josie turned 2

January 12 was a momentous day! Josie turned two, can you believe it? She's growing up and leaving behind the baby stage. It's always sad to say goodbye to the baby stage, but oh so fun to explore what lies ahead as kids develop into their own little people.

Her birthday started out with a magical dusting of snow! It was very pretty, though it seemed to throw all of St. Louis to a halt. We didn't mind one bit.

Because Josie had an outpatient procedure scheduled, she wasn't able to eat anything but she could have clear fluids till 9:30 am. So she had all the apple juice she could possibly handle! Fortunately, she tends to be a light eater in general, so she really didn't complain much. I just kept her distracted and her crazy sagging diapers changed.

After all the hospital stuff I mentioned in the previous post, which was an unfortunate part of the birthday extravaganza, we were pretty pooped out. Josie had a mega nap (she had partial anesthesia and pain meds that made her sleepy.)

At dinnertime, we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa as well as Dillon Neely (who is living with us until he and Rebekah get married in March...Josie is nuts about Dillon and actually says his name which, in my opinion, gives him rockstar status) and ate some of Josie's favorite foods (and when I say favorite, I mean, stuff that she'll actually ingest. It had to involve ketchup.) We had mac and cheese, hot dogs, and salad, the ultimate kid meal. I couldn't stand to feed this meal to the grown ups, so we had a slightly "higher brow" version...browned apple chicken sausage with kraut to dress it up. (I don't know why, but I just love sauerkraut and took this as an opportunity to inflict it upon others.) Topping it all off were chocolate cupcakes with chocolate butter cream frosting and ice cream. (I can hardly bear to think of how many calories were in these little suckers, but I'm glad they're finally out of my fridge!) This year, she loved the cake. Last year, she didn't bother. So that was definitely a step in the right direction!

 

We sang the birthday song to her and she surprised me by getting a bit quivery in the lip. Not sure if it was because the lights were turned way down or if she got overwhelmed and confused. But she's not usually very shy about being the star of the show. Regardless, she totally knew what to do about the candles!

Then she opened presents which, again, she knew exactly what was expected of her coming directly off of Christmas just weeks ago. She got some cute clothes and shoes from us and a great kitty cat piano with a microphone and the most wonderful meowing sound effects! Of course, we all know that anything musical will thrill Josie.

All in all, it was a wonderful day, a real success I think. I just can't believe she's two. But I think two will be a very good year for her. I'm looking forward to getting to know more about her as she reveals more of who she is!

Not much else to say, but just feast your eyes on this sweet little girl who thinks she's so big, she should wear lipstick now!

the back story

January 12 was Josie's big birthday. And that's what I really want to post about. But there's a lot of behind the scenes information that you need to know. It was full of happy moments, and also, not-your-normal kind-of-birthday moments. I haven't posted anything about some of the health stuff that's been going on with Josie over the last several months because, I guess I just didn't feel up to rehashing all the details. It's a long story and frankly, I'm at a time right now where I just don't like sitting in this computer chair for very long! So, as a back story before we get to the birthday fun, I'll fill you in on the details of what we've been dealing with.

But to start, here's a fun picture of Josie just before her birthday. The angel hair is in full fluff mode!

It's hard to get a crisp image of this little mover and shaker!

Sometime around mid August, I noticed some swelling around Josie's left ankle. She didn't act like it hurt, she walked normally and so I thought I must have missed her twisting it or something. But three weeks later, the swelling persisted. Over the next several months, we went through multiple pediatrician appointments, several rounds of xrays, and a trip to a pediatric orthopedist who ordered further xrays and an ultrasound. No one seemed too alarmed, though a bit puzzled and we left the ortho with no real answers and plans for an MRI in order to see more detail around the ankle. This was the week just after Thanksgiving.

Two days later, Josie woke up in the night with pain, further swelling in the ankle and a mild fever. She couldn't get comfortable to sleep and was unable to stand or walk. It was a quick and alarming turn. Honestly, seeing her try to stand only to crumple to the floor was a heartbreaking scene.

The following day was spent in the ER doing more xrays, bloodwork and she had to fast from all liquid and food in case they ordered the MRI. It was a sad and difficult day for her, and for us, but I was hopeful that at least by the end of the day, we'd have an answer to what was causing the trouble.

But that didn't exactly happen. They ruled out all the really scary things like cancer, lupus and a "septic joint" and said that they suspected arthritis (this was one of our earliest questions we'd had since Bryan's youngest brother had juvenile rheumetoid arthritis. Doctors kept dismissing that idea since it's somewhat rare to see it in kids this young as well as without any other symptoms.)

We've met with arthritis specialists and the Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis is nearly certain with them, though I haven't quite "embraced" it yet...I am interested in investigating any dietary sensitivities that might cause arthritis symptoms and meet with a homeopathic practice in a couple of weeks...more info to come later, I'm sure.

So.....anyhow....all the backstory to say that, on her birthday, Josie was scheduled to receive a cortisone (steroid) shot in her ankle to decrease the swelling so that we could relieve any pain for her and also get her off medication. The doctors said that half of their patients who are only affected in one joint will receive this shot and never have any further issues. So that's what we are praying for!

The people at Children's Hospital are so great and had birthday balloons for Josie as well as two wrapped gifts and birthday cake. It was really helpful because she played with the toys non stop until it was time for the laughing gas. They gave her a baby doll and a tea set. I loved watching her feed her little baby with a spoon!

She never shed a tear the whole time, even with the anesthetic mask on and doctors in her face. She was incredible. It's been three days since the shot and her swelling is probably about 80% gone. I'm praying for a total recovery...

...now that you're informed, feel free to jump to the next post for all the happy birthday fun!!

life in general: a top ten

There is so much to update since Thanksgiving that I feel overwhelmed. This has been an eventful time. With lots of friends and family visits, Christmas excitement and thrills, health issues (another post needed here) and just general cuteness, there doesn't seem time to sit down and recount it all. So, in the interest of capturing a glimpse, I'll settle for a quick top ten of this particular season with the kids. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. Josie's choice to whisper most everything since she's constantly corrected for screaming when she's unhappy.

2. Josie's quick sign language blown kiss when she screams "NOOOO!" and is quickly encouraged to say "No, thank you." It's a gesture that softens the piercing, shrill rejection she started with.

3. Simon's increased openness and communication...instead of just mysteriously rejecting something, he has started to explain why he doesn't like it or doesn't want to do something...for example, tonight he told me he didn't want to wear a certain pajama shirt because it "tickles." (There was a long tag that needed to be cut away.)

4. Ella's smarty pants-ness. She is just dang smart. And so easy to teach! I love that she loves learning. She really does impress me and I feel blessed just knowing her!

5. Ella's perceptiveness and awareness of others. And honesty. Honesty like I've never, ever seen before. It's very personally challenging and inspiring.

6. Simon's smile and laughter. It melts a mother's heart. He has the sweetest little teeth too and likes to make a game out of brushing his teeth. He likes to play hard to get!

7. Josie's "angel hair." A lot of people like to make fun of her "mullet" but I couldn't cut it for anything! It's thin on top for sure, but it's beautifully blonde, so soft, and it almost sparkles like it's gold spun! It's so pretty just after a bath when there are soft ringlets around the nape of her neck.

8. Independence. It's really cool to see the kids doing things for themselves. Ella has become the designated bathroom cleaner. She likes doing it and is fairly thorough. She also likes peeling her own kiwi and carrots. Simon always dresses himself in the best outfits. Every morning he asks if it's cold outside in order to decide which sleeve length is appropriate. This morning he wore three shirts! Josie is so great about throwing her own trash away and is a great picker upper! She also loves brushing her own teeth and trying to flush the toilet for us.

9. Cozy homeness. As the kids were all snuggled in our bed to read books at bedtime tonight, I was struck by how deeply satisfying it is to create a space that is comfortable, warm, inviting and secure. They were snuggly under the blankets, with their books and their pillows and I pondered at how innate this desire is—as a mom and as a woman—to create a nest for her family. It's something I have struggled to balance...wanting to create something lovely while avoiding finding my worth in possessions. But I think the desire is a pure one that God puts in our hearts, in order to create a place where peace, security and predictability can be found.

10. Favorites. I love that Simon finally has a favorite meal...fried rice jumbalaya or chickpea sausage stew. He has been hard to peg on that one. Josie has a favorite blankie now that she must nuzzle up against when trying to bridge the gap between awake and asleep just after a nap. Ella has lots of favorites and is an open book....one of her new favorite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. We went to see it late one evening just before Christmas at The Hi-Pointe theater. What it treat it was and she's still talking about the story!

It's a bit sad that I haven't chronicled more of this really sweet, but sometimes very challenging, time in our lives. There have been some really great moments and all is very well as far has the happiness curve in the day in and day out. However, we are facing some stuff we've not faced before and are doing our best to keep our heads about us. The kids are so great and I am aware, now more often than ever, at what a gift my life is. Being their mom, and Bryan's wife, is more rewarding than anything I've ever done. Remind me of this post when my attitude stinks!