Long Time, No See: Catching Up on Life's Joys
Sharing Our Updates and Hoping You're Thriving Too
The Big Irony
The big irony is that in this podcast 👆, I talked about wanting to create more, yet it took me four months to publish it. It's also stale because Jenn is back on Instagram! The hope she’ll be able to continue to use in a life-giving way.
In the meantime, here are some updates that life has given us:
Amazing Neighbors
We’re starting to feel a sense of community. Brooklyn, the mom of the family next door, welcomed us with home-baked cookies, like you see in the movies, and even did a photo shoot for us that we'll cherish forever. Our "neighbors" from our Church community have been amazing as well, gifting us incredible food experiences and even babysitting so we can have date nights!
Visitors Galore
We’ve had visitors! My good friend from college, whom I hadn't seen in over a decade, visited us. We've also hosted family, including Jenn’s cousin with her three boys, who aren't used to the snuggles Izzy gave her. We’ve also got more family on the way in about a week! Exciting times.
Parenting: R&R (Rituals and Routines)
Parenting is all about R&R – Rituals and Routines! Jenn, my Superwoman, manages a constant barrage of therapies and doctor appointments for Izzy. Every Saturday, Jenn gets to sleep in while I take the girls for overpriced cake pops and sometimes crash (free!) community events like the Easter one with bounce houses, egg hunts, and face painting. Austin is great!
Sisterly Love
Emmy and Izzy are becoming true sisters. Their love/hate relationship is captured in a cute video from children’s church. Emmy is generally sweet but sometimes takes out her resentment on Izzy, who asserts her dominance by pinching and hitting whenever she can. Their interactions, though sometimes chaotic, bring moments of peace and fulfillment.
Izzy's Milestones!
Izzy turned 2! She's such a cuddler and has officially stopped flipping us the bird. Her brain scans are stable, with some seizure activity detected only during sleep. Izzy can now walk, which is a glorious development. It gives us a break when we're outside, though her leg support gear is a challenge to manage.
She also has a lazy eye! The girl came equipped with some extra maintenance required. Her cochlear implant costs more than our car! Despite the unrelated eye issue, the optometrist hoped glasses would help, but now she needs to wear an eye patch for 30 minutes a day for six months. Funny story: the opthamologist initially prescribed patching the wrong eye, but we caught it after a few days. That would have been a disaster!
Emmy's Triumph
She’s still intensely relational, and thankfully, her focus has turned more toward connecting with others. She no longer gravitates only to older kids who take care of her but now has at least three "best" friends her own age. A few months back, we pulled her out of her pre-k program due to some school drama, but she didn’t miss a beat and is thriving. Emmy conquered her fear of tall slides and always makes mommy envious of her hair color.
We’d love to hear from you! Drop a comment with your own heartwarming updates or recent experiences. Whether it's a new milestone, a funny story, or just a moment that made you smile, we’d love to hear about it and catch up with you.