Legs...aka Horse Hooves!

After MANY adjustments to Izzy's prosthetic legs over the past 7 months...I think we are finally getting somewhere! I am learning so much as we go along. Learning that there is no set way to "do" this whole "leg" thing :-) Every child is different in their specific needs based on SO many different things. And those needs change just as quickly as the child grows! Our most recent change is adding some "horse hooves" as we have decided to call them...lol! (We have to find humor where we can, otherwise we spend way to much time crying!) As you might remember in an earlier post we found the best thing for Izzy's prosthetic legs were for him to have no feet. Although, now that he is standing a lot more and trying to take side steps and things, he is needing some sort of "feet" for added stability that his "stumps" just can't offer. But we (me, his physical therapist and his prosthetist) decided he just isn't quite ready for feet yet. So his wonderful prosthetist (the person who makes his prosthetic legs) designed these for him!




(Izzy is zooming cars down the race track and cracking up as they "crash" into his big brother and Daddy)

The moment we put them on him he stood up much straighter and with much more confidence! In these pictures he is standing completely unassisted...and he did this for about 10-15 minutes without a sit break! Jon and I are trying VERY hard to be more diligent with working with him at home with his legs on...as he is VERY ready, all he needs is opportunity! I can't wait for the day when I can post about him pulling to stand and walking!

Another inspiration

On this journey with Israel we have had the opportunity to hear about, meet, get advise and become inspired by many different people who share our journey in their own way in some way or another. You might remember we got to meet Nick Vujic who has often been a source of strength for me. He has an amazing website called Life Without Limbs if you need a little inspiration. But most recently I found a YouTube video of someone I have heard about since the beginning of our journey at Shriner's. She is very similar to Israel in terms of her arms and legs. She is 16 years old and is a dancer and really lives a fairly normal life. Watching this video...I was inspired! Her name is Kiera she lives not to far from me. I have never had the chance to meet her, but I hope to someday. Click Here to check out the YouTube video and get inspired :-)

FAST!

Yup...That's Izzy! He is FAST! He crawls without hesitation and rarely rolls anymore. He can get anywhere he wants in almost no time at all! He crawls on his knees and the ends of his arms (even though they are different lengths) no matter the surface. He follows me everywhere saying "Mama" and is often getting into trouble! His latest thing to do is dump out the garbage cans and also turn off the computers while the kids are going school. But I don't complain! I got MANY extra months without a busy kid...so it doesn't bother me. Plus is it just a constant reminder of how quickly he is growing and changing. Before I know it he will be walking and running. Here is a cute little video for you to enjoy (Don't mind the messy house...it was the day after Christmas!)

Update: Shriner's Christmas Cards

I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who purchased Izzy's Shriner's Christmas cards this year...no doubt they were the cutest ones your family and friends received! It was such a last minute thing...but still...I was amazed at the turnout. I got 300 cards in my original order and ended up having to get 100 more! I received a $1 per card donation from everyone who ordered, and a few who gave extra too. We were so blessed by your generosity and loving hearts toward our sweet boy and an amazing place who has changed our lives. Izzy and I plan to take in all the donations on our next visit, which is in three weeks. Do doubt, Shriner's will be so grateful for this unexpected financial gift, especially since they are a FREE hospital! Thank you all again!

Merry Christmas!

Even though we are a few days late...we wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas! Praying your day was filled with love and laughter.

Here is our annual Christmas newsletter...written this year by Jaxon, our 6 year old son. These are honestly and truly his words! I didn't plant any of this...it is straight from his mouth. Enjoy...and Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas ~ from Jaxon
(And the rest of the bunch!)
~2010~

Mom thought since I am reading and writing so well that it was my turn to write the Christmas letter. My name is Jaxon and I am 6 years. I do homeschool and I am in first grade. We are doing video school this year and I like it a lot. I am good at soccer because I practice at home. I like to play on the swing and bounce on the trampoline with my sister because I like her. I also like to play Wii.

Izzy is my brother and he is 1 ½ years old. He is cool because he has no hands and he can pick stuff up. He can also roll and crawl and he always wants Mommy. He is learning how to say Mom and Dad and Rachel and Jaxon. He is lucky because he doesn’t have to do school.

Rachel is my sister and she is 8 years old and she is in third grade. She likes to play girl stuff like dolls and dress-up. Rachel is good at helping out with Izzy. She likes to sing and dance a lot. We go to a homeschool group called FIGS and it is fun. We like to play WebKinz together too.

Mom is my Mom and she is 27 years old. She helps with school and it’s good because she always helps us if we don’t know what to do with our papers. She likes to go on dates with me. Mom always takes me somewhere special. Sometimes my Mom takes me to Sweet Papaya. She always makes lunch and dinner and it is yummy. My Mom is my favorite Mom in the whole entire world.

My Dad is 28 and sometimes he kind of helps us with school too. He likes to go on dates with Rachel. Sometimes he goes to Sweet Papaya with Rachel too. He helps with Izzy so he isn’t cranky. He does Beautiful Blinds and Beyond for work and he fixes blinds for other people. He likes to hunt daddy dears and elk. He likes to shoot anything he can.

The End.

From, Jaxon (Dad, Mom, Rachel & Israel too)

Yup...still here...somewhere

I have been meaning to blog...honest...somehow life seems to just get away from me and blogging takes a backseat to the hustle and bustle of our everyday life, not to mention it's been the holiday season, which always adds more busy-ness! But we are all still here and doing well. I am going to be more diligent though about making myself take the time to sit down and write, because I really do LOVE blogging! And I know I have lots of faithful followers that are probably wondering what in the world has happened to me. So keep your eyes peeled...more posts are on the way! OH...and Happy Thanksgiving...Merry Christmas...and Happy New Year too!