Little Sluggers

Well this summer of t-ball went much better than last year.  Mara wasn't interested at all last summer and spent most of the time sitting in the infield making "sand pies."  This summer was much more successful! 

 warming up with C

 little M watching his big sis

Officially Summer

It's officially summer at our house!

Bubble Fun

This kid LOVES bubbles! 

He just giggles and giggles chasing after them.  It's adorable.  He suggested we blow bubbles one morning, and Mara wasn't the least bit interested.  But his laugh was so contagious that she couldn't help but join in on the fun.  I'm pretty sure she enjoyed watching the excitement on his face and listening to his cackles much  more than actually chasing the bubbles herself.

It's a bit tricky to blow bubbles and take pictures at the same time.  I just have to get a video of him chasing bubbles, but that'll have to wait until Lance is around to blow the bubbles for us. 

Ah, the simple things in life.  So thankful I get to take in these small moments every day with these two. 

 

Father's Day

We had a great Father's Day weekend!  A fire and s'mores are on our summer bucket list, so we decided to tackle that. 

 We celebrated with my grandpa and dad at Incredible Pizza.  They make gluten free pizza!

We've been here several times before, but this was the first time Micah was tall enough to ride the go-karts.  He was pretty excited, but I think Lance was even more excited to take him on his first ride.  They won the race!

 Mara got to ride with Great Grandpa.  She told him to slow down in the middle of the race because it was bothering her stomach.  I'm not sure what was up with that as she's usually wanting to go faster!

We finished the weekend with a trip across the street to check out the freshly made bales.  Yes, we live in town and this is directly across the street.  Oh how I love our location!

I may be a bit biased, but we definitely have the best daddy ever!  He loves our kids unconditionally, and he rarely runs out of patience.  He is so good at fun, imaginative play with them.  They love his silly jingles and quirky games.  We really appreciate all of the hard work he does for our family.  We love you, Daddy!

JIA Update - Mayo Appointment

*Just realized I didn't get this post published last week!  I sent an email to some of you saying the full story was on our blog, but I forgot to publish it!  Sorry!  Here it is now.

 

We made the 4 hour trip to Mayo in Rochester for Mara's appointment.  Thanks to Grandpa A and Grandma J for watching Micah while we were gone.  Mara has never enjoyed traveling, but she did an amazing job this trip!  We stopped about every hour on the way up for potty and stretch breaks.  We haven't traveled that far with her in quite awhile, so we were trying to be proactive:)  She got a bit restless after our last stop, so I gave her the present Great Grandma P sent with us.  A big pack of twistable crayons and paper was just what she needed to get us the rest of the way there.  Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!   

Lance stays in hotels fairly often for work, and we usually Facetime him when he's gone.  The kids always ask to see his bed, desk, and other things in his room.  So they're very intrigued by hotel rooms especially since we haven't stayed in one for awhile.  Mara was pretty pumped to get to stay in one.  She kept asking, "When are we going to get to Daddy's hotel?" (like there's only one hotel in the world!). 

She immediately had to check out the shower, tv, and decide who was sleeping in which bed, among lots of other things.  We got to the hotel close to bed time, but we of course had to go swimming first!

She was concerned that we didn't bring her night light.  Grandma J sent along some glow sticks, and they worked perfectly for a night light next to her bed.  Thanks Grandma J!

We took the hotel shuttle to Mayo.  She was pretty excited for her first "bus" ride - even though her face doesn't show it!

Our first appointment was in urology.  She has been having some bladder spasms which causes urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence for about 6 months now, so we pediatrician referred us to a specialist.  We were relieved to find out bladder spasms are very common among kids after being potty trained as they see several kids a day with the same issues.  Most bladder spasms can be reversed without medication which was great news for us.  Bladder spasms can be caused from things like stress, changes at home, or sometimes they start just out of the blue.  We are supposed to keep her on a 2 hour potty schedule, and eventually her bladder should relax and the spasms should stop.  After this appointment, the doctor gave her the full princess treatment:  tiara, ring, sticker and sucker!

We had a couple hours until our next appointment, so we walked several blocks to a really fun park.  Check out this gigantic sand box! 

 

Our last appointment was with a pediatric rheumatologist.  I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I was prepared for the worst - a recommendation for Methotrexate.  At the least, I knew we'd have to do blood work and maybe other tests which was cause tears, fear and anxiety in my baby girl.  The doctor we met with explained to us that some doctors can be quick to prescribe medication because the possibility of permanent joint damage is unknown.  However, he said there really is no research or evidence that shows that if JIA is left untreated that permanent damage is eminent.  But obviously it's a possibility.  He said doctors may prescribe medication when signs are possible but not obvious to make sure they are covering potential issues.  He also admitted that he's on the conservative side, even at the Mayo clinic. 

 

Mara had injections in both knees when she was first diagnosed with JIA.  He said 2 years ago injections weren't used very often, so Methotrexate was the go to treatment.  Now injections are much more widely used, especially at Mayo.  He said his course of action would be another injection if she has another flare up.  He rarely recommends medication, like Methotrexate, unless the injections aren't lasting at least 6 months or other NSAIDs aren't working either.  He said since she has only had 2 joints affected and the injections have lasted a year at this point, her future is looking very positive.  He said she is at low risk for lots of other joints to be involved.

 

He did a complete physical examination, similar to ones she's had before.  He couldn't find any obvious signs of active arthritis.  Her right knee was the joint we have been most concerned with.  He said it maybe felt a degree or two warmer and he could maybe feel a little tissue in a hallow spot (both signs of inflammation).  Neither of these signs were obvious enough to require any treatment at this point.  He would like us to come back in 6 months for another check.  No blood work or other tests were needed.  Yeah!

 

I honestly couldn't believe what we were hearing!  I was so relieved and thankful that our prayers had been answered!  We didn't really discuss her diet changes.  I mentioned that we had started a gluten and dairy free diet and the supplements she's taking are in her records, but he didn't ask any questions about that.  I had planned to discuss this with him, but I guess I was so surprised that he didn't see any signs of arthritis that needed further treatment that I didn't feel the need to ask his opinion about the diet changes.  Honestly, I don't really care what his opinion is about the diet changes.  I know he's a medical doctor who primarily looks at treating symptoms and we're also seeking care from a functional medicine doctor who treats causes of symptoms.  Both are very important to us, but I know they don't always have the same course of action because they have both been trained differently and are working from two different angles.  The most important thing to us at this point is that her arthritis isn't active (for whatever reason), and she doesn't need to be on medication. 

 

We obviously are hoping that treating her for leaky gut syndrome has had an effect on the arthritis symptoms that were identified from our previous doctor 3 months ago.  I have been and will continue to fully rely on God's leading for Mara's health.  I am constantly seeking God's help and will in our decisions for her care.  I have felt Him guiding and leading us down the different paths we've taken, and I am confident He's in control.  Thanks to our friends and family for your continued prayers and support.  Thank you God for your constant faithfulness and love. 

 

Happy Birthday Grandpa Alan

Grandpa Alan is pretty spoiled with attention this time of year.  His birthday always falls pretty close to Father's Day.  We got to spend the day with him for his birthday.  Mara was beside herself with excitement.  She made him a blue cake with orange frosting, wrapped his present, made a birthday poster, and of course we had to take balloons and streamers to decorate their house.  It was a fun day! 

Mara ended the day with a scraped up nose.  She was riding the motorized Gator with cousin L.  Not sure exactly what happened, but I think she was trying to get off and stood up while it was still moving.  I think she fell off when it stopped.  She fell face first onto the concrete.   

Pork Expo

We love to head to the Pork Expo every summer with Grandpa and Grandma.  We usually go on the evening when there's live music.  We eat lots of pork and dance our pants off!

 

Big Bro and Big Sis

 As you may know, Micah LOVES his baby.  He became pretty attached to "him" (dressed in all pink baby) several months ago.  This attachment wore off after a few weeks, but it's back!  Baby goes lots of places and does lots of things with us.

Sometimes he even "hears" Baby crying and runs to his rescue.  I love watching his imagination develop!  He even goes as far as taking Baby out to play baseball with him.  Baby just dangles at his side in his hand as he uses his other arm to swing at the ball on the tee.  I pray that he gets the opportunity to be a loving, tender daddy someday.  In the mean time, I think he'll be the best Big Bro ever! 

And this girl will definitely be a great Big Sister!  She LOVES babies.  Especially Cousin K.  I love to see the look on her face when she hears we get to see him.  He wasn't feeling well one day at our house, so she got to rock him.  She was definitely loving this!

 

We are anxiously awaiting your arrival Baby Livingston #3!

 

Splish Splash

Our pool is open!  This prego momma may just go for hanging out there most days!  Not a big fan of the heat so far.  And I know it's only going to get worse.  Dad went with us over the weekend.  Both kids are a little bit hesitant in the water, so it was nice to have him there with us for the first time.  They quickly warmed up, but I still am thankful neither are fishes because that makes my job much easier when I'm by myself!

 

 

 

Half Marathon

Lance has been training for a couple of months for his first half marathon.  We got up bright and early and headed to cheer him on. 

 We camped out at mile 7 and waited.

 Mara wanted to wear her cheerleading outfit and bring her pom poms.  Her outfit is a bit small, so I convinced her just the pom poms would be best.  They enjoyed cheering on the other runners until they saw Daddy.

 Daddy jetted across runners and came to give the kids a squeeze before continuing on.

We then headed to the finish line.  Here he comes!

We were all very proud of this guy!