Prayers Answered

I'll start by thanking all of you who were praying for various specific requests and by giving glory to God. He always answers prayers, but sometimes it isn't how we want. This Friday, God answered three of our prayers and all how we desired so that Thomas can get the best support we can find.

Thomas's government benefits were renewed for another year. This helps a lot with the expenses of his care.
I wrote a letter to Thomas's surgeon and in response he gave us 45 minutes of his time after work one day to help us brainstorm and make some important decisions. Then I wrote a lengthy letter to the other three doctors on the team, asking them all to coordinate on an issue . . . and they did! They got back to me within hours with a new plan for those two necessary medications that "don't play nice together." We are trying the new plan. Stay tuned.
A national GI specialist at Boston Children's Hospital is willing to take on Thomas! I'm told I will be called "early next week" for scheduling.

Homeschooling

I still remember when Thomas had emerged from two months in PICU, much of it heavily sedated and on a ventilator, and we were finally on the Heme-Onc floor where he could be propped up in bed and interact. One day I pulled out his school books and checked . . . Thomas could still read, he could still write his own name and do spelling, and he remembered the lessons we had been working on the week before he went into surgery about three months prior. That moment was one of the high points. Obviously, Thomas lost much of his Kindergarten year, but here we are in the winter of his first grade year and he finished All About Reading Level 1! He reads his own picture books, signs in public, and any packaging on anything, and he writes little stories he leaves for me around the house. We thank God for this area of Thomas's life that is going swimmingly because we all need a "win."

David (4-1/2) is starting to draw recognizable objects instead of scribbles which he calls "windstorms"!

I love how I find artwork by Thomas (6) lying around the house everywhere. It's a mess I never mind cleaning up.

A classic image drawn by Margaret (10)

Federation

Congratulations to Mary and Margaret who both earned Superiors in piano at Federation last Saturday. We have not had a steady piano teacher for a year and a half. They tried really hard and pulled it off!

Music education had been a cornerstone of our homeschool, and it took a huge hit due to losing our teachers of a decade, then COVID, and Thomas's illness, of course. It remains to be seen if this was a fatal hit on our music education. We are back to looking for a piano teacher again for five of the kids, but we do have a violin teacher for one child, and a voice teacher for one child.

Strewing for the win . . . I bought a telescope and just left it out on a table obscured by the store plastic bag. The younger kids discovered it, begged and begged till I gave permission to set it up, and they've been enjoying learning how to use it.

Another item left out strategically was a younger kids' engineering book on how to build things out of common household items. One morning, Thomas built a rocket ship himself after quietly puttering around the house, collecting the necessary paper towel roll, duct tape, CDs, and card stock paper. I didn't even know he was working on the project until he showed me the final product. Note that he is still in pajamas because I was so overwhelmed with other duties that formal school was starting late. But he used his time to do a wonderful craft project, so was he really "missing school"?

First-Time Birthday Party Guest

Thomas got to attend what I think might have been the first birthday party he's ever been invited to. It certainly was the first one he's been able to attend in a couple of years! He hammed it up and had a great time.

Puppy Photos

Tilly sleeping on her brother's head

Tilly hanging out in John's hoodie while he cubes

Who could say no to these pups?

Joseph kissing sweet Nicky (right before Mama barks, like always, "Don't kiss dogs!")

We had construction workers in the house making a lot of noise, so we had to take the puppies upstairs for the day. A little snuggle under a weighted blanket for anxiety and Nicky was fast asleep. Not spoiled, nope, not spoiled at all.