Do you remember my post from fall where I talked about some of the medical conditions we’ve learned about since we began doing foster care? It was called Not a Medical Baby, and its probably in my top ten favorite posts I’ve written. We have learned SO much in the last stretch of our life, and while its not necessarily been gentle, its been incredibly enlightening, and not at all as daunting as it sounds.

So if you’ve followed along, you know we’ve fed our morsel through an NG tube. That system has been upgraded to a G tube!! Teaching time! The G stands for gastrostomy, which means its inserted directly into the stomach. Previously, we managed an NG (nasogastric) tube that went in through the nose and ran down into the stomach. I feel like logic tells us that the NG tube is a temporary solve, and a G tube is a longer term solution. A G tube does not have to be forever at all, but the NG is significantly more temporary, and is only really meant to stay in for a few weeks. We rocked one over here for a good six months. Moving to the G tube meant surgery, therefore another hospital admission, and healing a surgical site. However, it has proven to be a significantly nicer situation for the morsel, and we have absolutely NO regrets. Behold 🙌 This is what that G button looks like!

Ok but seriously. Its basically just a beach ball valve.

What is cool about going from an NG to a G tube is that almost nothing changes. We used to screw the end of the feeding bag into the tube that was taped to the side of the morsels face. Now, we attach ONE additional piece of equipment – an extension – to the morsels tummy, and screw the end of the feed onto it. We rock the right angle extension, as it lays flat against the tummy.

Poof. Thats its. Not so scary, is it? Everything else is exactly the same. Besides the obvious health benefits for someone who cannot safely feed, the baby has more freedom and comfort this way. The tube isn’t as buggy, and can be tucked under a high chair tray and out of sight. The baby can breathe better when they have a cold, and they are not constantly re-traumatized, having it get pulled out and put back in constantly. It is altogether better, even though the thought of it scared me at first. Now, its just part of us!

Thank you, Rae, for this BOMB shirt!!! 💜

Don’t be afraid if the topic of tube feeding comes up relating to someone you love 💜 That part of whatever they are going through is going to be SO manageable, and you CAN and WILL learn it. It will be easier than you think. One day, you’ll wonder what you were so worried about. It will feel big, but not forever 💜 Hear my heart in this, please. I don’t downplay anyone’s scene. I just want to encourage others to not be afraid of tube feeding. Its really just not so bad at all 💜 Don’t be scared.

Today is supposed to be a mushy, romantic, Hallmarky day, right? Well I’m going for SPICY! And by “spicy” I do mean that Brady built me shelves for my spices!!! Heyooo!

He took out one wall cabinet, and drilled holes in a million places before reinstalling it, rather than building a separate box. The space in there was so small, this was the best option.

And now, my spices have a home, and my dead space has a purpose.

I know. I know, guys. It doesn’t get better than this. A man who renovates.

For reals though, I love you, Brady, and not just today. Thank you for all you do around here for us 💜

Welp. We took seven children to the eye doctor today. It was quite the thing, I won’t lie. Conveniently, Bradys job is nearby, and flexible, so he joined us and we went in as a group of NINE! Also conveniently, the place was pretty quiet when we got there. Not to say it stayed that way once we arrived, but we didn’t disrupt many others, haha!

Everyone’s vision is quite stable, which is awesome! A couple of prescriptions changed, a couple did not, and some glasses had been through more than others. So. The breakdown is like this.

Dekker and Laela both had new prescriptions, and therefore needed new glasses.

Rowan prescription stayed the same, but his vision is improving! Thanks to this, the doctor met him in the middle with the things he struggles with in terms of his vision. This means a bit more glasses time and less contact time. Aaaaand fewer patching hours!! Rowan is THRILLED, and I’m also pretty happy. The reductions are small enough that I still feel like we’re moving forward, but big enough that Rowan feels validated and seen. Win win! With that said, he will keep the same glasses, since they have very little wear.

Solly’s prescription is stable and doesn’t need changing, but his glasses are pretty beat up and need replacing.

Waverly’s vision is awesome, and she doesn’t need glasses! Yet, haha! Who knows what will happen, but for right now, the eye doctor fed Wavy’s ego by telling her she’s basically perfect, haha!

Babies are glasses-free! For the time being, anyway. One will likely need them later. One probably won’t. And both of those options work great for us, however that looks! We are not afraid of a little one in glasses. We’ve done that before.

All things considered, it was a successful appointment and afternoon. One kid will go back in four months. One in six. And most in a year.

I’ll show you their new glasses when they come in. Because I like the suspense. And also because it all happened so fast and I don’t have pictures 😂 I have this one, though.

So. You’re welcome.

🥸

Today is officially THE day. New people take possession of our house on Bitner, and it is officially off of our plate.

I walked through it yesterday and gathered up the last things. The vacuum and the shop broom. Cher, Dekker, and Laela had cleaned the house top to bottom over the last two weekends, which was an IMMENSE gift 💜 The house looked and smelled perfect.

I left the extra key on the island, as well as the garage door openers, the codes to the keypads, and the surveyors certificate. A bottle of wine. I prayed. And then I left!

And that, my friends, was the end of an era. We’ve had about a million firsts in the last few years, and this was a last. A different vibe, for sure, but with no big grief attached to this one. Just, a change, and a good change. We all love our new place. There is still much to do here, but we are well on our way. And now, we only have ONE house to manage and think about, which is way nicer.

I struggled posting this today, however, because TWO topics were relevant and needed to be posted today! This boy 🙌 is SO grown up!

He was off for the day crazy early to go be part of a breakfast thing at his youth pastors house. Ya. He is old enough for that kind of thing already!!

And he won’t even be home until supper because he has practice after school for the upcoming musical!!! I’m SO excited that he signed up for it even though none of his friends did. He is not afraid to do what he enjoys, regardless of his peers opinions. I am SO proud of my Dekker Thomas!

Anyway. Big days. Good days, though, I think. The week ahead is very busy. So far, it carries five appointments with different doctors, and I know a handful of things that will be added in before long. But the house being off the books is a huge relief to my heart and my shoulders.

We hope and pray the new owners love that place as much as we did. That it suits them so well. That it becomes HOME for them so seamlessly.

Happy Monday, friends.

Yesterday marked three years since Brady’s surgery. Officially three years of Brady being paralyzed. Goodness. Those memories do not come without cost.

I don’t know why, but this is one of my favorite pictures ever from when Brady was in the hospital. We were so happy to be together. We both accidentally wore Office shirts. We look well. It’s a nice bright spot. How fortunate we are that none of the appearances here were put on for the camera. We LOVED each other so very much in this picture, and we still do. So very much. More than ever.

We did not dwell on Brady’s surgaversary yesterday. Not at all. We didn’t even talk about it until the afternoon. We worked hard yesterday. Thanks to a couple of willing friends with strong arms, we knocked a lot off the list, and after the work was done, Brady and I collapsed in the living room and sat quietly together for a little while. We didn’t get too deep into it, but I let him know my body was really feeling it.

It feels SO SELFISH to “suffer” with the memories of Brady’s surgery, but I did :/ I do. Yesterday, I felt pretty overdone before the day had even begun. Struggly. Short with the kids. Exhausted. It was just hard all around. I actually fell asleep in the middle of the day, which NEVER happens.

No one faulted me for it. But I am rarely tired enough to fall asleep in the daytime and then still sleep like a rock overnight. But yesterday was that day. I didn’t consciously feel sad about Bradys surgery and our time of change in there, but my body must’ve screamed and cried all day long.

This is jumbled. So am I. But I think thats ok. I’m just trying to make it known that I know I’m a bit of a mess 😅 I also know my best is good enough, and that grief is allowed to show up in the midst of me doing my best. And I trust that those who are truly invested in our family will not judge me or think I’m selfish. Body memory is a very real thing, and I’m navigating it the best I can.

Anyway. Happy three years post-op, Brady. Truly. HAPPY years. I love you more than you know.

It is our last weekend of owning two homes, and I’m ready for it to be done. Its been a wild few weeks, and its time to get all the loose ends tied up once and for all. Meanwhile, I’ve already made a run into the city this morning, and Brady has been doing some work around the house. So far, he’s fixed our storm door and built me some laundry shelving! Woot! We will continue our work here, but while we do that, there is still buzzing at the other house! Cher and Laela are there doing the end of the cleaning (Thank you so much, guys) and some furniture is being moved out as we speak. But this is the list. This is whats left.

-have bed frame picked up

-have freezer picked up

-bring the swing set over

-bring the picnic tables over

-load up the firewood and bring it over

-dig my special rock out of my flowerbed

-take down the baby gates.

-take down tv bracket

-take down garage lights

-leave out surveyors certificate

-label keys

-leave codes

And guys. I THINK thats it! Hopefully today and tomorrow, we can knock that all out and be officially DONE over there.

And the work continues over here! Now that I have laundry shelves, I should get some of that going. A fridge will be picked up, hopefully this weekend, and another appliance brought downstairs hopefully soon. That would sure free up the kitchen. We could still use some muscle if anyone has a free evening and feels like slinging some boxes. But if not, things are still getting done 🙂 Just a bit slower, which is ok, too. Things feel a bit oddly daunting at the moment, but I think some of that will come to a close once we only own ONE home.

Happy Saturday, everyone 💜 I hope your stuff gets done.

Today specifically, I’m feeling a lot of pressure. I’m not sure if its real, or if its in my head, or an unhealthy mix of both, but I’m feeling quite weary this evening. My eyes already ache so I know some of it is fatigue. Anxiety is always worse when you’re tired.

There is still more to do tonight, so I think I will work HARD to get the last things off my plate for the night so I can either hop into bed with a heating pad, or run a bath. Either would suffice.

Don’t get me wrong and think I’m unhappy or unwell. I’m not. There is just a lot looming these days and it’s feeling quite heavy on my back. But we will come through. We always do, by the power of God and absolutely nothing else!

The final days of owning two houses are upon us. Its almost done. Again, while we have LOVED the house we built those years ago, we are wholly committed to our new home, and are ready to let the old place go to its new owners 💜 We REALLY hope they are truly happy there!

In these next few days, we need to tie up the loose ends. This evening, we went over there and started bringing the last load of things home. At least that was the plan. We got rid of a bunch of garbage (tomorrow is garbage day, guys!) and loaded what we could into the bus. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it all. But tomorrow is another day. And this weekend is more days. But there are only a few left.

In the coming days, we need to get the end of the freezer stuff brought over, and get out the last few items of furniture, all of which are spoken for and just need picking up. We have to get some baby gates taken off the wall, as well as the bracket that held the tv. There are also unfortunately a handful of bigger things that need to be brought over from the backyard :/ Thats going to be harder to swing, but hopefully we can make it happen. Thankfully, the cleaning has been poured over by Cher, as well as my two big kids, and is NOT something that I have to worry about! Thank you so very much 💜

So. The race is on. The end is near. And I am ready!

Now. If you’ll excuse me. Its almost 10pm, and I still have some desserty leftovers from yesterday to eat. So. ✌️

It was fifteen years ago when a couple of young things got married.

I’m not totally sure whether that feels like ages ago, or like it was just the other day. I have had the privilege of having Brady by my side for my entire adult life, so its hard to say. What a gift he has been to me, and to our family.

There is simply no one else I would rather go through thick and thin with.

These days, there are many challenges. Different levels of learning. New territory, for sure. Few things are simple. But between you and I, there is ease and comfort. I truly am HAPPY to wake up to you every single day. Sometimes I feel guilt about how beautiful our relationship is, but I turn it around to gratefulness to God.

This year, we have the honour the share this special day with our morsel! 🥰 The first birthday we get to celebrate with one of our bonus babes!!

Today we celebrate another day of clapping, waving, high fives, crawling, babbling, squawking, drooling, and making cheese faces, not knowing how many more we’ll get to share together 💜 Brutal and beautiful all rolled into one. How we LOVE this child.

And to you, Brady, today we celebrate the tip of our iceberg 💜 I love you, dear, and I miss you. See you after work 💜 Be safe in this weather.

Can we talk a little bit more about the kitchen? And the dreams I have for it? K thanks.

So I showed you most of this yesterday, but we’re going to go into a bit more detail on a few things.

The sink is first. The sink that doesn’t plug on the one side. So the left side of this sink plugs. It also has a garburator, which is awesome! We didn’t have one in the other place, and its a really nice little feature. However, thats all this sink has to offer. The faucet is very very old, and the sink is very shallow. So in my perusing online, I found a great sink that is virtually the same size, two basins, about 3″ deeper, with a pull down faucet and a little soap guy in the corner. For a really nice price! Thanks, Costco! So we ordered it, and its sitting on the floor in the middle of the house, waiting to be installed. I hope we can transfer the garburator over. I’m sure we can. Can’t we? Regardless, that sink can’t be installed soon enough, hahaha!

You may or may not have noticed this empty patch in our cabinets. We had to take some cabinets out, and move some cabinets over, to make room for our superfridge, and the cabinet boxes weren’t exactly the same on the wall as well as the base, which is totally normal, but a bummer when you’re just trying to shift things, lol! It left us with this little empty zone. My hopes for this little space is that it’ll hold my spices and seasonings. See this kitchen has lots of cupboard space, but everything is a little on the smaller side, and most of our things (in this case, spices) are large. I don’t have a crazy variety, but what I do have is in big containers. And now that I spend a lot more time in the kitchen, I use them a lot more. The box on the counter below this little space is holding all my spices, and while its a system that works, I would just LOVE to get this box off my counter 😅 So. Shelves in here. As well as in the supply closet. And in the laundry room… I digress. Shelves.

Right beside that little space is my oven/microwave area. Now, I like this space. I raved a bit about how great my oven was yesterday, and I stand by that. It is a GREAT convection oven. I fit six big muffin pans in there at once yesterday! I still do have to shuffle them around a bit, but not too much at all. It did the BEST job on my banana bread. Like, it turned out PERFECTLY. I was THRILLED. My single beef with this oven is that its a bit narrow. While I can fit two muffin trays side by side, I can’t fit two cookie sheets side by side unless they’re the fairly small ones. Like, my smallest sized ones. And I got rid of most of those long ago for obvious reasons. So I wish that were a bit different. In my IDEAL world, I would love to ditch the microwave, and use this space up with a double wall oven 😍 Thats the dream! But in the meantime, I’m VERY grateful 💜 Don’t get me wrong, please! But. Someday. Wall oven.

There is still much to do in this place, but we are so happy to be here 💜 Our stack of projects is tall, but very few of them are BIG projects. Just a BIG list of SMALL projects, hahaha! And a handful of dreams that we’ll hem and haw over for the years to come.