Recently I read a book with the sub title: Motherhood in the trenches.


Perfect book for where I am at in my parenting endeavor. The actual title of the book is "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic.


Here's what she wrote to summarize her book:

"I didn’t write this book because mothering little ones is easy for me. I wrote it because it isn’t. I know that this is a hard job, because I am right here in the middle of it. I know you need encouragement because I do too.

This is not a tender reminiscence from someone who had children so long ago that she only remembers the sweet parts. At the time of writing this, I have three children in diapers, and I can recognize the sound of hundreds of toothpicks being dumped out in the hall.

This is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.

The opportunities for growth abound here but you have to be willing. You have to open your heart to the tumble. As you deal with your children, deal with yourself always and first. This is what it looks like, and feels like, to walk as a mother with God."

This book was encouraging to me. The chapters were very short (about 2-3 pages); perfect for a busy parent. And she has a sense of humor, which I appreciated. There's a lot of wisdom and teaching, both practical and deeper stuff to chew on. 

Bruises from the ITP

This spot on his lower back looks alot better than it did when it first appeared. The first time I saw this bruise, it was the darkest, bluest, purplest, blackest bruise I've ever seen. 

Notice bruises on both arms.

The day we went into the ER (Feb. 11th), Joshua had a bloody lip, blood crusted nose, and he was bleeding from his gums. These pictures are from after we came home from the hospital, so the purple spots look better. He also had/has petechiae (red dots) which aren't visible in these pictures.
Giving insulin shots was hard, because the giver of the shot (Joel or I) could see exactly all the other spots where we had previously given shots. Just red and purple spots all over those areas.

Another Update

Just wanted to let you know a little update on Joshua. He had his blood drawn and tested on Friday for a platelet count. And his numbers came back to nearly normal: 146,000. (Normal is 150,000-450,000) This is very good, but Acute ITP is more of a waiting game than we (Joel and I) anticipated. The hemotologist (Blood doc) wants to see Josh's platelet count steady over a period of time. The treatment he received at the hospital will wear off at about six weeks. So it is very important for Joshua's numbers to be consistent at about this time period and of course afterwards.

We are looking at about 2-3 months of going to the lab and getting Josh tested. If you can put yourself into a six (almost seven) year old boy's shoes, you may have a better idea on how to pray for him: He's sick and tired of being poked. He wants to run in the house again and he wants to ride his scooter on these warm sunny days (but he can't-due to his current condition).

Joel and I are doing pretty well. We are tired. I'm overwhelmed. My faith is strong, but my body and emotions are exhausted.

Rachel, Madelynn and Hudson are doing just fine. They've caught up on rest now so life is pretty "normal" now.

Thank you to all who've been praying. I don't know where we'd be without Christ and His Church.

Come Lord Jesus, Come quickly...

HOME!

We are home now! Hurrah! A big thank you to all for your prayers and support and encouragement. Joshua is doing well, no bleeding at all today. When we arrived Sunday at 1 am J's platelet #'s were at 2,000. The docs wanted him above 10,000. Today he was 16,000! (A normal person is between 150,000-450,000) The docs say he should be back to normal within six months. For all those curious I finally have the correct name of the condition. Ready? here it goes: Ideopathic (no one knows why) Thrombocytopenic (low platelets) Purpura (purple spots) or ITP. So for Joshua's homework: two feet on the ground until further notice.


You can read more about ITP Here if interested.

update on Joshua (edited)

We spent the night in the hospital due to a few bloody noses. Because of his low blood platelets, bleeding is a warning sign for Joshua's health. The nurses put a mister/vaporizer in his room, and Joshua has not bled from his mouth nose since! :) We are waiting for Joshua's platelet numbers to come back from the lab and this will determine when we get to go home. Hopefully today. Thank you for praying. Joel and I are doing well.