FOOD!

Ok...so there is no hiding the chunky rolls on little Izzy's legs anymore or his adorable squeezable cheeks..nope! He is quite the little chubster these days and I would have to say, I'm not sure the doctors are going to be worried about his weight any longer! Which will be a relief to me! Izzy loves to eat! Bottles, baby food...and anything you have! He now watches every bite we put in our mouths and opens his mouth at the same time we do...just hoping we might send something his way! We have slowly been introducing him to new foods, little by little. So far bread and fruit are a huge hit! On...and chocolate too! :-)

Cluck Cluck Chicken...

Sorry my Halloween post is a bit delayed! Life happens and I often forget all about my blog! Halloween was a blast! We were blessed with awesome warm weather! Israel loved trick-or-treating with his big brother and sister! He even got to try out some candy!

Sitting Up

Yes, it's true. Israel can sit up! It's been such a fun and exciting adventure for him and us, learning something new. He LOVES to sit! It's pretty much the only way he wants to be anymore! No more of the laying down business! No thank you!

He figured it out in about a week and has only fallen a few times since then. Sitting opens up a whole new world of possibilities for Izzy. He loves being able to play with so many new fun toys. He is such a smart little guy and I love watching his mind at work.

First Cold

Israel had his first cold a while back. To be honest, I forgot just how challenging it is to have a sick little one! His cold lasted 2 full weeks and he had all the normal cold symptoms. Poor little guy was miserable. He was so tired, but of course laying down made him even more stuffy, which only escalated the problem because then he couldn't suck his binkie, of whcich he was NOT happy about! For those two week Jon, Israel and myself didn't get much sleep and I am sure there were times that Jon and I were just a cranky as Israel was! So thankful it is over now though. Praying this winter is a healthy one!

7 Months Old

Hey Israel! You’re 7 months old!

What are you up to these days???


You are the happiest baby I have ever known! You are so gentle spirited, light hearted and overall just a joy to be around. You bring smiles to faces of people everywhere we go!

You are a jabber box and have really found your voice recently. You love to interrupt when other people are talking!

You are growing way to fast! It seemed like forever that you were in 0-3 month clothes...and now you are totally in size 3-6 months, as well as some 6-9 months!

You have decided that you would prefer to just take two naps these days. Some days it is still 3, but most of the time we are down to two. Which is actually not so bad, because you sleep longer and are awake longer, which makes doing things much easier!

You went into the daycare at the Kroc center for the first time. You were wonderful and everyone loved you! This was a big step for Mommy, but you did great!

You still only roll from your tummy to your back, but you are SO close to going the other way too! You scoot around on your back still, which I think is pretty ingenious!


You love playing with toys and you are able to figure out how most of them work. As well as how to get them into your mouth!

You love being outdoors (Yes, you are your father's son!). Going on walks is one of your favorite things to do!

You still love your baby food, but you have also found a place in your heart for "finger foods" :-)

You are the light of our lives little one! We love you!

Doernbecher’s again

Israel had another follow up appointment at Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital last week to check his jaw out…and PRAISE GOD… they think his jaw is growing! Growing so well that the plastic surgeon doesn’t see the need for the jaw surgery at this time! THANK YOU JESUS!!! They will continue to reevaluate him every 4 months to just check him and track his progress, but for now…no jaw surgery!


They do however want to perform a more minor surgery on his tongue. I realize I have not elaborated on this much in the past…really because there just wasn’t a whole lot to say about it, but here’s the scoop. Israel’s tongue is tethered. Now this is actually not so uncommon and is easily fixed with just a quick snip. However Israel’s tongue is quite different then the normal case. His is actually tethered all the way to the tip of his tongue and to his lower lip. They call this a tongue/lip adhesion. He currently has no mobility of his tongue. Surgery is possible and relatively quick, comparably to where we were looking at with the jaw surgery. The plastic surgeon will perform the surgery because when she makes the cut, she will have to try and create an underside and a tip of hit tongue, since he currently does not have one. They are wanting to do this sooner rather than later, as there is really no reason to wait. We feel hopeful that this surgery will greatly benefit Israel and that now is the right time. Please be in prayer for him and for us and for the doctors as we await this upcoming surgery. We don’t have a date set yet, but as soon as we do I will be sure and let you all know.

Physical Therapy

Early Intervention is something our family is very familiar with. Both Rachel and Jaxon were delayed in their speech and attended services to help them with this for two years. It is an amazing place, filled with amazing people who truly love these children and see them for who God created them to be, not for their outward disability. Our experiences with Rachel and Jaxon were so special that there were actually tears in my eyes as they graduated from their class and were no longer eligible for services. Which is a wonderful thing because it meant they were doing so well they didn’t need any more help! It was a truly memorable time for us and we came to have a real heart connection with a few of the people there. Well Israel’s needs are slightly different then Rachel and Jaxon’s were. But non the less, we are excited and looking forward to our relationships that will develop with the many specialists that will be a part of Israel’s journey. Right now we have a physical therapist, Judy, who comes out to our home twice a month. She is awesome! She brings new toys and great ideas to help Israel with his mobility and motor skills. She is full of great ideas and lots of information. Eventually, and as Israel’s needs arise, he will also see a occupational therapist and a speech therapist. But for now, motor skills are our biggest concern for him. He has been doing GREAT and appears to be a very quick learner! He is bilateral, meaning he uses both arms to do things, as opposed to a child who has a hand and can simply use their fingers to pick something up. He can hold toys, pick up toys, and even hold a wagon wheel (An infant teething wafer/cookie thing) of which he loves! He also used his right arm dominantly as it is longer and easier for him to function. I continue to be amazed at how adaptive he is, literally using his arm as a hand and picking things up and hooking things around his arm! We are so proud of him and so thankful that God has made him such a little smarty pants!

6 Months Old

Hey Israel, You're 6 months old! (WHAT? How did that happen??)

What are you up to these days???


Well, you are amazing, as always! You continue to show us that you are going to be just fine in this world. You are doing all of the things that every other 6 month old baby does...

Rolling...you much prefer your back, so when you are laied on your tummy and you are done with that, you simply just roll over :-) It's pretty cute!

You are trying to sit, and doing quite well might I add. Of course you still need support, but you are very strong and love to sit up!

You are now trying to put things in your mouth! You are getting quite good at using both arms together and getting objects to where you would like them to be...which is usually in your mouth!

You are still eating baby food well and are quite into it, might I add! You love both fruits and veggies. You have experienced a few tastes of other food, but you don't much care for having texture in your mouth just yet.

You are a gabbering fool! You love to just talk and talk and talk! It's so adorable, however every time I pull out the video camera to try and record those special moments...you stop! Stinker!

You still fit into your 0-3 month clothes...which I have to say I love! With Rachel and Jaxon, they both outgrew their 0-3 month closed in no time and I felt like they hardly got to wear them! But you however, are getting the full use out of yours! There are some 3-6 month things you are fitting into as well.

You now take a bottle full time (Your choice!) which has been both good and hard.

I truly cannot believe how fast time flies and that you are already 1/2 a year old! You are such a miracle and a precious gift from God. We love you so much precious little boy!

HAPPY 1/2 ISRAEL!!!

Ok, so maybe I lied...

In my last post I said I was going to start writing more...and it's been nearly 2 weeks now and i am finally sitting down to write again. Life has been a bit crazy around here! My dear friend Karen and I took over the Children's Ministry at our church and have been spending tons of time revamping the whole program. Between that, school, business and just life...I haven't made blogging time a big priority lately. I do have lots to say and new things to share about Israel with you all, so I will try to get those posts coming as soon as I can. And in the meantime, thanks for your grace while I live my busy life :-)

Shriners

Here are a few pictures I took of our latest trip to Shriner's. I try very hard to document my children's life through pictures, so even taking pictures of things that may not seem very significant at the time, matters to me. So here are a few to share with you :-)

Just hanging out with Dad...waiting for the next doctor.


Izzy loves looking at lights...and the ones at Shriner's have the coolest cloud covers on them!