Updates

It's time for a few basic updates about the family.

Ethan - He's two.  He likes to do thing "by myself" and doesn't always like to be told what to do.  He's trying to figure out how he is going to throw tantrums; it's hard not to laugh as he tries out different ways.  But we do our best to keep a straight face as he is experimenting.

At the end of last week and over the weekend, this little guy was pretty cranky and slept a ton.  Then on Monday around lunchtime something seemed to click and he was happy-go-lucky again, and didn't think he needed to take a nap that particular day.  After some resting time in his crib, I got him up and he ran circles around the house for awhile.

Until Monday afternoon/evening, we had forgotten that as a baby Ethan seemed to go through a few really crabby days just before some kind of big brain milestone.  I'm not exactly sure what his milestone was this time around, but since Monday he seems to be much more interesting in playing pretend on his own, where he gets lost in some story he has created.  (Kind of like Kate does.)  Whatever the reason for his crankiness was, I'm glad he's past it and has returned to his sweet and lovable self :)

In addition, Ethan is getting more and more comfortable with Anna's therapy location.  He knows where the fun toys are, likes to play in the different sensory rooms, and enjoys it when I have the opportunity to play pretend with him while Anna is working with a therapist.

Kate - We had our second parent-teacher conference with her kindergarten teacher on Monday and Kate is doing very well in school.  She is achieving mastery with math concepts because, in her words, "I have a sister who is two years older than me who can teach me these kinds of things."  She is the kind of learner who is thriving with the district's new writer's workshop curriculum.  In fact, I'm going to enlist Kate's help this summer by having her teach me and Anna about writer's workshop so that we can have Anna start working on her own writing skills.  Kate's excited about the opportunity :)

Here is her self-portrait that Kate completed recently at school.  I'm not sure what happened to her pinky, but I think she is sticking her tongue out to catch snowflakes :)

Kate is well-liked by her peers (and, honestly, who wouldn't like Kate?) and seems to be more and more confident and comfortable with herself in the school setting.  Compared to last spring and last fall, Kate has come a long, long way in this regard.  She hasn't cried at drop-off in ages and cries infrequently during the school day now.

In addition to her simply growing up some, we think her increased self-confidence is directly related to the increased stability of her home life.  She no longer has to worry about who might be picking her up after school, whether or not Mom and Anna are at home or at the hospital, or who might be with her on any given day.  She knows what to expect at home now, for the most part.

One of the best bits of information from Kate's teacher, however, was in regards to how much Kate talks about her family, especially Anna, at school.  Similar to when Anna was in kindergarten, Kate's love of her family shows.

Anna - She's plugging along.  We think she is finally reaching the end stages of her cold, which is a good thing.  The coughs, sneezes, and general increased goop in her nose and throat were pretty gross, for all of us.

She's sleeping in a little bit more than she was last week, possibly thanks to her starting to take melatonin at bedtime, but 5 a.m. still seems early for a kid in her circumstances.  We're hoping that the time change this weekend might help reset her body's internal clock.

This past weekend, Anna brought home her class's sketch book.  Below is what she created, completely independently.  We know this isn't the best in comparison to other 2nd graders, but in comparison to what Anna could do last summer, this is simply awesome :)

The new therapy schedule seems to be working out well.  Anna is definitely more tired after these 1.5 hour sessions than she was after her home therapies, but the car ride over to school seems to give her enough time to rest up a bit before her school day begins.  In comparison to where Anna was even a couple of months ago, she is making great progress.

Last Thursday afternoon I had to pick the girls up from school early because Anna had an appointment at the hospital to have her blood drawn and her labs checked.  Her blood counts are still on the rise (hooray!) and her blood chemistries look fine.  Her thyroid level was still a little low, so her dosage for that medication was adjusted.

This was the first time I had all three kids with me for an appointment at the hospital.  I was a little nervous, but came prepared with snacks, an ipad for music, and some bubbles.  Turns out we didn't need any of those items :)  We got to pick our exam room and chose the one with the firetruck exam table.  The kids had a great time.

Since the appointment was only for a blood draw, we were out of the clinic in enough time to visit the nurses on P4.  Anna was very proud to show off her standing and supported walking skills.  Anna's two primary nurses were both working, in addition to several people with whom we worked often.  They were all very, very happy to see Anna doing so well.

We even had enough time to play down on the first floor, too!  Ethan and Kate used to love running around and around the loop down there last winter/spring.  This time Anna had the opportunity to play with them.

All in all, it was probably one of the best trips to the hospital that we have had.  It's funny to think of "good" trips to the hospital in light of all of the not-so-good ones.

Matt and me - We're getting anxious for warmer weather and spring.  Matt has started biking some in the evenings on the trainer he built years ago, in preparation for being able to ride his bike to work again someday.  On my list is the planning of our garden, making a trip to buy seeds, and hopefully starting some broccoli plants soon.  Even though there is still snow on the ground and it's still quite cold out, we're hoping that spring is coming soon!

Time for Prayers

Thanksgiving
Please give thanks that Anna is no longer in treatment; what a blessing that is, on so many levels!
Please thank God for the smooth transition, so far, to Anna's out-patient therapies.
Please give thanks for the relative stability of our home life these days.
Please thank God that Anna is continuing to make improvements.
Please give thanks for all of the therapists, past and present, who work with Anna.
Please thank God for all those within our school district who are working with Anna and Kate.
Please give thanks for our continued stamina and determination to live a happy life.

Requests

Please continue to pray that Anna's treatments were 100% effective.
Please continue to pray for all of the therapists, both past and present, who are working with Anna, for their patience, wisdom, and understanding.
Please continue to pray for everyone within our school district working with Anna, Kate, and the other students.
Please pray that Anna continues to make progress with the strength, coordination, and quickness of her muscle movements.
Please continue to pray for wisdom, peace, patience, and strength for all of us in our family.

Thanks!