Ryan and Djembe lessons!

I'm so proud of him! -Renee

Good News on Joshua's Diabetes

I forgot to mention that along with seeing the doctor for Joshua's ITP yesterday Joel and Joshua also saw the endocrinologist (diabetes doc). Joshua's A1C (His blood sugar test- an average of the last three months) was at 7.2!!!! This is absolutely fantastic. The docs are happy with anything below 8. Joshua's A1C when he was diagnosed with Diabetes in November was above 11.

So Thank you Jesus!

Another Update on Joshua

Yesterday Joshua had a doctor's appointment concerning the ITP. His platelet levels are now 329,000. A week ago they were 149,000. And two weeks ago they were 2,000. May praise be to Jesus!
Doctor's orders this time are: No Activity Restrictions. (yea!) And no more pokes until his appointment in April: In five weeks Josh will have another platelet check and if those numbers are good then we are in the clear. !!!

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.