUDEST baby coming down the hall. The baby was getting closer, and closer, and I think I may have said "That better not be my kid!" - guess who it was...
This girl:
Now, two years later, she is a confident, spunky, beautiful little girl. She loves animals (in fact, she has to kiss them when she sees them in books or in real life), baby dolls (she tries to sleep with five of them each night and names them all 'Kitty Cat' or 'Turtle'), and insects. If she sees a bug, she'll immediately try to hold it, and, if for some reason she's not allowed to hold the bug (because of pinchers on ickiness), she will stomp it until it no longer moves. She's passionate.
So, X-Man has started AWANA - he is a first year Cubbie and LOVES it! He is so good at memorizing scripture and enjoys earning things for his efforts. Tonight he earned his first patch for his vest, I am one proud Mama!
As I mentioned above, X-Man has been going to physical therapy each week. Three weeks ago, his physical therapist, measured his dorsiflexion, and it measured at... ready for this? Twelve-fifteen degrees. If you have a child with clubfoot, you know this is amazing, especially for my guy who was at zero less than a year ago! So, the following week, Lindsay (his PT) measured again, and both feet were again, between twelve-fifteen degrees. So, we are now going to PT every other week - we're very excited about this! We still stretch every evening, and I can tell there's a huge difference between now and even two months ago.
I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of September. It's even harder to believe that a year ago I felt unsure and scared of X-Man's future with clubfoot. We thought for sure that he would have to have an ATTT and even that didn't have guaranteed results. Luckily, we were able to avoid that surgery and he is doing better than ever. He has a very confident walk - most people call it a strut, and he runs as quick as children his age without clubfoot. So, life has been good here. There's been a lot of craziness and keeping bust, but the big things are all in place, I feel incredibly blessed.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
No news is...
Good news. Right? Things have been going very well here. I realize how much I complain, I am much better about posting when I'm complaining or worrying - luckily there hasn't been much of either lately!
So here's a recap of the last three months (yes, three months, I am a slacker).
In March - X-Man's foot did heal. In only a week or two he was back to being himself, running and jumping. Now, because of daily stretching and weekly PT, he can even stand on his toes and squat for a few seconds (YAY!).
In April his flexibility continued to improve. He gained a few degrees of dorsiflexion on each foot. In April we also found out that my husband was offered a new job. Unfortunately, that meant that beginning on May 1, we no longer had health insurance for a month (unless we chose to have Cobra which cost more than our mortgage payment!). I talked to his therapist and she was kind enough to let us come every other week and shorten the sessions so that our self-pay bill (which, BTW costs $231/hour) would be greatly reduced.
In May we went to Iowa for a follow up appointment. Because of Ben's new job, he wasn't able to come; however, my sister S stepped up in a big way and traveled with the kids and I. Dr. Morcuende seemed very happy with X-Man's flexibility. Since our last visit, X-Man had gained about 5 degrees of flexibility in each foot. He said the main thing is to continue stretching and going to PT. Nurse Maria was on maternity leave (in February she didn't even look pregnant - lucky lady!), we missed her but still had a good visit.
Aunt S with Little Lou and X-Man
X-Man at THE Ponseti Clubfoot Clinic (we are so blessed!)In June we took a much needed vacation. Little Lou and X-Man fell in love with the ocean. Our church also had VBS which was a lot of fun. On June 1, our new insurance benefits kicked in so we went back to weekly PT visits. His therapist also gave me some information on the local University's physical therapy department. Because of his clubfoot, the students would like to study him and learn more about how to treat other children with similar conditions. I'm thinking about going, I just have to figure out childcare for Little Lou.
We've been having a pretty great summer so far. Near our home is a pretty large reservoir with many steps and a ramp right next to the steps. About once a week we go and walk up the ramp two or three times to stretch his feet. By the way, in case you were curious, there are 123 steps - in the photo below, X-Man and Ben are about halfway down (or up).
I know this post was short and sweet, I'm hoping to post more throughout the summer, but no promises! At any rate, I continue to see how incredibly blessed we are and am so thankful to have the life that I do.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
A month later...
So, obviously I am not the most consistent of people, at least in terms of blogging. X-Man had a follow up visit on February 15, so a month later, I figured I'd update you all on how the appointment went as well as other happenings.
Mini-Vacation
So, we heard that it was supposed to snow on Sunday, the 14th, and maybe a little bit on the 15th (although our local meteorologist said the snow should miss us on Monday). We decided to head out to Iowa on Saturday evening and then spend Sunday in Coralville enjoying Valentine's Day together. The drive to Iowa went well. We ate in the car and changed diapers at gas stations. Outside of gas-stops, we only stopped at one rest stop. We made it to Iowa in a little over 9 hours, which is excellent time.
The kids as usual had a lot of fun at the Ronald McDonald house. We ran around and played games. A local church made us some delicious dinner and dessert. X-Man and Little Lou played in the playroom and we checked out the new library (they got brand new furniture and it looks amazing). Ben and I stayed up for hours playing chess. Ben and I have been together for over seven years, and I never knew he played chess (quite well!).
Sunday was Valentine's day. We headed into Coralville and spent a few hours at the mall. The babies LOVED watching the ice skaters (we're going to try to get X-Man into speed skating soon). We also went to the Iowa Children's Museum.
X-Man showing Little Lou how to get to the museum
The kids loved the exibits, and it was wonderful to get out of the house and do something different as a family. I think we'll have to do this more often during our Iowa trips. We came back to the house and played and then went out five to seven games and only won two times.
The appointment
We arrived for X-Man's appointment on time. Nurse Maria saw us in the waiting room and said "Hi X-Man (only she said his real name :))!", I think it is amazing that she remembers us by name. It just goes to show how much they really do care. When we went back to the room, X-Man didn't cry or fuss at all, that is, until I tried to get him to sit on the table! He wanted to sit on my lap the whole time, and luckily they were able to examine him on my lap.
X-Man was a little shy with Dr. Morcuende. This time, he had a physical therapist from Australia with him. I just love the education and awareness that is spreading about the Ponseti method.
Dr. Morcuende said that his feet were looking pretty good. Unfortunately, X-Man has complex clubfeet, so many of the rules of bracing don't really apply to him. His magic shoes were at 40 degrees (typical clubfoot is normally set around 60 degrees). but due to some sores, they decreased the angle to 30 degrees. Luckily, we have moved down to only 16 hours of bracing each day.
Dr. M wanted to see X-Man walk. I bragged about the fact that this is the best X-Man has ever walked. He doesn't limp or hyper-extend, he walks like a little boy with normal feet.
His dorsiflexion still isn't very good. He's got seven degrees in one foot and zero in the other (on one of my earlier posts, I mistakenly noted he had 15 degrees of dorsiflexion). The stiffness is likely because of the tendon lengthening surgery he had at 18 months of age. Unfortunately, at that time, we didn't realize that this surgery was not part of the Ponseti Method. Also, because of this surgery, a second tenotomy will not be possible. Dr. M does think that Physical Therapy could help with flexibility and strengthening.
Dr. M recommended that we find a Physical Therapist in our hometown to help with flexibility and strengthening.
Coming Home
We headed home after the appointment. The drive was going very smoothly until we got about three hours outside of our hometown. Then the snow started falling. We drove for about two hours (and traveled the same distance we normally travel in an hour and a half) and stopped at my favorite pizza place. It was nice to sit and relax. There was only two other people eating in the restaurant. As we ate, we realized that the snow was accumulating at a very rapid rate. We decided to pack up and have the babies eat their pizza in the car.
The rest of the drive was traveled at no faster than 40 MPH (in a 65 MPH zone). It was very scary, the snow was so heavy that you couldn't see where the road started and the shoulder began. We prayed quite a bit and made it home in about two to three hours. We saw many cars that had wrecked and even saw some that had flipped over (including a semi-truck). I was so happy to have made it home.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We got to spend some time together as a family, had wonderful new at X-Man's appointment, and stayed safe. What could be better than that?
Mini-Vacation
So, we heard that it was supposed to snow on Sunday, the 14th, and maybe a little bit on the 15th (although our local meteorologist said the snow should miss us on Monday). We decided to head out to Iowa on Saturday evening and then spend Sunday in Coralville enjoying Valentine's Day together. The drive to Iowa went well. We ate in the car and changed diapers at gas stations. Outside of gas-stops, we only stopped at one rest stop. We made it to Iowa in a little over 9 hours, which is excellent time.
The kids as usual had a lot of fun at the Ronald McDonald house. We ran around and played games. A local church made us some delicious dinner and dessert. X-Man and Little Lou played in the playroom and we checked out the new library (they got brand new furniture and it looks amazing). Ben and I stayed up for hours playing chess. Ben and I have been together for over seven years, and I never knew he played chess (quite well!).
Sunday was Valentine's day. We headed into Coralville and spent a few hours at the mall. The babies LOVED watching the ice skaters (we're going to try to get X-Man into speed skating soon). We also went to the Iowa Children's Museum.
X-Man showing Little Lou how to get to the museum
The kids loved the exibits, and it was wonderful to get out of the house and do something different as a family. I think we'll have to do this more often during our Iowa trips. We came back to the house and played and then went out five to seven games and only won two times.
The appointment
We arrived for X-Man's appointment on time. Nurse Maria saw us in the waiting room and said "Hi X-Man (only she said his real name :))!", I think it is amazing that she remembers us by name. It just goes to show how much they really do care. When we went back to the room, X-Man didn't cry or fuss at all, that is, until I tried to get him to sit on the table! He wanted to sit on my lap the whole time, and luckily they were able to examine him on my lap.
X-Man was a little shy with Dr. Morcuende. This time, he had a physical therapist from Australia with him. I just love the education and awareness that is spreading about the Ponseti method.
Dr. Morcuende said that his feet were looking pretty good. Unfortunately, X-Man has complex clubfeet, so many of the rules of bracing don't really apply to him. His magic shoes were at 40 degrees (typical clubfoot is normally set around 60 degrees). but due to some sores, they decreased the angle to 30 degrees. Luckily, we have moved down to only 16 hours of bracing each day.
Dr. M wanted to see X-Man walk. I bragged about the fact that this is the best X-Man has ever walked. He doesn't limp or hyper-extend, he walks like a little boy with normal feet.
His dorsiflexion still isn't very good. He's got seven degrees in one foot and zero in the other (on one of my earlier posts, I mistakenly noted he had 15 degrees of dorsiflexion). The stiffness is likely because of the tendon lengthening surgery he had at 18 months of age. Unfortunately, at that time, we didn't realize that this surgery was not part of the Ponseti Method. Also, because of this surgery, a second tenotomy will not be possible. Dr. M does think that Physical Therapy could help with flexibility and strengthening.
Dr. M recommended that we find a Physical Therapist in our hometown to help with flexibility and strengthening.
Coming Home
We headed home after the appointment. The drive was going very smoothly until we got about three hours outside of our hometown. Then the snow started falling. We drove for about two hours (and traveled the same distance we normally travel in an hour and a half) and stopped at my favorite pizza place. It was nice to sit and relax. There was only two other people eating in the restaurant. As we ate, we realized that the snow was accumulating at a very rapid rate. We decided to pack up and have the babies eat their pizza in the car.
The rest of the drive was traveled at no faster than 40 MPH (in a 65 MPH zone). It was very scary, the snow was so heavy that you couldn't see where the road started and the shoulder began. We prayed quite a bit and made it home in about two to three hours. We saw many cars that had wrecked and even saw some that had flipped over (including a semi-truck). I was so happy to have made it home.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We got to spend some time together as a family, had wonderful new at X-Man's appointment, and stayed safe. What could be better than that?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Snow!
So, here in Ohio, we have tons of snow. Not as much as the East Coast, but still, quite a bit. On Friday, we had no snow on the ground, by noon on Saturday, we had 15 inches. And I welcomed all 15 inches. It's beautiful, and the kids love it.
X-Man and Little Lou all bundled up
Fast forward to Tuesday. We got 4 more inches of snow. Once again, I welcomed all 4 inches, although my welcome wasn't nearly as warm.
Fast forward to today. I see that we're supposed to either get snow showers or 2-4 inches of snow on Monday. Snow has overstayed its welcome. Enough already. Don't get me wrong, I love the way it looks. It's gorgeous. It feels magical to watch it fall all day. However, we are headed to Iowa on Saturday for a 4 week follow up appointment on Monday. The weather is supposed to be decent on Saturday and Monday from Ohio to Iowa (minus Monday's snow showers), not so nice on Sunday... This is part of the reason that we'll be headed out early. We also thought it would be nice to take Little Lou and X-Man to the museum and maybe ice skating for Valentine's Day.
I'm hoping the appointment goes well. X-Man's feet are looking better and better. His left foot has almost completely dropped, his right foot still has maybe 5 mm until it drops all the way down into his shoe. Each day, we've been doing stretches for half an hour two times a day, and I can tell that they are helping. His feet don't feel nearly as stiff as they used to. And, X-Man is walking better than ever. Tonight he was running, and I was amazed at how fast he runs now! I am a little concerned about his right foot as it just doesn't seem 100% corrected yet. Dr. M said that there was a chance he would have to have a tenotomy on the right foot... I'm hoping we won't have to do this (as it would mean driving 10+ hours with a child who just had surgery, followed by 4 weeks of casting and relearning to walk... again), but, I have peace that Dr. M knows what he's doing. We're hoping and praying that we have safe travels and that X-Man's feet continue to progress.
X-Man and Little Lou all bundled upFast forward to Tuesday. We got 4 more inches of snow. Once again, I welcomed all 4 inches, although my welcome wasn't nearly as warm.
Fast forward to today. I see that we're supposed to either get snow showers or 2-4 inches of snow on Monday. Snow has overstayed its welcome. Enough already. Don't get me wrong, I love the way it looks. It's gorgeous. It feels magical to watch it fall all day. However, we are headed to Iowa on Saturday for a 4 week follow up appointment on Monday. The weather is supposed to be decent on Saturday and Monday from Ohio to Iowa (minus Monday's snow showers), not so nice on Sunday... This is part of the reason that we'll be headed out early. We also thought it would be nice to take Little Lou and X-Man to the museum and maybe ice skating for Valentine's Day.
I'm hoping the appointment goes well. X-Man's feet are looking better and better. His left foot has almost completely dropped, his right foot still has maybe 5 mm until it drops all the way down into his shoe. Each day, we've been doing stretches for half an hour two times a day, and I can tell that they are helping. His feet don't feel nearly as stiff as they used to. And, X-Man is walking better than ever. Tonight he was running, and I was amazed at how fast he runs now! I am a little concerned about his right foot as it just doesn't seem 100% corrected yet. Dr. M said that there was a chance he would have to have a tenotomy on the right foot... I'm hoping we won't have to do this (as it would mean driving 10+ hours with a child who just had surgery, followed by 4 weeks of casting and relearning to walk... again), but, I have peace that Dr. M knows what he's doing. We're hoping and praying that we have safe travels and that X-Man's feet continue to progress.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Iowa - week 6
I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty long post - so, unless you have five or ten minutes to read my ramblings, you may want to come back later :)
This week, we were thinking about driving to Iowa. Special thanks to my sister Kris who was willing to drive out with me. Luckily, on Thursday, Ben found some tickets for a very low rate as long as we flew out on Saturday instead of our typical Sunday.
So, our flight was around 4pm which gave us time to spend with the family before leaving. This week, X-Man and I went to Iowa, and Little Lou and Ben stayed home. The flights went well - as usual, X-Man was very well behaved. From the Cedar Rapids airport, we took a shuttle, the driver was VERY nice. He took us to the RMH - it was strange to be there on a Saturday, almost everyone of the 30+ rooms were booked.
Our home away from home
Since we would be in Iowa all day on Sunday with nothing to do, we decided to head into Coralville and visit the Iowa Children's Museum (it's free for RMH residents). A couple volunteers from the house drove us over to the museum. The museum is located in Coralville mall - we were quite impressed as there is a HUGE ice rink when you walk in. The museum was very nice too - there were lots of pretend stations (a grocery store, doctor's office, ambulance, dentist office, pizza parlor, post office, bank, house, farm and barn), a motion exhibit (you can build cars and tracks and send golf balls down the tracks, there was also a rock climbing wall), a puppet kingdom, and a new flight exhibit (with an actual cesna, hot air balloon, HUGE 2+ story slide, air rockets, air guns, pretend planes, flight simulators, control tower, etc). We had a lot of fun there, and spent 2-3 hours there. We took a break and got some lunch at Panera (their new macaroni and cheese is quite impressive) and walked the mall.
After lunch, we came back to the museum and met Dr. Dobbs' sister-in-law (he's an excellent Ponseti doctor in St. Louis). One thing that I love about being in Iowa City, is that I don't get the dirty looks that I do here; people don't stare at X-Man. People recognize X-Man's casts as clubfoot-treatment. Almost everyone I've run into in Iowa has been very non-judgemental and kind. People seem genuinely interested in him and how treatment is going. It's a great place to be.
Here are a few photos from the museum:
Dr. X-Man, DDS
X-Man the pizza-maker
Buying groceries
He LOVED this walker, in fact, he tried to steal one from a child at the RMH
X-Man the medic
Huge Slide - yes, I did get to carry him up the steps too many times to count!
When we were done at the museum, we called the RMH and asked if someone would be able to pick us up. Unfortunately, there weren't enough volunteers to give us a ride, so they suggested that we call a taxi company (the free bus doesn't run on Sundays). When I called the taxi company, they said they couldn't pick us up because I didn't have a carseat for X-Man. So, I went to the information desk at the mall and explained our situation. The girl I talked to gave us a number to another taxi company. I called them and asked if they could give us a ride. Since we didn't have a carseat, the dispatcher said that it would be up to the driver. Luckily, the driver was willing to give us a ride. It was my first time ever riding in a taxi, so I didn't know what to expect. The driver was super nice - he told me that he spent a lot of time in the RMH as a child for a genetic disorder that he has. I told him all about X-Man. He took us to the RMH and said, I'm not going to charge you. I said "Please, let me at least give you a tip" - he said that he wouldn't accept any money from us. How amazing is that? He could have made at least $15 off of us, but instead did a good deed. There are still good people in this world. Please, if you ever go to Iowa City, use the Yellow Cab Company.
We got back to the house and played in the playroom and had some dinner. A local sorority made us some very yummy cheese tortellini, salad and garlic bread. The girls were so nice, we walked into the kitchen and they immediately started talking to my little guy. We also met a few other children with clubfoot (I counted four other children there!) - there was someone from Russia (this was the 4th country that she's taken her son to for treatment) and someone from Colorado. It was really neat, I met one of the ladies that belongs to the Yahoo nosurgery4clubfoot group and her daughter WW!
Playing at the RMH
The rest of the evening, we played and read books. I gave X-Man a bath and we prayed for a good appointment on Monday morning (I stayed up late reading The Shack - so far, it's really good!).
On Monday morning we ate breakfast (donated by Panera - YUM!) and walked to the hospital. Oh - did I mention, last week, they had the worst blizzard in 20+ years? There was snow all over the place, but the sidewalks were clean. The weather wasn't too bad.
X-Man did much better than normal. He still cried, but not nearly as much as usual. We sang songs and looked at books. Dr. Morcuende said his left foot is 100% corrected (take that ATTT surgery!) but his right foot is still a little stiff. He's hoping that the right foot will be corrected after this cast. They took impressions of his feet for new braces - which should be in by our next appointment on Monday. His braces will need some special inserts because of the stiffness of his feet (likely because of his second surgery).
After his new casts were applied, Maria told me that they will give us his braces free of cost (they are over $500). How amazing is that? They are so good to us. I gave her a big hug and cried a little. I really feel like God has favor on us and takes care of us. I feel so silly when I worry about these things and they're solved in ways that I never would have thought of.
We walked back to the house and ran into Susann and her daughter WW. They were on their way to get casts with Dr. M.
We cleaned our room and did our chores and had some lunch before checking out. Then our shuttle came to pick us up (BTW - if you're ever in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, please contact the Airport Shuttle Service - they give free rides to residents of the RMH). Susann and WW rode with us to the airport - it was so nice for X to have a friend with casts, and I loved talking to Susann about her experiences.
Our driver from Saturday night is also a TSA agent, we saw him and he recognized us right away. A lot of the other agents recognized us as well (one said - "I see you came with Mommy this week!") It's such a small airport, that they remember you after being there a couple times.
Our flight to Chicago went well. We had a two hour layover, so we did some Christmas shopping and ate dinner (we of course had to buy some more of their delicious popcorn!). The flight home went well, X-Man actually fell asleep.
Flight to Chicago
After our plane "taxied in", X-Man woke up and started coughing. Right as I asked him to please cover his mouth, he got sick. All over the place. He continued to get sick for the next five minutes. I think everything that was in his stomach came out. Everyone was so nice, people were grabbing bags, and giving us paper towels, someone even gave us all her baby wipes. After all the passengers left, I changed his clothes. The attendants (United Airlines) were so nice, they asked if we needed anything and patiently waited for us to get off the plane. The pilot walked us off and asked if we needed a ride. He also wished us luck in X-Man's treatment.
All in all, it was a great trip, minus the puke.
BTW - side note, if you need to get odors out of casts, make a paste of water and baking soda and apply it to the stinky parts. The baking soda will harden, but it won't smell bad!
This week, we were thinking about driving to Iowa. Special thanks to my sister Kris who was willing to drive out with me. Luckily, on Thursday, Ben found some tickets for a very low rate as long as we flew out on Saturday instead of our typical Sunday.
So, our flight was around 4pm which gave us time to spend with the family before leaving. This week, X-Man and I went to Iowa, and Little Lou and Ben stayed home. The flights went well - as usual, X-Man was very well behaved. From the Cedar Rapids airport, we took a shuttle, the driver was VERY nice. He took us to the RMH - it was strange to be there on a Saturday, almost everyone of the 30+ rooms were booked.
Our home away from home
Since we would be in Iowa all day on Sunday with nothing to do, we decided to head into Coralville and visit the Iowa Children's Museum (it's free for RMH residents). A couple volunteers from the house drove us over to the museum. The museum is located in Coralville mall - we were quite impressed as there is a HUGE ice rink when you walk in. The museum was very nice too - there were lots of pretend stations (a grocery store, doctor's office, ambulance, dentist office, pizza parlor, post office, bank, house, farm and barn), a motion exhibit (you can build cars and tracks and send golf balls down the tracks, there was also a rock climbing wall), a puppet kingdom, and a new flight exhibit (with an actual cesna, hot air balloon, HUGE 2+ story slide, air rockets, air guns, pretend planes, flight simulators, control tower, etc). We had a lot of fun there, and spent 2-3 hours there. We took a break and got some lunch at Panera (their new macaroni and cheese is quite impressive) and walked the mall.
After lunch, we came back to the museum and met Dr. Dobbs' sister-in-law (he's an excellent Ponseti doctor in St. Louis). One thing that I love about being in Iowa City, is that I don't get the dirty looks that I do here; people don't stare at X-Man. People recognize X-Man's casts as clubfoot-treatment. Almost everyone I've run into in Iowa has been very non-judgemental and kind. People seem genuinely interested in him and how treatment is going. It's a great place to be.
Here are a few photos from the museum:
Dr. X-Man, DDS
X-Man the pizza-maker
Buying groceries
He LOVED this walker, in fact, he tried to steal one from a child at the RMH
X-Man the medic
Huge Slide - yes, I did get to carry him up the steps too many times to count!
When we were done at the museum, we called the RMH and asked if someone would be able to pick us up. Unfortunately, there weren't enough volunteers to give us a ride, so they suggested that we call a taxi company (the free bus doesn't run on Sundays). When I called the taxi company, they said they couldn't pick us up because I didn't have a carseat for X-Man. So, I went to the information desk at the mall and explained our situation. The girl I talked to gave us a number to another taxi company. I called them and asked if they could give us a ride. Since we didn't have a carseat, the dispatcher said that it would be up to the driver. Luckily, the driver was willing to give us a ride. It was my first time ever riding in a taxi, so I didn't know what to expect. The driver was super nice - he told me that he spent a lot of time in the RMH as a child for a genetic disorder that he has. I told him all about X-Man. He took us to the RMH and said, I'm not going to charge you. I said "Please, let me at least give you a tip" - he said that he wouldn't accept any money from us. How amazing is that? He could have made at least $15 off of us, but instead did a good deed. There are still good people in this world. Please, if you ever go to Iowa City, use the Yellow Cab Company.
We got back to the house and played in the playroom and had some dinner. A local sorority made us some very yummy cheese tortellini, salad and garlic bread. The girls were so nice, we walked into the kitchen and they immediately started talking to my little guy. We also met a few other children with clubfoot (I counted four other children there!) - there was someone from Russia (this was the 4th country that she's taken her son to for treatment) and someone from Colorado. It was really neat, I met one of the ladies that belongs to the Yahoo nosurgery4clubfoot group and her daughter WW!
Playing at the RMH
The rest of the evening, we played and read books. I gave X-Man a bath and we prayed for a good appointment on Monday morning (I stayed up late reading The Shack - so far, it's really good!).
On Monday morning we ate breakfast (donated by Panera - YUM!) and walked to the hospital. Oh - did I mention, last week, they had the worst blizzard in 20+ years? There was snow all over the place, but the sidewalks were clean. The weather wasn't too bad.
X-Man did much better than normal. He still cried, but not nearly as much as usual. We sang songs and looked at books. Dr. Morcuende said his left foot is 100% corrected (take that ATTT surgery!) but his right foot is still a little stiff. He's hoping that the right foot will be corrected after this cast. They took impressions of his feet for new braces - which should be in by our next appointment on Monday. His braces will need some special inserts because of the stiffness of his feet (likely because of his second surgery).
After his new casts were applied, Maria told me that they will give us his braces free of cost (they are over $500). How amazing is that? They are so good to us. I gave her a big hug and cried a little. I really feel like God has favor on us and takes care of us. I feel so silly when I worry about these things and they're solved in ways that I never would have thought of.
We walked back to the house and ran into Susann and her daughter WW. They were on their way to get casts with Dr. M.
We cleaned our room and did our chores and had some lunch before checking out. Then our shuttle came to pick us up (BTW - if you're ever in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, please contact the Airport Shuttle Service - they give free rides to residents of the RMH). Susann and WW rode with us to the airport - it was so nice for X to have a friend with casts, and I loved talking to Susann about her experiences.
Our driver from Saturday night is also a TSA agent, we saw him and he recognized us right away. A lot of the other agents recognized us as well (one said - "I see you came with Mommy this week!") It's such a small airport, that they remember you after being there a couple times.
Our flight to Chicago went well. We had a two hour layover, so we did some Christmas shopping and ate dinner (we of course had to buy some more of their delicious popcorn!). The flight home went well, X-Man actually fell asleep.
Flight to Chicago
After our plane "taxied in", X-Man woke up and started coughing. Right as I asked him to please cover his mouth, he got sick. All over the place. He continued to get sick for the next five minutes. I think everything that was in his stomach came out. Everyone was so nice, people were grabbing bags, and giving us paper towels, someone even gave us all her baby wipes. After all the passengers left, I changed his clothes. The attendants (United Airlines) were so nice, they asked if we needed anything and patiently waited for us to get off the plane. The pilot walked us off and asked if we needed a ride. He also wished us luck in X-Man's treatment.
All in all, it was a great trip, minus the puke.
BTW - side note, if you need to get odors out of casts, make a paste of water and baking soda and apply it to the stinky parts. The baking soda will harden, but it won't smell bad!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Delays
So, today Little Lou and I dropped X-Man off at the Airport around 10:45; their flight was supposed to leave at 12:30. Ben calls me at 1:30, the plane is still on the ground. Apparently, there was some sort of mechanical malfunction (thank God they noticed this on the ground!) so they had to wait for a mechanic to work on the plane.
At around 2, the mechanic shows up, then they find out that something else is wrong with the plane, so they have to wait. Finally around 2:45 or 3, they let everyone off the plane because there is something else wrong with the plane. They re-board and finally leave at 4:00pm. I can just imagine how crazy that must've been to have a two year old on a plane for over two hours, not going anywhere.
Now, here's the good news. Their connecting flight in MN was supposed to leave at 3:45. Luckily, this flight was delayed until 7pm, so they were able to catch their flight (totally a God-thing). Then, Ben called the RMH to tell them what was going on (I talked to them earlier in the day and was told that they wouldn't be able to stay there tonight because they would be arriving after check in hours; they did find some hotel accommodations for a reasonable rate) one of the employees volunteered to stay late to check Ben and X-Man in.
Without a doubt, the people at the RMH are amazing. Because of this employee, we saved so much money. The shuttle company from the airport charges $70 round-trip; however, as a RMH resident, we get a free ride each trip (we just have to tip the driver) also, volunteers bring dinner to the RMH most Sundays (so if they stayed in a hotel, they would have needed to purchase dinner) Panera brings breakfast on Monday morning (so they would have had to buy breakfast too). How amazing. I am so thankful for the Ronald McDonald House. They really are amazing.
Ben had a rough day today, but he said X-Man was a trooper. I am so proud of my little guy; I can't wait to see him tomorrow! He said he's going to get one green cast and one red cast, what a spirited little guy! This may be his last week of casts if everything is still progressing. Looking back, it's hard to believe how quickly the past couple months have gone by. I'm so thankful for this chapter in our lives; it has made us stronger as a family and has made us re-evaluate our values. Thank you God.
At around 2, the mechanic shows up, then they find out that something else is wrong with the plane, so they have to wait. Finally around 2:45 or 3, they let everyone off the plane because there is something else wrong with the plane. They re-board and finally leave at 4:00pm. I can just imagine how crazy that must've been to have a two year old on a plane for over two hours, not going anywhere.
Now, here's the good news. Their connecting flight in MN was supposed to leave at 3:45. Luckily, this flight was delayed until 7pm, so they were able to catch their flight (totally a God-thing). Then, Ben called the RMH to tell them what was going on (I talked to them earlier in the day and was told that they wouldn't be able to stay there tonight because they would be arriving after check in hours; they did find some hotel accommodations for a reasonable rate) one of the employees volunteered to stay late to check Ben and X-Man in.
Without a doubt, the people at the RMH are amazing. Because of this employee, we saved so much money. The shuttle company from the airport charges $70 round-trip; however, as a RMH resident, we get a free ride each trip (we just have to tip the driver) also, volunteers bring dinner to the RMH most Sundays (so if they stayed in a hotel, they would have needed to purchase dinner) Panera brings breakfast on Monday morning (so they would have had to buy breakfast too). How amazing. I am so thankful for the Ronald McDonald House. They really are amazing.
Ben had a rough day today, but he said X-Man was a trooper. I am so proud of my little guy; I can't wait to see him tomorrow! He said he's going to get one green cast and one red cast, what a spirited little guy! This may be his last week of casts if everything is still progressing. Looking back, it's hard to believe how quickly the past couple months have gone by. I'm so thankful for this chapter in our lives; it has made us stronger as a family and has made us re-evaluate our values. Thank you God.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Iowa week four recap
Week 4 = yellow castsSo, last Sunday and Monday, X-Man and I were in Iowa. I've been meaning to update you all but have been so busy. Here's a recap:
Sunday morning Ben and Little Lou dropped X-Man and I off at the airport. We got there about two hours before our flight took off. When we arrived, TSA had us wait in a glass box so that they could test X-Man's casts for explosives, drugs, whatever. They wanted him to sit in a seat by himself, but he completely lost it. One of the TSA agents said I could hold him in my lap - so I chose to listen to him. They were very nice, I'm glad that they do all that testing even if it is a little inconvenient. After all the security stuff we had about an hour and a half to wait for our plane. We treated ourselves to some Starbucks and watched planes.
Our first plane
X-Man loved looking at books during our flightsOur first flight was to Chicago O'Hare. I cannot believe how big that place is, seriously, I think it's bigger than my hometown. HUGE. We had a three hour layover. We got some popcorn and ate lunch (Ben packed our lunches for us). Then, we spent about an hour watching planes and reading books (one of the families at our church gave us boxes of books last week, so those were life-savers!). Unfortunately, the layover was during his normal naptime so he was very restless. We walked up and down our terminal for a half hour or so to burn energy. People stared - it still bothers me. Some people asked "what happened?!", that used to bother me a lot, but now I see it as an educational opportunity.
Watching planes in ChicagoOur second flight was to Cedar Rapids; when we arrived, we took a shuttle to the Ronald McDonald House. Our driver was nice.
We played for a while at the RMH and then ordered dinner. I didn't meet anyone new this week, there didn't seem to be a lot of people in the house. We spent a lot of time in their extensive library reading books, so maybe we were to sequestered to meet new people.
On Monday morning, we walked to the hospital. It was pretty cold, but the hospital is only maybe a half mile away so it wasn't too bad. Once we arrived, we played for a few minutes in the waiting room (it will be a miracle if we don't end up with H1N1 by the time we're done with all his visits!) and then went back to the cast room. He immediately started crying and saying that he wanted to keep his purple casts. We sang to him and talked to him - he still cried. Once they were done taking off his casts, he was fine. The skin under his casts was so dry - he scratched his legs and they began bleeding. Poor guy, we need to remember to bring his eczema cream next time.
Next they took us back to the examination room. We read books and he continued to scratch his legs. As soon as Dr. Morcuende and his team entered the room, he began crying again, so they left for a few minutes. When it was time to get new casts, X-Man was very upset. We tried toys, books, bubbles, etc. Finally, we discovered that the alphabet song kept him from crying so we sang that twenty times. One of Dr. M's med students/residents is from China and one is from Japan, nurse Maria jokes that the residents could learn their ABC's in English from X-Man.
Dr. M said that he thinks only one more round of casting should be necessary, maybe two on his right foot (YAY!). It's so nice to have an end in sight. I'm so glad that we were able to avoid surgery.
After our appointment, we watched the self-playing piano in the lobby and then headed back to the RMH to play and get our daily chores done.
The shuttle service took us to the airport and we headed home. X-Man did very well on all four flights (two each day). He loved singing and looking at books.
Waiting for the shuttle at the RMHAll in all, we had a great visit - better news than I imagined. I feel so blessed; just all that is going on makes me so thankful.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Iowa - Week 3
Yesterday Little Lou and I dropped X-Man and Ben off at the airport for week three. I was a little worried for Ben because when I got X out of the car and into the stroller, he (X) informed me that he would like to ride a school bus (there was a church bus in the parking area) before he rode the plane. I told him that he needed to ride the plane first.
According to Ben, X-Man did not like security. They let him stay in his stroller, but patted him down (I'm glad to hear that he didn't like some strange man patting him down!). They found out they went to the wrong terminal, so they had to go back through security. This time Ben had to carry him through, but luckily, X-Man wasn't patted down this time. He did well waiting to get on the plane. Ben said they watched planes and talked about which plane they were going to ride.
Their first plane flew them into Chicago, O'Hare. At first, X-Man was whining, most-likely due to his ears popping, Ben gave him some lollipops and that seemed to solve the issue. He apparently was singing Sunday school songs at the top of his (how cute is that?!) and looking at his books.
Ben and X-Man
Looking at books and eating snacks - what a life!
When they arrived in O'Hare, they had a two hour layover, so they had PB&J sandwiches that Ben had packed. The flight attendant gave him some free trail mix, which kept him busy during the whole flight on the way to Cedar Rapids.
X-Man enjoying snacks - doesn't he look like such a big boy?
They arrived in Cedar Rapids around 3:30 CT and were taken to the RMH by a shuttle service.
As usual, X-Man had tons of fun at the house. Since the weather was nice, they got to spend some time outside in the "red car" (cozy coupe). Because of his casts, he couldn't move on his own, but he enjoyed being pushed around by Ben. Some students from University of Iowa prepared dinner for the whole house. After dinner, they spent some time in the playroom.
After a long night (X-Man protested bedtime) Ben and X-Man walked over to the hospital for an 8:00 appointment. X-Man enjoyed playing in the waiting room but started crying as soon as they took him to the casting room. He cried when they cut his casts off. Then, when they went into the examination room, he cried as soon as they put him on the exam table. And, he cried the whole time. He decided that he wanted purple casts this time (yesterday, when I dropped them off at the airport, he wanted blue and yellow - I wonder if Ben talked him out of the Michigan colors). Dr. Morcuende said that he could see some improvement this week, but that X-Man would likely need 3-4 more casts. I am just so thankful that we're going to avoid a major surgery - I don't care how many more times we have to go, as long as we're doing everything we can for him.
University of Iowa Medical Center
After his appointment, they headed back to the RMH for lunch and met another family of a child with clubfoot; they traveled from Colorado to see Dr. M.
Another shuttle took them back to the airport. X-Man did very well on both flights today (hopefully this means there won't be any issues when I travel with him in two weeks!). I was so excited to see the two of them (so was Little Lou). Unfortunately, X-Man was disappointed that we were going home - he wanted to go back to the Ronald McDonald House!
Twins?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Iowa - Week 2
This week's trip went pretty well. The kids behaved much better in the car than last week, so that was a huge relief! The weather was beautiful for the most part (there were a few showers here and there). We decided to do a progressive lunch in the car and that seemed to work really well; plus, we arrived at the RMH by 3:15 central - meaning our travel time, including diaper changes, gas station trips, and rest breaks was less than nine hours. Not too shabby!
When we arrived at RMH we unpacked and headed straight to the playroom. We got to see little guy's dad (little guy's name is Lee). He was saying that Lee was getting a tenotomy on Monday and then they were headed home (it's a 19 hour drive for them!).
We went out to eat then came back and played in the playroom for a while longer. X-Man just loves playing with Lee. I think it's neat for him to see another child in casts. I also met a couple from Iowa who were staying in the house because their baby (who was born 3 weeks ago at 26 weeks gestation) was in the NICU. They were a really nice couple and were told they would have to stay until January. I'm looking forward to hearing more about their baby in a couple weeks when we head back. They also took some time to show me around the kitchens (last week we stayed in a suite with our own kitchen, so I didn't know where anything was!).
On Monday morning, we went to University of Iowa for X-Man's appointment. We saw Lee and his dad at the check in desk. When Lee saw us, he got really excited and started yelling for his dad to look over. I'm going to miss them the next time we go to the house and they aren't there.
We also met a family with an older child who was there for his annual checkup. In the cast room, we met a preteen who was getting new casts for his clubfeet too. I think X-Man liked him.
Since we got a plaster cast with fiberglass on top last week, X-Man had to have his casts cut off with a saw. He was so scared. The saw is super loud, and the plaster was flying everywhere. After a few minutes (and Daddy blowing bubbles), I think X realized that the saw wouldn't hurt him and he started to calm down. They gave me rags and soap to clean his feet and legs - I missed seeing his legs last week!
We spent some more time in the waiting room and X played with some older children. The one child wore a back brace, but he was so proud of his back brace. I hope X has this attitude as he gets older.
After being taken to the examination room, Dr. Morcuende and his med students came in. He said there wasn't a lot of improvement since our last visit, but that this is typical. He said that by week three or four, there's normally some noticeable improvement. They also took Ben, X-Man, and my DNA to study more about clubfoot; they're hoping to locate the gene that causes clubfoot so that they can maybe prevent it in the future.
X-Man was a mess from the time we entered the room. He didn't want to lay on the bed and he didn't want new casts. He cried the entire time; not because he was in pain, just because he didn't want to be there. It was tough. When they asked him which color casts he would like, he just said "no!". Luckily, he already picked out his colors in the cast room. He decided on one orange and one black (as you can see). Unfortunately, he wouldn't let me take his picture without making a sour face!
After his appointment, we headed home. I think we arrived home around 10 pm. It was a long day.
Today we drew on his casts with black and silver markers - he loved that. We also booked two flights for his next two appointments - we were able to find really great rates.
His next appointment is November 9. Ben and X will be flying out together, I think it'll be a nice experience for them; I'm just sad that I won't be with him the first time he rides in a plane.
The past few weeks, people have been so kind and generous to us, and we are so thankful for that. We are so incredibly blessed.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Appointment number one
I thought I'd start off with a photo of Little Lou playing with measuring cups in our room (it has nothing to do with anything, but I thought it was cute!).
Today's appointment went pretty well. The hospital is maybe the biggest one I've ever seen - it really was amazing. I got a little emotional when it really sank in that we were at THE Ponseti Clinic.
Joyce, Dr. Ponseti's nurse walked us back to the room. She also told me that Dr. Ponseti passed away yesterday (he had a major stroke that left him comatose on Thursday). It was so sad to hear; although I didn't get a chance to meet him, his work has made X-Man's life so much easier than it would've been years ago. We also got to meet nurse Maria - she is just as nice in person as on the phone.
Then, we got to meet Dr. Morcuende. He was so nice. Both Ben and I felt completely comfortable talking to him. You could tell that he really believes in the method and took the time to explain why just having surgery won't get us good results. And, although the Ponseti Fund will be covering our health care bills, he said he would like to work with us to fight the insurance company - not necessarily to get them to cover our bills, but to make sure that other parents don't have to go through the same thing. He also had two or three doctors with him - he was teaching them the method. It was great to see that the method is spreading (one was actually visiting from Japan!).
After we talked more about X-Man's treatment, they started casting him. At first he did really well. I could tell he was uncomfortable with the stretching because he kept holding his breath. Towards the end of the first cast, he started tearing up and was crying uncontrollably by the end. It's so hard to see him uncomfortable, but, we're avoiding an unnecessary surgery, so it's totally worth it.
Our next appointment is next Monday. I feel so blessed that X-Man has been given such an amazing opportunity to be treated by such an amazing medical team.
X-Man chose green casts for week one
Today's appointment went pretty well. The hospital is maybe the biggest one I've ever seen - it really was amazing. I got a little emotional when it really sank in that we were at THE Ponseti Clinic.
X-Man under the sign of THE Ponseti Clinic - also, he's holding a new friend that he got from the RMH
Joyce, Dr. Ponseti's nurse walked us back to the room. She also told me that Dr. Ponseti passed away yesterday (he had a major stroke that left him comatose on Thursday). It was so sad to hear; although I didn't get a chance to meet him, his work has made X-Man's life so much easier than it would've been years ago. We also got to meet nurse Maria - she is just as nice in person as on the phone.
Then, we got to meet Dr. Morcuende. He was so nice. Both Ben and I felt completely comfortable talking to him. You could tell that he really believes in the method and took the time to explain why just having surgery won't get us good results. And, although the Ponseti Fund will be covering our health care bills, he said he would like to work with us to fight the insurance company - not necessarily to get them to cover our bills, but to make sure that other parents don't have to go through the same thing. He also had two or three doctors with him - he was teaching them the method. It was great to see that the method is spreading (one was actually visiting from Japan!).
After we talked more about X-Man's treatment, they started casting him. At first he did really well. I could tell he was uncomfortable with the stretching because he kept holding his breath. Towards the end of the first cast, he started tearing up and was crying uncontrollably by the end. It's so hard to see him uncomfortable, but, we're avoiding an unnecessary surgery, so it's totally worth it.
Our next appointment is next Monday. I feel so blessed that X-Man has been given such an amazing opportunity to be treated by such an amazing medical team.
X-Man chose green casts for week one
Sunday, October 18, 2009
We're here!
We have arrived in Iowa. Luckily, today was a beautiful day, perfect for traveling! We had quite a few meltdowns on the ride here, but had lunch at a rest stop with a playground; that was perfect for X-Man.
Our picnic lunch
We checked in at the RMH around 3:30 central time and were given a wonderful room with way more than we ever would've expected. The house itself is amazing, 25,000 square feet with a children's library (Ben is reading to X-Man as we speak), game room, play room, playground, four kitchens (plus, we have one in our room), a music room, basketball court, and so much more. Everyone has been very friendly.
X-Man's favorite toy on the playground
Little Lou had fun walking around the playground
After checking in, we set up the playpens (thanks Mom and Dad for letting us borrow one!) and then took the kids out to play on the playground (it was 60 degrees here!). Then, we went out to dinner and came back to the house to play in the playroom. We met another child and his dad who have been seeing Dr. M. In the past few years, I've only met two other people who had children with clubfoot, so it was very encouraging to talk to him and talk about all the progress his son has made. X-Man also seemed very interested in the little guy's casts, and started talking about how he wants to get white casts like the little guy
Having fun in the playroom
I'll write more once we get home. We appreciate everyone's continued prayers and will keep you posted.
Our picnic lunch
We checked in at the RMH around 3:30 central time and were given a wonderful room with way more than we ever would've expected. The house itself is amazing, 25,000 square feet with a children's library (Ben is reading to X-Man as we speak), game room, play room, playground, four kitchens (plus, we have one in our room), a music room, basketball court, and so much more. Everyone has been very friendly.
X-Man's favorite toy on the playground
Little Lou had fun walking around the playground
After checking in, we set up the playpens (thanks Mom and Dad for letting us borrow one!) and then took the kids out to play on the playground (it was 60 degrees here!). Then, we went out to dinner and came back to the house to play in the playroom. We met another child and his dad who have been seeing Dr. M. In the past few years, I've only met two other people who had children with clubfoot, so it was very encouraging to talk to him and talk about all the progress his son has made. X-Man also seemed very interested in the little guy's casts, and started talking about how he wants to get white casts like the little guy
Having fun in the playroom
I'll write more once we get home. We appreciate everyone's continued prayers and will keep you posted.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Blessings
There hasn't been any new news about out upcoming trips. Today I have to call University of Iowa to verify their rules about visitors - OSU no longer allows any children to visit due to H1N1, so I guess I should make sure that Little Lou is allowed to tag along. If not, I guess she can hang out with Daddy at the RMH. I guess I should also call the RMH to find out if we have to check in by a certain time and what we need to bring. I feel like I've spent all of this week on the phone.
I wanted to share how amazing our family and friends are. This week, I have received multiple calls from people offering money, snacks, and childcare. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such selfless people in my life. I feel even more blessed to have God on my side. This week, I have felt his presence like never before.
I am in a way, thankful that X-Man's feet have relapsed. I of course, don't want to him to have to go through this. I know how difficult it is going to be for him to not be able to walk for a couple of months, and I wish his feet were already corrected. But, just seeing how much people care, and knowing that X-Man is finally getting the best possible treatment is just amazing. I feel so thankful to have the life that I do.
I wanted to share how amazing our family and friends are. This week, I have received multiple calls from people offering money, snacks, and childcare. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such selfless people in my life. I feel even more blessed to have God on my side. This week, I have felt his presence like never before.
I am in a way, thankful that X-Man's feet have relapsed. I of course, don't want to him to have to go through this. I know how difficult it is going to be for him to not be able to walk for a couple of months, and I wish his feet were already corrected. But, just seeing how much people care, and knowing that X-Man is finally getting the best possible treatment is just amazing. I feel so thankful to have the life that I do.
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