Support Josiah

A "Packed" Post

Josiah looking at Faces! <3

It has been a little over a month since Josiah started enjoying his therapy room and therapy pool. The benefits have been numerous. His appetite and sleep are both improved. His self injury and aggression are way less frequent. And it is such a blessing to see him enjoying swimming again. Jeremy and I are seeing a significant decrease in the duration of his meltdowns due to having an isolated, padded, and quiet space to help calm him. It has made a tremendous improvement in his overall quality of life. 

So much has happened the past few weeks. I haven't had the time to share several of these updates until now. :)

Jalen. That kid! MANY times each day, we travel from the highs of being amazed by his intelligence and quirkiness to the lows of wanting to "strangle" him for making an unfathomable mess or destroying our property. A few weeks ago, he flushed an entire role of toilet paper. This is the third time this has happened and it has clogged our drains each time. Well.....the big difference this last time is that the therapy room and bathroom are now part of our home. Because this room is now the lowest level of our home, the sewage backed up into the therapy bathroom. This bathroom is wheelchair accessible so the sewage water ran out of the shower and under the therapy room floor. Jeremy noticed a small river of water flowing outside. It was coming from under the therapy room wall!!! When I went to investigate, I found the therapy room floor soaked. THANKFULLY the padding that was laid in this room can be easily removed and cleaned. Our friend and top notch plumber Jerry Hayes came to the rescue and unclogged the drain AGAIN! He also installed some kind of device that will prevent the sewage from backing up into the therapy room. If you ever come over to visit and you have to use the restroom, be sure to ask for toilet paper before entering. It's now all under lock and key! Above you will see a picture of Jalen's destruction and below a video of his tribute to Mr. Rogers. See....highs and lows. :)

My brother Jonathan and sister-in-law Alisha invited us out to their lake house a few weeks ago. We were all nervous to see how Josiah would handle being there, but he did GREAT! He loved swimming in the lake with his Papa, and he particularly enjoyed riding on the boat. All of the kids had a blast! One of my favorite parts was watching the kids ride the tube! Even Jalen took a turn! :) It was a great day! 

Uncle Jon making Jalen fly high! 

Judah's turn!

Josiah swimming with his Papa and cousin Jessie. 

Jalen loved the lake!

Our son Jason and nephew Joel. 

Jalen and Jack riding the tube.

Getting ready for the Auction! :)

Jeremy recently used several of his vacation days. Since traveling is very difficult for us, we were home all week. It was so nice having the pool for all of us to enjoy together. I can't begin to convey how wonderful it was to not feel "stuck" at home, because we had something to do that everyone LOVES! Jeremy hosted one of his traditional "survivor food auctions" one evening for the kids. It is a spin off from the show Survivor where the contestants bid on various items that they would like to eat. Some items are visible to the bidders and others are hidden. It's a lot of fun and the kids enjoy snacking on all their "purchases" while they watch a movie with their Dad in the evening. I am so thankful for Jeremy's job and his willingness to work so hard, but I found myself very sad at the end of the week when he had to return to work. Life is so much easier when Daddy is there to help. Especially for Josiah....

Jalen knocked his head on the pool and got a goose egg. This was his bandage creation. :)

Jason got a horrible case of swimmers ear. But he found a way to "just keep swimming..." 

This week all of our boys had there "yearly" physical. Mom truth....to my shame, I don't take them every year. Once they past the immunization stage, I tend to take them just when they are sick. This isn't the best, but I'm thankful that our awesome pediatrician Dr. Mertz is so gracious and understanding. I could probably write a book about all the ways he has helped us and cared for our kiddos over the past fourteen years of being their pediatrician. His grace and humility and loving concern are all things that our family gives thanks for often. Also, a huge shout out to Nurse MoRhonda for fielding my calls, doing the leg work to manage our large family's needs, and for being a shoulder for this Mama to often cry on. They made the visit for Josiah go flawlessly and fast. We are so very grateful for Burlington Pediatrics! I hope you enjoy these picture of our two youngest: Judah and Jason. The gowns were the funniest part of the visit! <3

As far as the project goes, we are waiting to install the Aquashield cover over the pool until after the drainage issues are addressed in the yard. The drain installation and landscaping should be going in soon. We cannot wait to see everything complete!

I realize I have packed a lot into this post, but they were things I have really been wanting to share. Thank you to those who are contiuning to follow our journey and who lift us up in prayer regularly. We trust God to meet the needs of each new day. He has never failed do so....

Because of His grace,
Christy