Wheelchair Update

Right before Isaiah's shunt surgery, Isaiah got to test out the TiLite Twist, which is one of the pediatric wheelchairs that has been recommended to us by other parents of kids with OI.  Back in March, we tried out a different chair to see how Isaiah could handle a manual chair, and he took to it quickly...thus putting a fire under us to get him a chair that worked well.

Like the other wheelchair, the TiLite that we tried at home was too big for Isaiah, but it didn't matter....as soon as his cheeks hit the seat, his hands hit the wheels and he was rolling.

I did a bit of research focused on this brand, and with the help of my new best friend Larry and Isaiah's favorite PT Kristie, we filled out an order form in Mid-May. Last week, when we were at DuPont getting Isaiah's latest round of Pam, Dr B stopped in to tell me that he signed off on the chair but that our primary insurance company had questions about it.

He suspected they were denying our request.

They needed a "peer to peer" review...which means they wanted their "doctor" (I quote that because all I know is that their "doctor" went to medical school, I'm not sure of beyond that) to speak with Dr B.  He tried.  He called multiple times and left voicemails but didn't hear back.

I texted Kristie, who wrote the letter of medical necessity for the chair, sharing my concern about a possible denial.  She contacted Larry's office who contacted our insurance to check in.

I was very worried it was just being denied.  I was kind of having a cow about it. ...my writing about the cow brought on a 10 minute conversation about that saying "Don't have a cow"...Who said it first, Michelle Tanner or Bart Simpson? That's what Dave and I conversed about.

On Friday, this sentence popped up on my alerts on my phone...

I took a minute to realize that WC=wheelchair........at the same time I spotted that I had a voicemail from a local number...

I checked my voicemail and low and behold, same type of message from the DME saying that the chair was approved and that she was going to push the order through!

I was so excited!

No having to appeal insurance?

And then on Saturday, a six page letter from our insurance popped up in our mailbox....and all I could focus on were two words on the second line of the first page.

Not approved.

According to this letter, the chair is not approved.  So I am starting our day on the phone trying to figure things out.  Did someone at our insurance agency go back and read the letter of medical necessity and overturn this denial?  Hopefully.  I'd say since two different places told me it was approved, that things are in Isaiah's favor.  I am crossing my fingers that this is some kind of clerical error on our insurance's end.

I'll update when I can....let's hope it's a happy update with lots of happy exclamation marks about this letter being a mistake.

___________________

Update: I called our insurance.  The wheelchair is approved. :) It was initially denied (thus the letter) but after some review, they approved it.  

Gotta love the roller coaster. 

Hooray wheelchair!  Isaiah will soon be rolling outside the house. :)

Pam, Pulmonary, and HOME!

So, seriously, didn't Isaiah's MRI look awesome!? Yep, I'm still talkin about it. ;-)

Yesterday, we checked out of the McDonald House bright and early, and headed over to DuPont for breakfast, a quick breathing test (I'll explain more on that in the future, but all is good!), and our last day in Day Medicine for Pam until July.  

We find different ways to entertain ourselves in Day Medicine. But when you have about 4 hours in one place, waiting for medicine to slowly flow, you get creative.  I brought our house a ton of toys (and a few books) each day so thanks to them and our friends, we had lots to do.

Here is Isaiah playing with blocks on Day 2.

Isaiah was rocking sitting up whenever he was up playing and eating.

On Wednesday, we had an appointment with Isaiah's pulmonologist, Dr H.  We check in with him every 4 months to make sure Isaiah continues to do well in the breathing department.  He checks his CO2 levels, listen to his lungs, and ask me lots of questions.

Waiting for Dr. H.

All continues to go well and we were reminded to schedule another sleep study for September.  (boooooooooooooooooooooooo)

Last day of Pam!

The last day of Pam went smoothly.  I helped de-access his port when all was said and done by removing the tape myself; the nurse even showed me what to do with the equipment when de-accessing him (aka taking the needle out of the port in his chest)...I'm not sure I'm brave enough to ever do that, but if I did need to at some point, it's good to know.  I know they showed me when Isaiah first got his port placed, but I was too freaked out by everything to even look at it then.... all my friends/family that know my fear of needles should be so proud of me nowadays. ha

The drive home was quick, especially for Isaiah.  He fell asleep as soon as we were exiting the parking lot and didn't wake up until we were down the road from our house! lol  

It's wonderful to be home! Now I need to get us all unpacked and back to our normal.  :)

Happy Weekend!

Pam, MRIs, and Results, oh my!

Isaiah and I arrived at the Ronald McDonald House on Monday.  We had to be over at DuPont bright and early on Tuesday, so being here the night before is a big help. 

We spent the evening getting ourselves ready for the week and enjoyed dinner in Isaiah's new travel high chair.  

We ordered this chair with our summer vacation in mind (more on the in the future), and I'm taking advantage of this trip to get us used to it.  

So yesterday morning, Isaiah and I were up at 5:30. He's such an early riser lately! It was to our benefit though, as we had to be checked in at 7:30 so it gave us time to have breakfast at the House (I bring my own bagel for him and scrounge around for myself.  They had eggs in the shared refrigerator! Yay!)  

When we arrived at the hospital, I had to fill out paperwork for Isaiah for his first Fast MRI. A "Fast MRI" is just that, fast. It's much faster than his sedated MRI, which lasted an hour. This one was just about two and a half minutes. I was surprised to find out that I needed to fill out paperwork as well, as they find it best to have a parent in the tube with a child Isaiah's age. I couldn't disagree, and was thrilled to be so hands on without stepping on any toes. 

We got in our scrubs and gown and hid my wedding ring in one of my bags.  We made our way to the MRI area. I placed Isaiah on the MRI table and then the tech advised me of how to hop up on my belly at Isaiah's feet.  Once I understood where I had to get my head and arms (so I didn't hit them when the table got into position for the MRI), we put in ear plugs (because it's LOUD in there), Isaiah had a cage-looking thing placed over his head and we were moved into the tube. 

I'd be lying if it didn't feel longer than two and a half minutes. We sang some of Isaiah's favorite songs, Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, and Boom Boom, Ain't it Great to be Crazy. We held hands the entire time and I had my head sort of resting lightly on his belly while looking up at him. Ours eyes were locked almost the whole time and when the machine would run it was so startling but Isaiah didn't show any fear. 

The whole thing was a bit hard on my heart. Being in there with him....I am so, so glad I was there with him, but it threw the reality of what my baby goes through in my face. It's scary. It was so hard not to cry, looking into his brave little eyes.  And then at one moment, the machine made a loud boom again, and he grabbed my hands tight and said "I gah you", which means "I've got you."  Tears in my eyes, guys. It's something I say to him when we're on an elevator or somewhere new and he's nervous. I always tell him "I've got you. You're going to be ok."  We were in that MRI machine for him and there HE was basically telling US we're going to be ok.  

After the MRI, we headed to Day Medicine for day one of his Pamidronate treatment.  

I'd be lying if I told you that went off without a hitch. Our appointment was at 8am and pamidronate didn't start running until 11.  Three hours of waiting.  That was a record.  Then I went to give Isaiah his milk before a nap and I found out that I somehow forgot the nipple to his bottle.

How does one forget such a vital part of a bottle? I tried a straw, rejected. I tried a hospital-grade nipple, rejected....and then he was so set on milk from a bottle that he wouldn't eat any other snack so nap time was rough and cut short...thankfully when he woke up, he ate my peanut butter crackers which held him over until we got back to the McDonald House. 

Before heading there, we had one more appointment...one with Isaiah's neurosurgeon...that we were late for, but thankfully Day Med called up to them so they were aware we were in the building. 

One thing that happened in the morning, before Pamidronate... they take blood, measurements, etc...Dr B. measured the circumference of Isaiah's head and it came out to 50.9 cm.  Isaiah's previous two measurements were 52 cm. 

I didn't take this measurement for gold....but then a few hours later, the nurse for Isaiah's neurosurgeon measured and got 51cm with the same tool she's used in the past. A whole centimeter! This puts his head size back on the growth charts!!!!

Isaiah's head shrunk! Whoop whoop!!!!! Even though I was told it wouldn't because of Isaiah's age and how hard his skull is, it did.  

That alone had me feeling good, but then Dr C showed me the MRIs...

Do you see all the white stuff around the outside on the left picture? That's spinal fluid. The large, almost heart-shaped area is where Isaiah's ventricles are located. Huge and full of spinal fluid.

On the right you see much less spinal fluid and BRAINS! His ventricles are still larger than they should be but they are making progress!  

Even the shape of his head has changed.  I knew that, but to see it in the MRI just makes my heart smile. 

I want to sing from the rooftops and jump in the air kicking my heels.  The shunt is working! And doing a darn good job! And something is going just as it should!!!!!!!!

I want to just revel in this good news. I just want to soak it all in and feel this feeling all the time.  I have to schedule another Fast MRI for six months from now, which I will match up to our pamidronate schedule. And I hope and pray that it shows more progress. 

Now let's start day 2 of Pam! 😃

Almost Pam Time

This week went by both quickly and painfully slow.  Isaiah has been kind of grumpy here and there and we've narrowed it down to either new teeth coming in (he's drooling, grinding and clicking his teeth, and chewing on everything.  Not to mention hysterical tears out of NOWHERE) or bone pain.   I'm leaning toward teeth being the culprit.

We're working on getting Isaiah used to sunglasses.  He and the sun have a love/hate relationship.

Chronic bone pain can be common for some with OI and some don't experience any at all.  Pamidronate really helps with that bone pain if it's something an OIer is experiencing.

I am looking forward to next week; whether Isaiah is experiencing bone pain or not, Isaiah usually starts feeling like a million bucks by the first night of Pam (remember, Pam is short for Pamidronate.  It's a treatment that Isaiah gets through his port that helps his bones.  Isaiah's dosage is every 8 weeks, and it take about 3 hours a day for 3 days.  We stay together at the McDonald House and spend our mornings in the Day Medicine department at the hospital.).  That's usually evident by his attitude and playfulness.

Isaiah loves doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider lately. 

Although I am looking forward to Isaiah feeling better, I am nervous I bit off more than I can chew with next week's schedule.  We have a Fast MRI scheduled for before Pam, bright and early on Tuesday morning...that involves zero sedation but likely a lot of tears. #keepingitreal.  It should be a quick picture inside Isaiah's head to see how/if the shunt is helping relieve the spinal fluid.  Then we have Pam.  The first day is always a bit of a struggle as they have to measure/weigh Isaiah, and access his port (that means they use a needle and basically place an IV...just in his port in his chest instead of in his hand).  

After Pam, we're schedule to see Isaiah's neurosurgeon to go over the Fast MRI.  

All on the first day of Pam.  I assume we are looking at 8+ hours in the hospital on day 1.

The second day includes a visit to Isaiah's pulmonary doctor to check in.

It will be a busy week for sure.

For now, we are enjoying the quiet week, the long weekend, and feeling grateful for the reason for that long weekend. <3

And napping.  There will be lots of napping. ;-)

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!  I'll be taking Monday off from the blog but I am sure there will be a big 'ole post full of good news about the MRI on Wednesday.  :)

Splint for Sale

Hello, welcome to my store.  Would you like to buy a used splint?

Ok, let me ring you up real quick before my momma sees this.  No refunds, by the way.

Yup, my little Houdini was probably out of his splint more than he should have been.  He fractured on Friday, and by Monday I had re-splinted three times and he was still finding ways out of it and wiggling that leg like a maniac.  I ended up removing it when I attempted nap time (figuring maybe that was why he wasn't wanting to nap then...nope, he just didn't want to nap) and he stretched it out happily.

He has been moving that little leggy like normal, which makes sense because if anything I believe this fracture was small and his doctors have told us in the past that he should be back to his normal within 72 hours of a micro-fracture.  We're still being cautious when we move him or play with him, but we're not limiting Isaiah from rolling around or moving it.

Isaiah is due for his next Pam treatment next week (already????) and I will be glad to get him his bone juice. :)

This post was short and sweet but the photos make up for it, right? ;-)

Fractured Leg

We had a good long run without a (known) fracture.  

This is Isaiah's face when he thinks of fractures. 

On Friday, we had a great morning, including water therapy.  Fridays can be rough for Isaiah because he goes down two hours late for nap due to our water therapy schedule.  Typically after water therapy I try to quickly get Isaiah home, in the bath to wash the chlorine off, give him a bottle of milk, and get him to bed.

This picture is from Saturday morning when Isaiah was feeding himself. :) Hooray to feeding himself!

Isaiah was already crying for milk and was so very exhausted after his bath, and as I was snapping the crotch of his clothes, I bumped his leg, and that cry really started.

I tried to tell myself it was an over-reaction because he was exhausted.  I warmed up him milk, gently picked him up off of our bed, and gave his milk in his glider per usual.  He calmed down once his belly was full.  Everything seemed like a normal Friday.

I've had a lot of practice this weekend with splinting Isaiah's leg and using different splinting materials...given that he apparently likes to pee all over his splint when I am changing out the pad in his diaper or rip off certain materials and try to eat them when I'm not looking.  Cool.  (Yup, I said pad.  In order to avoid lifting his hip and causing pain, I put a pad in his diaper to catch the urine.  It works really well.  That way I only have to change his diaper if he has a poopy diaper or misses the pad.) 

Isaiah woke up an hour into his nap screaming his head off, but I went into his room, rubbed his back, adjusted his blankets, and put his music back on and he fell right back to sleep.

After nap, I brought him into the dining room to his high chair, and when I went to separate his legs to get into his seat, he screamed out...Oh my aching heart.  I immediately froze and instead brought him to his playmat on the floor.

I came to terms with it- fracture.  It's a fracture.  I needed to figure out where in his leg that it was so I could splint him and help alleviate the pain.

I turned on Mickey and just tried to calm him down. I noticed he wasn't really moving his leg.  Once he was smiling at Mickey, I squeezed his leg, starting at the foot and working my way up.  I always start the squeezes really super light and if Isaiah doesn't react, I increase pressure a bit before moving on to another spot...when I got to right below his knee, he tensed up and grunted at me.  When I squeezed again to be sure, he cried out.  I got his pain meds, splinting materials, and emailed Dr. B.  I also chatted with two loving OI mommas to go over the basics of what I needed to do.

About 20 minutes after I gave him his meds, I wrapped Isaiah's leg from his toes to his waist* to stifle any movement of his leg.  Movement can equal pain.  If Isaiah had a rod in his femur of that leg, I'd only have to splint the lower half of his leg, but with the bowing of his femur, splinting just that portion then puts his femur at risk and I don't think Isaiah wants any more pain.

Once Isaiah was all wrapped up, things have basically been back to normal.  His ortho is in today at DuPont if I need to talk with him or think Isaiah needs to be seen, but I think he's doing well healing at home.  If I thought the fracture was displaced, I'd already have an appointment for today but since he's been his normally smiling self, I think we're making the right call.

We had plans this weekend, and because Isaiah was handling things so well, we didn't have to cancel any of them. :)  We saw family and celebrated our cousin who just graduated law school. :)  We blew bubbles outside and went for walks.  We played in the living room, just sometimes on the bean bag for comfort.

OI isn't stopping us from our life.  It is so important to Dave and I to teach Isaiah now that if we can get his pain under control, if I can get him splinted so his fractured bone has the support to heal, we will continue on with our days like normal.  There are fractures that give Isaiah extra TV time and cuddles, but thankfully this one is minimal and will be healed pronto.


*So, I'd love to show you Isaiah's splint...but you usually won't see a full blown shot of Isaiah's splints on the internet....there are some weirdos in the world with cast fetishes and well, that just freaks me out.  And yep, I am totally for real.

Water Fun

Yesterday Isaiah and I had some time to kill and I wasn't sure what to do with him.  I casually asked my friend through text and she suggested some water play.  I've been wanting to introduce that into Isaiah's life (outside of pools and the bathtub) so we have a way to be outside in the heat this summer.

It was only sixty-some degrees but hey, why not?

I had to post my favorite picture first.  Seriously, look at that face!

I set up a bucket out on the deck and brought out some of Isaiah's water toys.  I originally tried the bucket on the table but it was just too tall...I pulled out a tv tray table and that was a little lower.

Next time I want to try something else so that the bucket is a little lower but I have to get creative; this was just a test run for summer anyway. ;-)

It's safe to say he loves it.

We've had a busy week.  On Wednesday, we had a crew out to our house from an ad agency based out of Orlando, FL.  They took pictures and film of us around the house that will be used for advertisements around and for AI duPont.  I plan to post more about it at some point, but I am hoping to share a shot or two from the day if they give permission.

Also, our PT session this week involved our friend from the wheelchair company.  Together, we filled out what they call a "spec sheet" for Isaiah's first official wheelchair.  It was a tad overwhelming and very much like picking your next car.  So many choices for each detail...that's another post for the future.  I have a few more decisions to make, Isaiah's PT needs to write the letter for the insurance, and we need approval from a doctor and then it's a go!

Ahhh! My baby big boy will be independent outside the house!  woot woot!

21 Months!

Isaiah turned 21 months this past Monday...most normal people would call that "one" or "almost two". ;-)

You can see how thrilled he was about our picture session.  

I believe he's thinking "Mom, I'm over a year old; stop with these monthly updates already!"

I was in a cleaning tizzy, the curtains were in the washer, and he literally kept looking at the window like "WHERE ARE THOSE HANGY BLANKETS? WAAAH"

Maybe he's just gearing up for being a two year old (FYI, that's 3 months away.  The countdown is ON. haha). Terrible Twos have come early.

I had taken him to get a hair cut (it was beyond our normal DIY cut; we have some things coming up that I wanted to be sure I didn't wreck his hair his hair looked good and Angie at Tangled Manes does a great job.

#keepingitreal.  Getting your haircut is an emotional experience, guys.

This was our third time getting Isaiah's hair cut professionally, but his first time there sitting up like a big boy, because he can do that ya know. ;-) I had brought our Boppy chair with me and it worked rather well.  He'd purposely throw his head around, given how he reacts to hair cuts like he does to doctor appointments...so I was there to grab his head or balance it because I wasn't in the mood for a broken neck.

I forgot a 20 month update (oh, the horror!) last month thanks to his surgery, so things are a little muddled together in my head.

Isaiah's hanging out at his usually 15.5 lbs but comically was measured at 22" long...that's 3" less than last measurement.  It's hard to get it right sometimes, especially when he's hating being at the doctor, but this one was just comical. ;-)

This month, Isaiah started picking his head up during tummy time! (!!!!!!!!!)  We started doing tummy time on an exercise ball and he's really taken to it as compared to on the floor.  

He's also started drinking from a straw (WHOOP WHOOP! FINALLY!) AAAANNND (drumroll please) he's starting to finger-feed himself!  This is huge.  He'd previously been eating like a king 24/7, and I was his servant, placing his food on a fork for him to pick up and eat (because if you put any food in front of him, he'd throw 100% of it all over and eat 0% unless it was on a fork/spoon). 

He started Speech Therapy right before his shunt surgery, and his ST has been great in providing us with all kind of resources.  He's back to learning sign language and has been signing hi/bye, all done, ball, and more....while saying each of those words.  

He's added so many words to his vocabulary....bird, paci (short for pacifier), airport, airplane, tractor!, crazy (haha), open, closed, on, off, Kristy (his PT), Gavin (his BFF), blue, bucket, butt, poop (I wish I was kidding about those last two). Plus he's now saying the letter H thanks to one of his favorite toys...a V-tech helicopter....the crazy thing is that I know there are more words, I'm just blanking right now.

He's started purposeful motions to songs this month, his two favorite songs are Itsy Bitsy Spider and Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes.  

He's really developing and it's just amazing.

Happy 21 months (and 2 days), Isaiah! We love you.

Mother's Day Recap

Hi there!  I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day! I know I did, I was spoiled and loved and Dave did the dishes AND got Isaiah to bed last night.  WIN.  ;-)

A few weeks ago my friend Pam asked me to speak at her church for Mother's Day to give my testimony.  I appreciated being asked, briefly spoke to Dave about it, and said yes before I could talk myself out of it.  Anyone that knows me knows I can talk and talk and talk...but to talk in front of a Church congregation of adults?  I was shaking in my sandals.  

I was questioning every detail.  I was raised Catholic and I have never heard of giving a testimony.  I wasn't sure what it meant.  But after a stint of writer's block, I wrote two pages of what I considered my testimony and gathered some pictures.

Yesterday morning, we arrived at Akron Church of the Brethren and were greeted by Pam, Steve, and Pastor Tom.

Everyone was so welcoming, and you guys, it was a sea of yellow! Pastor Tom asked his entire congregation to wear yellow and so many did!  They also had yellow flowers, a yellow tablecloth, and even the bulletin and music programs were in yellow!  How awesome is that?

Below is my testimony.  I didn't think to record it so you can read most of it instead. :)

_________________

I’ve been home with Isaiah now for almost two years, and they are years that I wasn’t sure I’d always have.  When we were pregnant, we went to our 20 week ultrasound and found out that things weren’t typical for our son, that his condition could be lethal, and in the weeks that followed we found out that he had Osteogenesis Imperfecta or OI for short.  

OI is a collagen disorder that affects a person’s entire body, but is mostly known for the fact that it causes the bones to be brittle.  We knew because we could clearly see many fractures right there on the ultrasound, and our son measured smaller than he should have at his gestational age.  OI is a spectrum disorder, which means that each individual case varies; Isaiah’s case is severe.  Doctors weren’t sure if Isaiah would survive birth.

My vision of what motherhood would be was wiped clean.  My expectations changed dramatically over the rest of my pregnancy and honestly continue to now.  Back then I was just determined for Isaiah to live.

Both my husband and I were very positive but I know we both had some harder moments…it’s easy for them to creep up on you when the word lethal is used to describe your unborn baby’s condition.  Mine were always in the car or in the shower where I’d repeatedly ask God to please let me keep him.  I promised God that I’d take such good care of him, and I’m grateful everyday that my prayers were answered.

Nowadays, I’m determined to see Isaiah move independently, whether it’s using his legs or using a tool like a wheelchair.

Isaiah has faced challenges.  

He has had so many fractures that we just don’t count.  He went into respiratory failure at one month old and had a c-pap machine and oxygen on 24/7 for his first 5 months.  He ate through a tube called an NG tube that went through his nose down to his belly because he breathed so quickly that if he drank his milk by mouth he would choke.  He developed hydrocephalus, which is when spinal fluid backs up into the head, and has had two surgeries already in his life and we expect more.

It would be extremely easy for me to complain and feel sorry for Isaiah and even for myself.   I mean, this is not what I envisioned when I first found out we were pregnant, but instead, most days I choose not to focus on anger, sadness, or fear.  We, as a family, choose joy. 

Selfishly, I think of all of the things that Isaiah has taught me, or what having Isaiah in my life has taught me. 

Thanks to Isaiah, I have learned so much about the medical world.   I can say words like tachcypneic and Pamidronate and I even know what they mean!  I know how to splint a broken arm and I can place an NG/feeding tube but I preferred to let my husband handle that task when it was needed.

I often see the positives in life.

Isaiah is almost 21 months old and wears 3-6 month clothing.  We can see him in every adorable outfit repeatedly.  Think of all the money we’d save if I’d stop buying new clothes!

We had night nursing at our home while Isaiah was on his c-pap.  Dave and I slept through most nights until Isaiah was drinking from a bottle at 5 months.  I feel like I should apologize to every mom and dad in here for that perk…because that was a serious perk!

Some days are hard.  It can be a challenge to go out in public as Isaiah tends to catch other people’s attention.  A little guy rolling through Target singing the Muppets song Mahna Mahna will do that though.

But sometimes it’s hard because of how our life is perceived by others. One of the toughest things for me is when people say “I’m so sorry” in response to my telling them about Isaiah’s OI. 

I understand it, but I can’t help but think please don’t feel pity for us.  We don’t; we feel lucky.  We were told Isaiah may not be here; that his condition was lethal, that he was incompatible with life.  When I think back on when we were planning on his birth and were recommended to have some basic plans set up for a funeral?    

Here we are, with a son who is defying odds and predictions, smiling and laughing, and full of so much love and happiness.  

We choose joy.

I have watched my son fight through challenges and feel pride for his accomplishments, and I imagine every mom here today knows that warm-hearted feeling when your baby masters something that once seemed impossible.

I get to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider.  I have Little Blue Truck memorized thanks to repeated readings… I didn’t know if I’d get to do those things with Isaiah.  I am so grateful that I can.

Isaiah is our greatest gift from God and we will continue to choose joy throughout our lives, despite fractures and set backs…and I hope that whatever challenges are in front of you or your family, that you choose joy too.  Life is so much better when it’s lived with happiness.

____________

Thank you, Pam, for inviting us to your Church.  Thank you for letting me share my testimony, our story, with you.  Thank you to everyone at the Akron Church of the Brethren for welcoming us with such open arms and the generosity you showed us.

We feel blessed, lucky, and joyous.

Be on the look out for a post about Isaiah turning 21 months (that's today! but I'm not ready haha) this week. :)