Kindergarten

 Growing up, my mother was an oldies fan.

that meant that now, in my {ahem} early thirties,

i know lots of random lyrics.

lyrics like

it was an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini

that she wore for the first time today.

tonight,

i've got 

{leaving on a jet plane,

don't know when I'll be back again}.

in my head.

except instead of a vietnam soldier or some ex-boyfriend the song was meant for,

i'm thinking of my about-to-be kindergartener.

{this Kindergarten business?

it kinda feels like he's leaving on a jet plane, right?}

 

in our household tonight,

all our bags are packed,

he's ready to go.

 

 

his lunch is packed,

he's ready to go.

Grant, buddy,

Now the time has come for you to leave,

one more time let me kiss you
i'll dream about the days to come.

This bittersweet stuff?

it's gotta stop.

 soon.

my momma heart may not take it much more.

but, for now,

i smile at Grant's 5-year-old exuberance,

embrace this Kindergarten stuff,

and trust the Lord all the more,

with this dear, sweet boy of ours

who is about to be one step closer 

to growing up.

Another JRA update

Sweet Grant.

He's my favorite-four-year-old.

{although he will quickly tell you he is four-and-a-half}!

 he's changing from preschooler-to-little-boy right.before.my.eyes.

he's playing with his tractors less and transformers more.

his logic abilities astound me and his eating abilities seriously surprise me!

he's funny and extremely observant.

{and wakes up with his knees hurting almost daily}.

his juvenile rheumatoid arthritis has taken us on an almost-year-long-journey so far.

last week we had another appointment with the really fabulous rheumatologist.

it made me so, so thankful.

so thankful that we walk into the children's hospital instead of push him in.

so thankful that we turn left towards rheumatology and not right towards oncology.

so thankful that three small pills keep his joint pain and fatigue under control.

so thankful that he has no more swelling in any joints.

{no more swelling!!}

about his knee pain?

the rheumatologist said that it's actually a good sign - meaning that when we give him the medicine, the pain goes away.  it's kind of the best-case-scenario with JRA.

so, good news.

for now, it's status quo.

three small pills and lots of prayer for remission. i can handle this. 

so, so thankful for a very manageable, very treatable disease.

and so, so thankful for my sweet four-and-a-HALF year-old.

grant owen, 

you

are

so

prayed for.

1st Day.

Grant.
He's exuberant, out-going, laid-back.
funny. observant. enthusiastic.

And now, he's bouncing into his 4-year-old preschool class.

Re-wind about 8 years, 

and we were about to unkowingly face a long, heart-wrenching journey

with infertility and pregnancy loss.  

where we would be given a less than 4% chance of conceiving.

Grant is our miracle baby.

And now he's our miracle baby going to pre-school.

bittersweet, huh?

He loves it.  

loves, loves, loves it.

I love that he loves it.

I love that he's so excited to go to school he sleeps with his lunch box.

I love that he's so excited that he can barely take his jacket off before running into his classroom.

but, a small look-back and "see ya, mom!" might do my heart good right about now.

Because they'll always be babies in our hearts, won't they?

This bittersweet stuff?

I have a feeling it's not going to end any time soon.

So even though he'll always be itty-bitty in my heart,

I pray that he'll grow into a man who's passionate about serving his Savior.

who's walking in faith.

who's exuberance is a zeal for the Lord.

Happy pre-school, Grant Owen!

your momma may have cried a few tears.

and this girl?

she misses her bubby. 

lots.

But, we love watching you grow up.

just slow it down a bit, okay?

--------------

"For this child we prayed, and the Lord

Granted

  our request".

I Samuel 1:27

Four year olds and tonsillectomies.

It's kinda been a long few weeks around our house, folks. 

Grant and Matt, walking into the 8 a.m. surgery.

So, all my dear friends,

why in the WORLD did none of you warn me how hard a tonsillectomy can be 

before our sweet four-year-old underwent surgery?

I kinda had lots of friends whose kids were

playing at the park

the day after surgery.

we.were.not.

Our poor Grant was miserable.

Apparently his pain medicine wasn't working well enough, 

and he was becoming super super dehydrated.

We did the best we could keeping him comfortable and drinking enough

{but still came *this close* to being back in the hospital.}

 But, we made it.  
Even if we kinda haven't left the house for like, 2 weeks straight
{except maybe for the McDonald's drive-through window for 2 large coffees and 4 of these to get us through until one of us could actually go to the store!}

 And then, just as Grant was half-way feeling better
{better enough to at least sit on the couch and watch TV and not just in his bed all day}


this one got sick.

So we really haven't left the house in awhile.

But, ya know? 
I still love this life with little kids. 
I mean, my heart just aches for them when they're sick,
and I've cried my share of tears over both of them the past several weeks.

But I still love this life of a stay-at-home momma. 
{even when I've worn the same running pants for days
and go through a drive-through just for milk!}

I soak in every time Gracie wraps her sweet little arms around my neck and says "hug it!"
{as I close my eyes and try to remember that feeling forever}.

every time Grant wants me to play with him. 

or watch {curious} George with him.  

or watch him run fast fast fast on his bike!  

every time Grace comes zooming down the hallway saying "whunning!" 

as she leaps into my arms.  

 

Every time she buries her head into me at 2 in the morning, secure in her momma's arms.

every time, I try to slow down time for just a moment, 

because I know that though the days can be long, the years are so, so short.

Even during the midst of the roughest tonsillectomy recovery ever,

I'm so thankful to be at home with them.

That He chose them for us.

So thankful to be loving on, playing with, laughing with, 

and praying with the sweetest kids in the world, all day. 

 

 

And, right now? 

so, so thankful that we now at least have 50% of our {current} kiddos' with out tonsils.

 

--------------------------

 

"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me..."

Matthew 25:40

Our week.

Happy Friday!

Our week.

{in cell phone pictures!}

Loving LOFT's sale racks right now.

{taking photos for BFF approval}

And Pottery Barn Kids' sale racks!

{only lived 2 years with out a bed skirt on our Sweet Girl's bed.  

Who knew how much better it would look with one?}

How the Sweet Girl and I made it through a grocery trip.

{Yes, those are froot loops. The girl loves them. Seriously. loves a little too much}.

And, from the grocery trip.

"As is" should not appear on meat.

And Grant.

  Our sweet, enthusiastic, easy-going 4-year-old.

  

Who now officially has Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

After months of doctor appointment, blood work, x-rays,

and a whole lot of prayer,

it seemed a bit anti-climatic to get the official diagnosis from the doctor.

But, we know now how to pray better,

and are thankful that this diagnosis didn't include previously-said words like leukemia.

{oh, my!}

On a positive note, 

Grant has no more swelling in any of his joints!

Full mobility in wrists and ankles!

{for the first time since our original appointment in February!}

and a 50% chance of remission.

Yes. Please, Lord, remission.

Praying.

Grant.

Many of you have followed Grant's journey over the past several months. 

Praying with us for protection and healing from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Today we have a routine appointment with the pediatric rheumatologist.

{Really, after months of hearing spinal tap and abnormal in medical conversations about Grant, 

nothing really feels truly routine for this momma!}

We're expecting good news, praying for good news.

But a part of my momma's heart always get a bit nervous walking into a 

super-super-high-tech children's hopsital.  

with MY child.  

seeing bald babies pulled in wagons, 

I hold Grant's hand a bit tighter, pray a bit harder, and walk to the doctor's office a bit faster.

We've really had a great two months with him.

The NSAID is working!

The fatigue is almost completely gone.

He's only complained of leg pain on a couple of occassions 

{when we've accidentally missed one of the three-times-daily doses, or when it's raining}

And there's been very little swelling in his knees.

As I tell the doctor all of this, I pray for good news.

And, as always, I pray for Grant's heart to be protected.

Physically. Emotionally.

Spiritually.

First Roller Coaster

Vacation.

It's a fabulous word.

We're staying low-key this "vacation" week -

while enjoying some sweet family time

and fun things in the our own hometown city.

{all the while letting everyone sleep in their own beds at night,

including the just-turned-2-year-old who absolutely will.not.sleep. elsewhere}

Here's Grant

(4 1/2)

and his first roller coaster.

Enjoy.  

Pool Party

It's Wednesday.

And we celebrated the fact that Grant got his hair wet for the first time at swim lessons.

{also known as going under water!}

So, complete with still-damp swim trunks, 
we ate frozen yogurt with every topping imaginable.

My fave?

{low fat} cheesecake frozen yogurt.

with just a few chocolate chips.

Gracie just wanted to eat the spuh-inkles.

And for the super swimmer?

Cake batter frozen yogurt. 

with lots and lots of sprinkles.

and m & m's.

and maybe just a few gummy bears

{because the gummy bears will help me swim real fast tomorrow, mommy!}

{I've had a headache that I just can't shake  for the past couple of days,}

so it was a great, great day to celebrate Grant's swim success with some sweet treats.

 I'm just l-o-v-i-n-g this summer so far.

with long, lazy days. 

lots of sand, laughing, running, swimming, and sun.

it's these days that I start to miss  almost before they're even over.

love, love, love little kids and long summer days.

{feeling thankful and blessed tonight! hope you are, too.}

More than Soccer

Grant.

{my favorite four-year-old}.

He takes a weekly soccer class that he loves.

{loooooooves!}

He loves to kick and run and throw and run some more and then run some more!

{Mommy watch this I'm going to run sooo fast even faster than Coach Ben!}

Today was the last day of the spring session, 

and at the end of the class Coach Ben spoke with me.
He recommended Grant move up into the 

{invitation only!}

advanced 4 year old soccer class.

Yes, I know it's "just" a 4-year-old soccer class.

But, this is my sweet, sweet four-year-old.

My sweet child who, just five months ago, was lying on the couch complaining his legs hurt.
all.day.long.

Who woke up in the morning shuffling like an 80-year-old man.

Who started to refuse to walk his legs hurt him so badly.

 In my original post about Grant, I said we were praying that if juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were indeed the diagnosis, the Lord would protect him.

Five months later, he's kicking and throwing and running!

{Willingly, happily, and, apparently, well!}

My momma heart is happy tonight,

and I'm praising our Sovereign Lord for His protection over Grant and His provision for Grant's medical care.

And I'm going to keep on praying so that, Lord willing, 

Grant can keep on kicking and running.

{maybe, someday, even faster than Coach Ben!}.

Rough Day

 It was a rough day around here for our favorite four year old. 

For the first time in weeks, he complained of his legs hurting.

All day long, he barely walked.  

He laid on the couch, holding and rubbing his knees and ankles.

 {My legs very don't feel well, mommy}.

My heart broke for him.

Praying that tomorrow is a better, more pain-free day for our sweet Grant.

After the Appointment Update

We're all pretty excited about the doctor's appointment Grant had today.

Just absolutely fantastic news!

no more swelling in his wrists, knees, or ankles.

Full mobility is back in his ankles!

His labwork is great.

{except for one something-or-other level that the rheumatologist didn't seem too concerned about.  We might repeat that level in 2 months, but for now, I'm choosing to not google it.}

We're staying pretty status quo for now:

same non-steroid anti-inflammatory.

four milligrams, three times a day.

return in two months.

My main concern for today's appointment was how fatigued he still is.  

There could be several reasons, but we're hoping that his stamina is just pretty low from how sick he was for so many months.

So, basically, we get him outside a lot to play this summer.  

{I think we can handle that.}

After seemingly endless doctor's appointments that included spinal tap, leukemia, meningitis, sepsis, and toxic shock in the discussions, it.was.fabulous. to walk out of the doctor's office with a 

you're doing great!

from the doctor. 

So, now, hopefully, I can blog about lighter things. 

Like how we're out of Diet Coke and I'm dying for one.

Thanks for praying with me, friends. 

The JRA continues

These two little kids have been keeping us busy recently!

{busier than usual!}

Here's what's going on with the oldest G:

 

Three weeks ago we visited the pediatric rheumatologist at Riley Children's Hospital.

The absolutely fantastic news from that appointment is that his blood work came back beautifully.

His white blood cell count was {finally}completely normal.

{A normal WBC count almost entirely rules out the possibility of leukemia}.

 We have been giving him a new medicine for the past 2 weeks.

Basically the strongest non-steroid anti-inflammatory he can have.

It.is.a.miracle.drug!

The pain, the complete fatigue and exhaustion - it's all better!

We are so happy to get our cheerful little boy back.  

He's happy, cooperative, and sleeping only slightly more than normal.

We are hopeful that this medicine will keep the JRA symptoms under control, so we don't have to move on to a stronger treatment!

We return to the ped. rheumatologist tomorrow afternoon.  

We are anticipating getting the official 

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis 

diagnosis.

 I am also anticipating and hoping to get a few more details about this disease and the future treatment plan.

For now, we are blessed that we have an excellent doctor only 40  minutes from us, that Grant will *take* this new medicine fairly easily, and that it's seeming to truly help.

{To be honest for a moment?}

I could pretty easily get pretty freaked out about what the future may hold for our sweet boy.  My heart aches for him...I would love for him to avoid more pain, more stiffness, more exhaustion, more medicines that may have serious side effects.  I would love for him to not have to take medicine 3x a day at just 4 years old.

But, I'm trusting.  Trusting that His plan is perfect, that HE will keep us and love us and guide us.

And keep Grant and love Grant and guide Grant.

Even in the middle of a degenerative disease.

Even in the middle of whatever the future may hold.

And that even through it all, good stuff will happen.

For His glory.

Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes.

I Sam. 12:16