Back to Philadelphia

Joshua has had a really rough first week with his casts.

He was just miserable.  

Whining, crying, not eating, sleeping in 20-30 minute intervals with no naps.

I thought he was going to fall asleep sitting in his high chair yesterday he was so tired.

And so were we!  Reminded me of the newborn baby days!

He kept complaining about his left toe and after talking with the nurse who helped cast him, we decided heading back today was the best option.  He just shouldn't have been quite that miserable.

Possibly unhappy and uncomfortable?  Yes.  But, not to that extent.

So, back up I-95 we went.  Mercifully, the Tylenol with Codeine helped him sleep longer stretches last night and so Kevin and I were able to stay awake for the drive!

Don't you love how when you take a child to the doctor they instantly act like nothing is wrong?  Yeah, he had that going on.

However, after removing the casts...

...with the nifty saw, which Joshua kept telling me was loud...

and a bit ticklish...

(...until we hit the uncomfortable toe area!)

We saw first-hand the source of all the discomfort...

Apparently, the cast had been putting too much pressure in that area.  The picture really doesn't due the degree of redness and raw skin justice.  

Seeing that validated the drive up there.

He had a little break from the casts, during which he laid on his back and kept his knees in the bent position!  We kept trying to get him to straighten his legs, but he was having none of it!  Finally, while playing with a toy he straightened out.

Wish we'd gotten a picture of that!

Then it was time to recast with slightly different pressure points and more padding in the toe area.

He chose orange this time around.  

Green just left a bad taste in our mouths!

We were all so surprised at how cooperative he was...again...to get his casts on.  I thought he would lose it when he saw them coming with the plaster again, but he just laid back and let them do what they wanted!

Just love this picture with the nurse!  She's the one I talked with on the phone to see if what he was experiencing was normal.  She quickly worked us in today.

Can you tell Joshua was thankful?

Now we have...as Grandpa called them...pumpkin legs.  Just in time for Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Scones...aaahhh.  

I digress...

Mama and her littlest boy...smiling again.

Boy, did we miss his smile this last week!

The sure sign that he was feeling better was his power naps almost all of the way home.  In his sunglasses.  For some reason he wanted to wear them all the way home...in the dark.  

Guess he's catching up on all of the sleep he missed this week.

Now, if only Kevin and I can!

In Him,

Bountiful Birthdays {Aaron}

It's official.

My firstborn turned twenty on October 20th.  20! The big two-oh.

He's moved into the all-I-want-is-money phase of birthdays.

A month after I turned 20, I got married.

A month after he turns 20, he'll be in boot camp.

It's really too much for this emotional mama to handle after the Navy post...so let's just talk about cake...and brothers.

The cake...mercifully not another Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.  As much as I love them, we needed a break.

Aaron requested an ice cream cake.

Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard Cake here we come!

Joshua trying to get some of Aaron's piece.  Little sneaker!

Threatening to lick his hand if he didn't get a taste!

Innocent as can be now that he has his own piece.

Just love this picture of the brothers.  

Might have to frame this one...

In Him,

 

First Trip to Shriners...First Casting

Today Joshua had his first visit with Shriners in Philadelphia.

Kevin, Joshua & I left yesterday afternoon in order to be there for his appointments beginning at 8:30am.  Thankfully, I had been prepped by other bloggers that this would be an almost all-day affair.

They do as much as they can in one day, knowing the distance many people have to travel.

Joshua was born with Arthrogryposis which affects all 4 of his limbs, so he got to see both the upper and lower limb doctors today.

Dr. van Bosse (lower limbs doctor) had helped us a great deal when we were reviewing Joshua's file, and now 8 months later Joshua sat in his exam room!  What a blessing! 

We saw the upper limbs doctor first, who had a wonderful bedside manner.  He was very good with Joshua and encouraging about how well he is presently doing.  He was very understanding of Joshua's need for time to bond with us and encouraged us that the best OT right now is loving on and playing with him since he's doing so well!  And more good news...no more hand braces for now!  Not that he was leaving those on anyway...

One of the most refreshing things for me personally was to hear and learn that there was no new information, so to speak.  What we had researched and observed about Joshua and presumed would be the course of action all turned out to be exactly what occurred.  

And that course of action began today!

Dr. van Bosse began serial casting of Joshua's bi-lateral club feet right then and there! 

They put some soft gauze wrap on before the plaster.

And then they began wrapping...

I did my best to keep Joshua's hands out of the way, which really wasn't hard.  He found it all quite interesting.

He was such a good little patient and only wiggled a teeny bit!

See the angle of the foot in the picture above?

The feet will be casted bit by bit further and further out to stretch the muscles until his foot is pointing almost unnaturally in the pointed out direction.  How's that for technical jargon?

They won't stay that way permanently...it's just for stretching purposes. 

Still smiling!

Now on to leg #2...

If we lived closer, Joshua's casts would be changed every week!

Since we don't...we have 2 options.

1) Come every other week for new casts

2) Stay at the Ronald McDonald House and follow an accelerated schedule of new casts twice a week.

(Dr. van Bosse and his resident hard at work.)

At this point, we will begin with option 1...every other week trips to Philly and see how his feet respond and how Joshua handles being in casts.  If it becomes clear that he will be in casts longer than we feel is ideal I will seriously consider option 2.

Joshua chose to go with green for his casts.  His sisters ooh-ed and ahh-ed over them when we got home!

By the time we were done, I think Joshua was starting to wonder about these new 'boots.'

We were forewarned that the first day in casts can be difficult due to the muscle soreness, but that he should come around in a day or two.

Poor boy was just miserable on the way home.  He just could not get comfortable and was sooo tired, but couldn't sleep.  We tried every manner of propping his legs up.  Motrin, Blue & Curious George helped for a little while, but we're hoping that a good night's sleep and the chaos of home will be the best distractions of all.

Pray for our boy...he's such a sweet, tough trooper.

In Him,

Orphan Sunday

Today is Orphan Sunday.

Not just in our local church body, but across the country.

It is a day to educate, encourage and exhort the Body of Christ to fulfill God's mandate to care for the orphan.

All 140 some MILLION of them.

That is a number that not only boggles my mind, but breaks my heart.

And my prayer is that it will break the hearts of others.  Those who heard my husband speak this morning about how we as believers can serve orphans.  Those who sat in different churches across the country hearing the same message.  Those who sit reading their screen learning of the immense need.

We can easily see the need, the number...and think it is impossible to do anything of significance.

Tell that to this one...

and this one...

and this one...

and to the two Ethiopian beauties who came home today.

As my husband shared with our body...we are each called by God to do something.

Adopt.

Foster.

Sponsor an orphan.

Give to an adopting family.

Support them when they get home.

Pray.

So often prayer is tagged on as an 'if you can do nothing else...pray' kind of message.

Well, I have to tell you that prayer is everything.

I found out just a few weeks ago how significantly God was moving in response to an Australian woman's prayers.  I've never met her, but she held my son before I did.  And, as she held him, she prayed and wept over him asking the Lord to bring him his family.

At that exact time we were holding Joshua's file...praying for the Lord to show us if he was our son.


The answer was YES!!

I know that the her prayers made a difference in my son's life.  My son...an orphan no more.  Because of prayer.

So will you commit to pray? 

Will you pray for the boys who were my sons foster brothers for several months?

Joshua...

Daniel...

Charlie....

Caleb....

David...

Isaiah...

Joel...

Will you pray for the children at New Hope Foundation where Luke and Joshua spent so many months and received loving care?

Will you pray?

And, then obey where He leads.

It will change the life of at least one.

In Him,

Bountiful Birthdays {Lily}

October is the month of bountiful birthdays in our family.

There are not one, or two...or even three birthdays for us in October, but....four!!

That's right!  4!

Lily's birthday comes first on the 7th.

And, although, I am almost a month behind in posting the events of that day, our little Lilybug is indeed getting older...not much bigger!  But older, indeed.

She may be tiny, but she is crazy smart and talks like a 5 year old.

Oh, and she's unveiled a sense of humor recently.  Just tonight she walked up to Kevin and said, "Hi, Mr. Daddy!"  And, then, chuckled to herself and said, "I called you Mr. Daddy.  That's funny!"

She is beyond adorable and instantly lovable.  

We are totally blessed and smitten with her.

Each. And. Every. One. of. Us.

Even Joshua...I frequently overhear them talking and he'll be saying "I love you, Nini"  That's what he calls her...Nini.  

At naptime he puckers up his little lips and gives her a big wet one.

Be still my heart.

Yes, that's how much everyone who meets her loves her.

She's even more irresistible than her cookie cake!

Happy 3rd Birthday, my sweet baby girl!

In Him,