And the winner is....

Lauren!!!

I will contact you immediately after this post via e-mail. Congratulations! And thank you so much for your participation and support! For the rest of you, no worries, I will have more goodies coming soon! Lauren, I hope you'll enjoy those amazing cookies!

Love,

Hungry for The Hunger Games?

Well, then I have news for you! Nicole from "Life's a batch" was so kind and generous to bless me with 25  Hunger Games cookies! Just when I thought my fundraisers weren't going to work she came and saved the day! And I promise you, you are in for a treat! She has one heck of a talent. These are the cookies we're talking about:




To view all cookies please go Life's a Batch: Hunger Games Cookies

Aren't they just amazing? They're individually wrapped and they can easily be shipped so even if you're not in Minot (lucky you!!!) you can still take part in this auction (stateside or APO please)! Nicole is so generous to cover the shipping costs for you as well! I know, she's great, right! The cookies have a value of $78 (although I think they're worth far more with all the love and hard work Nicole put in! Just saying!).Now down to business.

This is how it works: We will start with a minimum bid of $10. You can bid in increments of $1. To bid simply comment on this blog post and leave your name and e-mail address. The auction will be open until 11:59 PM CST on Friday, March 30th. Once the winner is announced, you have til 11:59 PM CST on Saturday, March 31st to make payment through Isaiah's fundraising page (see widget on the left). Nicole will send out the cookies Monday morning.

 The proceeds from this auction will go towards CHASA, the Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association and will help little stroke survivors get scholarships and equipment they may need but can't afford. http://www.chasa.org/

Please share this with anyone you know! Thank you for all your support! It means more than you know!

Love,

I say goodbye...and you say hello...

Goodbye phenobarbital! Woohoo! We are officially done with this nasty stuff that Isaiah so enjoyed spitting right back in my face. Today Isaiah received his very last dose of phenobarb, his seizure medicine. He has been seizure free since being in the NICU and we certainly pray and hope it stays that way! There is, of course, a chance that he might develop seizures during puberty but I trust God that He will spare us from having to deal with any!!!

On another note we soon will be saying hello to a splint, remember that thing I showed a picture of in one of my previous posts? Yep, one of those. It'll help Isaiah keep his thumb in the right place. Nancy, his PT, ordered a referral for the OT to do the measurements and order the splint so we'll soon set up the appointment for that. I have a feeling that just as it has been with CIMT, Isaiah won't like it too much at first. But whatever helps my baby! And what a poor baby he has been for the past 2 days! Not sure if he's just teething or actually getting a cold but he's been miserable. So miserable that he won't sleep til I lay down next to him. He'll put his hand on my face to make sure I don't leave! While I do enjoy the extra snuggles, it makes getting stuff done even harder than it already is. Sooo, I've been trying everything to trick him! Placing him in the crib with me halfway holding onto him so the transition is smoother, putting a pillow next to him to give him the illusion of someone being next to him. It all only lasts so long.......and then he cries, heartbreaking cries until I'm next to him. Needless to say, I've been trying to fold the laundry for the past 3 days....it just ain't happening. I can always do it tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be one interesting day. Joseph's going back to work, well he hasn't exactly been off but his security clearance was suspended due to a glitch in the paperwork so he wasn't able to do much. It was kind of a blessing in disguise. It gave Isaiah the chance to have PT without his sister trying to take the  equipment apart and Nia had some precious daddy time. She LOVES her daddy (why wouldn't she, she knows exactly how to work him! He won't admit it though) and that's the problem! Every morning she walks through the house yelling "daddy, where are you?". Tomorrow will be the first day in a while that daddy won't come home til the afternoon. I'm dreading the thought of it! Plus, tomorrow will be the first day without the meds! So wish me luck! Alright, let me get my self to bed, I desperately need some sleep! Night y'all!

Love,

Sew happy! And then it turned into An Ode to my Friends!

I'm so excited!!! We just got our very first donation on Isaiah's firstgiving page! Thanks to my amazing friend Cristina! I recently made some things for her precious daughter's play kitchen, that Cristina is making for her.

Have I mentioned she's pregnant with a baby boy? I thought only I was this crazy driven. She offered to pay me but instead I asked her to make a donation and she said sure! I'm so very thankful for it. That's what I love about my friends, they support the things that mean a lot to me. Because I mean a lot to them. So again Cristina, thank you!

 It's been a creative weekend so far! I've got the Epilepsy/Infantile Spasm Awareness bows done for Jax's sisters so they can sport them along with the T-shirts their aunt made on Monday.

Monday is Epilepsy Awareness day and cute little Jaxson, who's only a little older than Isaiah was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms, a form of Epilepsy. And let me just tell you how incredible their mommy is! Jaxson had a rough start and was in the NICU for a bit, something we can so relate to since both, Nia and Isaiah are NICU graduates. Things seemed perfect for a while, Jaxson was home, making the family complete. Just when they were done worrying they got the diagnosis, Infantile Spasms. I've never heard of it til that point. It's very rare and therefore it's not easy to find the answers you need. Their mom has been so strong through it all though! It's amazing what things faith will help you through. And it's amazing how God works! Kessiah and I first "met" when I asked for food donations for the flood victims and their helpers. She was one of the first people to respond. Who would've known that both of our kids would go through traumatic situations! You can read all about them here:

http://confessionsofamommyof3.blogspot.com/

Not once has she lost hope or doubted that God has a very special plan for Jax. I find that amazing, especially when you see your little one go through those seizures! We never had to since Isaiah had his in the NICU before we were allowed to see him - fortunately, so I cannot imagine how she feels each time Jaxson has one. It takes one strong person to be able to do this!

 I also made 3 T-shirt dresses for Nia, yes 3! They're so easy to make and look so cute! And I love how different the outcome is each time, I used the same T-shirt each time, just in different colors but each end result is so unique!

 When I took the picture of Nia in the red dress I  was reminded of a movie I watched when I was a little kid: Momo. Nia kinda looks like her, lol. So guess what, we watched Momo today!

 Back to my super awesome friends! Quite a few of my friends have home businesses, something that comes with the military lifestyle, you need a career that's portable. Anyway. When I told them about my  hopefully upcoming Strikes for Stroke event every single one of them agreed to donate something for the silent auction! Without hesitation! Isn't that great? It makes me sooo very happy to know how much they care about Isaiah! It's so amazing to have friends that are there for you when you need them, without ifs or buts! And I have those kind of friends. Here in Minot and all over the world! When we learned about Isaiah's stroke Chelsey, a close friend of ours immediately offered to come. Her husband's doing a one year tour in Korea so she has her hands full with her two beautiful children, yet she would've dropped everything and came to support us! We had so many people pray for him, offering their help anyway they could and expressing their love and concern, it's too many to list each one but I have to say we were so grateful and still are! So screw my funk from last week! I have so many things and people to be thankful for! People that truly matter because they truly care! Geez, I totally drifted off! This post was originally supposed to be about my projects and epilepsy but somehow it turned into an ode to my friends, lol. Hey, ain't nothing wrong with that! In that respect, tell someone you love and appreciate them today! Call your friends and just say thank you! True friends should never be taken for granted!
Love,

Bum, bum, bummed!!!

To say the least! I was sooooo excited and pumped to do quite a few fundraisers for Pediatric Stroke and now none of them seem to be coming to life. At least not anytime soon. And it's making me very sad! Well, one of my ideas will have to wait til the fall cause the person involved is totally booked out til then. And I don't think I want to go through anyone else. The bowling alley hasn't gotten back to me about the Strikes for Stroke event and I'm trying to figure out how to go about doing it at the bowling alley on base instead. This actually might be a good thing since it will be my first event and starting out small may be better. My other fundraising idea was an Awareness Cookie Sale but the persons I contacted about that haven't gotten back to me either. Even after several follow-ups. One, I know is busy getting on track with all her requests since she's been gone for a bit but the other I don't know. I mean I get that the cause may not mean anything to you but it means the world to me, so a "Sorry but I don't have time" would be nice. Especially since I know the person. I'm probably just overly sensitive but it's just so frustrating when you have a vision and it stays a vision.It's not supposed to be this way! I think things have just been a little much for me lately. There's been a few things that have been bringing me down and I kept ignoring them and now they've add up. The fundraising situation seems to be the last drop that has made the cup run over! I'm hitting a low point right now and I hope it won't last long cause I hate feeling this way. Meh! I so hope things will fall into place soon! The last thing I need is another funk to be in....Thanks for letting me vent y'all!I really needed it! I promise those posts won't become the norm! (Hopefully!) Night my lovies! Mimi

A playroom it is!

Those of you who know me, know that I in general don't see the need for a designated playroom as I a) never had one myself (we played in our rooms or brought a few toys into whichever room our parents where in) b) have a child that LOVES to be where I am. We had a play table with drawers underneath for Nia in the living room and that has worked great. She spent the morning in school, took a nap after lunch and then played in the living room with the few toys she had til dinner. In between, she'd watch some TV. When we started this arrangement she was a little over a year so she didn't need a lot of toys and didn't want to be in a room by herself. But now that she is 2 things are a bit different. Especially since we took her out of school (the reasons for this would make up another entire blog post). Lately, more and more toys, crayons, play kitchen supplies and books would take over the living room, making it not only a crowded space but also a giant mess! Since she's still very young I didn't want her to play in her room upstairs unattended but having play dates at our house started to become less and less peaceful as we adults were constantly trying to avoid getting knocked in the head with a golf club from Nia's alligator golf game. Something had to change. Plus, with her being home and not attending school I was looking for a way to still give her a learning experience in a classroom like atmosphere. Joseph and I sat down and discussed several options before we finally decided to turn the office/man-cave into the play-/classroom and move the desk, couch and computer into the guestroom after selling the guest bed. Now, the desk is quite heavy and Joseph was dreading the thought of having to move it upstairs. Needless to say, he procrastinated and it took him over 1 1/2 months to finally get it done! Friday he then moved it, putting a dent in the wall! He really worked hard, assembling the book case, easel and toy organizer, moving the chair downstairs for the reading corner and the play table upstairs. His back hurt so bad, the poor guy couldn't even bake cookies! (It's funnier if you'd been there for it! Rica can tell you all about it! And she'll love to, too!) But it sure was worth it! I still need to move a few things that are still in one of the shelves and hang some posters but I really like it! Most importantly, so does Nia! Especially the easel! We have chalk marks everywhere! I will post pictures soon. I cannot wait to get all the things I want to get so we can do fun activities! We already planted seeds in our greenhouse, her friend Chad and her did an awesome job. Most of the seeds have already sprouted! Next month we'll start hatching butterflies while reading "The very hungry caterpillar". We have a bilingual version (German/English) so it'll combine different subjects. I'm glad we did it, not only is it nice to have all the toys out of the living room but Nia doesn't feel so left out when Isaiah gets all the attention with PT, Infant Development, etc. I often feel bad for her, having to stand back and wait while everyone is concentrating on her brother. She doesn't understand it yet and I can only ask so much of her being that she's only 2. And she does great for her age! The other day, I caught her helping Isaiah to open his hand and placing toys on it, like we do during PT. Today she then gave her baby doll medicine with a syringe while I gave Isaiah his. I hope she'll always be this caring. I love her and I'm really proud of her! Alright, let me go to bed now. The laundry will be waiting for me in the morning.... Night y'all, Mimi

Constraint therapy and maybe a splint or Mommy the physical therapist

Hey y'all! As you know, Isaiah has started outpatient PT not too long ago and it's been going pretty well so far. Mainly because we work with him daily. Isaiah worked really hard at PT today, he was exhausted after 40 minutes. Although he doesn't give Nancy the stink-eye anymore he still remains pretty serious. Every now and then he'll look at me like he's asking:"Mom, what does she want from me?". So for now we're switching from weekly PT to every 2 weeks so we won't have to take him out of his comfort zone as much. That of course means I'm going to be his physical therapist for the most part. Hmmm, maybe I should add that to my resume.... While we are very confident that eventually it will barely be noticeable that his right hand is affected we are considering different approaches to help him accomplish this goal. One thing that we're going to start tomorrow is called constraint therapy. Usually, the patient will have to wear a cast for several weeks or months such as this one to immobilize the good arm and thus forcing the patient to use the weak arm:

But since Isaiah's brain is still forming the paths for both sides Nancy suggested a less permanent way. We'll constrain his good arm for an hour every day using a sock or by pinning the sleeve to his shirt, while we are working with him on using his right hand. It sounds kind of mean and he probably won't like it too much but it'll help him tremendously. Just for fun, try not to use your good arm and hand for every day tasks. The more you try it the more you'll see not only how difficult it is but what amazing things your brain can master! With time you can train yourself to use both hands almost equally well! It'll give you a good idea of how hard stroke survivors and people who suffered any type of brain damage have to work. Of course for Isaiah that is a bit easier than for an adult since his brain is growing so fast. Another device we're considering for the near future is called a splint. There are many different variations of it but one that is commonly used for infants looks like this:

As I have mentioned in a previous post Isaiah tends to keep his right thumb tucked in and the splint can help correct that by helping the thumb to stay in the right position. That again will help him with picking up small items and grabbing items. By correcting it this early we have great chances that he will be able to use scissors, pens, brushes, etc....with both hands. We are possibly looking at Occupational therapy in the future and there is a possibly that he may need speech therapy, just as there's also a chance for spasticity, but as always, only time will truly tell.... And as always we'll take it day by day as the journey continues. Love, Mimi

And yet another testimony of God's greatness!

Isaiah has amazed me once again! I had a few errands to run Thursday and so I left the kids with Joseph when I had to drive into town for my last errand of the day. That of course meant that Isaiah would get a bottle instead of being breast fed if he was to get hungry. And of course he did get hungry! Thankfully I walked in just in time to witness him HOLDING HIS BOTTLE BY HIMSELF!!! And yes, I am screaming, cause of excitement of course! I am sooooo proud of him!

Obviously this is a milestone for any baby but it is a HUGE milestone for him! Having Hemiplegia or Hemiparesis makes simple tasks so much more difficult for those tiny stroke survivors and so it is that much more amazing that he held his bottle. Especially since he barely gets a bottle and so he doesn't get a lot of practice. I am convinced that he will be able to use his right hand equally well as his left one day! We just need to continue working with him every day. My kids are both truly amazing! Isaiah doesn't fuss when we work with him daily and Nia is so patient and understanding (especially for a 2 year old!). She's very protective of him too, she doesn't leave his side when doctors or nurses handle Isaiah, watching them very carefully! It is so beautiful to watch them giggle and cuddle. And I just love it when Nia asks for Isaiah, when she exclaims "Isaiah!!" when he wakes up and when she tell him "I love you" and gives him a more or less gentle kiss and hug. I hope their relationship will continue to be this strong! Alright, enough for now! I have to go. I'm quite excited to celebrate Lexis' 21st birthday tonight, one of many friends who have been so supportive during all this and whom I'm so very thankful for! May you all have a blessed weekend! Love, Mimi

Flubber, goo and finger paint

I've recently talked to Nancy from CHASA about sensory activities and got so hyped while brainstorming that I looked up what other activities I could find. That again got me so inspired that I've decided to do LOTS of those ideas with Nia and her friends during the winter months, since snow season doesn't end til the end of April here in ND!!! Of course the messier the better! Tomorrow we'll make either edible flubber or edible finger paint, I haven't decided yet but it will be fun, that much I know! I was going to set up the play/classroom soon so I'm already going overboard with all the things I want to get and do!! That's why I've always loved working as a teacher, you get to do fun stuff while teaching the kids something! And what better excuse to play in dirt and be silly than to teach the kids. Anyway. The best part is, since the edible flubber and finger paint is safe for babies as well, Isaiah can play with it too! Oh, I can already imagine how much fun he is going to have! And at the same time it'll stimulate the use of his hands and fingers. So therapy and play in one! It doesn't get more perfect than this! Of course I will take tons of pictures! Love, Mimi