First week updates

this was after the first day of school, everyone looks a little tired

my bow-making/sewing set-up

first order done, 69 bows (I was supposed to do 50, next week 75, then 100 every week after)

Good morning all, I have several updates, though many of you I already have talked with and this is a repeat.  So, the first day went well for everyone!  Emily stayed the entire day without a problem, she loves her teacher and so far Science is her favorite subject (lots of experiments).  Luke ate lunch with his friends and found all his new classes just fine (the lunch thing was a big deal last year as there are limited seats at each table).  Heidi and Anna did not get lost and are meeting new friends while hanging out with friends from elementary school.  They went to their first high school football game on Friday, just to be social.  Each day following has been pretty good.  Emily is finding her rhythm and thankfully getting a good amount of sleep so that she isn't too tired.  Luke is home today with a really stiff/sore neck.  He is already struggling with liking school even though things are going well.  Heidi and Anna are bored, but it seems that they are doing a lot of review and covering rules, etc.  Anna said yesterday that she has 3 favorite classes, 2 of which are a favorite because Heidi is in class with her.  They should be starting to join some clubs soon, we will see what they pick and how involved they get.  Caleb really hasn't had too much time on his own just yet.  He had a dentist appointment the first day of school and we had a long cardiology appointment yesterday with Emily (and Luke is home today).  So all in all, a really good start, especially for Emily, which is a big answer to prayer!

One of the things that has made this back to school season more busy than usual is the bow-making.  I think it is awesome how God provided me with a space, long before I knew such a job/company existed.  Our bedroom is pretty large, it used to be 2 separate bedrooms that someone opened up into one and enlarged the closet.  I had part of the room set up with my sewing machine and fabrics from the start so transitioning to a space to make bows was easy.  I try to get some work done during the day but it mostly ends up being in the evenings so the kids rotate hanging out in our room while doing homework.  When it is quiet I listen to podcasts, something I just now realized my phone can do!

Back to the cardiology appointment: this is the appointment I dread, and yet the last few years everything has been stable so I kinda expect the same.  Go figure, this time things have changed, which really shouldn't surprise me given the summer Emily has had.  I think our cardiologist is somewhat under experienced so we might need to change, but Emily also sees a lipids specialists so hopefully they will work together.  I am still waiting to hear from the doctor this morning on the plan, but basically there is more regurgitation than in the past.  Emily has had some mild leaking for several years, but now it appears to be moderate.  It sounds like initially medication can/might help, and surgery could be a possibility down the road (definitely not what we want to hear).  Again, I am hoping the cardiologist gets some help on handling this.  At the moment surgery is still on for October 6th.  There are obviously some well-founded fears in doing this surgery, but I am constantly being reminded that fear is not from God, it is quite the opposite of what He gives us (2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.")  Emily has had several scary dreams lately, about falling down an elevator shaft or falling off a cliff.  And when discussing the next eclipse in 2024 Emily said that she kinda hopes she is not alive then.  She does have a pretty mature eternal awareness, but I trust that God is not done using her here just yet.  Anyway, I am just glad that she is starting out the school year feeling much better than she was a few weeks ago!  Between now and surgery we have many doctor appointments, and more importantly we have camp!!  Happy Tuesday!

First day of school 2017

9th grade

Luke heading to the bus

out of order...rewind to Monday and watching the solar eclipse (Caleb was inside for the most part as he was being stubborn)

more stubbornness and bubbles

last day of summer ice cream

silly faces

back to the first day, 9th grade

yes, I make them walk

7th grade

4th grade

Just a quick good morning and happy first day of school!  It was a busy morning and all went smoothly.  There were a few tears dropping Emily off, but she is covered in prayer.  I have bows to sew and Caleb to take to the dentist and then I will be eager to hear all about how the day went for everyone! 

Middle of August already!

sisterly love

silly boy faces before sleeping in the tent

these two have been best buddies all summer

a couple of cool nights to enjoy a campfire and smores

birthday girl at the flower park

all smiles

boys and dirt/rocks

10 years old

also best buddies

almost all smiles

we were the only ones in the theater to see Despicable Me 3

painting party

Emily had a really full, fun day celebrating 10!

I think I last posted an update after the 4th of July, and here we are just a week away from the start of school already!  This has been one of the longest summers (12 weeks) and one of the most stressful.  Heidi and Anna were initially excited about school starting but after an orientation type thing today that was kinda a bust, they are with Luke and Emily and are not eager for next week.  We go pick up Luke's schedule and locker on Thursday and Emily should find out her teacher that day as well.  I updated the principal on Emily's health stuff so hopefully he shared that with her teacher so she has a heads up.

So, what is up with Emily?!?  It has been a (somewhat) restful summer in that we really have gone almost no where, which really disappoints all of us.  But the way Emily's belly was leaking and the way she was feeling we just had to stay close to home.  Five or six weeks ago we got the farrell bags which should help with the leaking and they do to some extent.  Thankfully we were recommended a product that helps seal the open area of Emily's belly that has been damaged by the leaking, so her pain is much less now.  The farrell bags collect all the stomach juices and contents (but not her formula as that is going into the intestines).  The amount collected varies from 2-4 cups a day and over the last several weeks we have seen the side effects to having these fluids drained.  Emily has been much more tired, nauseous, and having blood sugar crashes.  We did labwork and her triglycerides are way high and much of her chemistry is out of whack.  So, we finally saw the big surgeon on August 5th.  She was actually pretty understanding, and though she probably doesn't really get Emily's condition, she is willing to do surgery.  Really we have to do surgery as a part of the lining of Emily's stomach is coming out of the g-tube hole and will not heal.  At the moment we are scheduled for October 6th to do an intestine bypass surgery and a g-tube re-site.  The surgeon is busy for the next month and then we go to camp, which Emily really didn't want to miss.  It is unfortunate and frustrating to have to wait another 7 weeks to hopefully get back to "normal" (just a regular g-tube), but Emily says she can do it.  At this point I am not sure how much school she will be able to attend before surgery.  Ideally she will be able to make it half a day most days.  Last week she just laid in bed all day, she could barely sit up, so there may be some time that she just isn't up to being in school.  At the same time I hope school and seeing friends will keep her mind off of her health struggles and make the time pass faster.

And speaking of time passing quickly, Emily had a great 10th birthday yesterday!  Thank you for the calls and facebook messages.  Thankfully she was feeling good and ready to use every last minute of her day.  We had a picnic at the flower park, saw a movie and had a painting canvases party.  She was really happy with how the day went, so that is good.  She then had a really rough night and slept until 11 this morning, so some balance would be nice.

Well, I think that is about it for now, oh wait...one of the other stressful things for me this summer was applying for a job!  After "trying out" for the last month I am now an independent contractor/seamstress for the Wunderkin Co.  I will be making hair bows, eventually 100 a week.  Thankfully I can do it from home!  I am not much of a bow person, but we could use the income and I need to be home for a while with Emily and Caleb!  I will be cutting back on Bible studies, for the semester at least, but will lead our elementary and high school Moms in Prayer groups.  Hopefully my schedule can be pretty flexible to be with Emily as much as needed.  Ok, happy last week of summer break!