The Journey of Israel

iPad2

2012-01-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

No point in trying to make some grand entrance for this post because I am just way to excited...IZZY GOT AN IPAD2!!! This has been a long time coming and I am beyond excited!!! We got it a few days ago and just introduced it to him today and he was very excited too! Here's the whole story :-)

As you probably know from past posts, Izzy has a complicated mouth (to put it easily) and is unable to speak very clearly. He has been going to speech therapy four times a month for the past year or so. While he has made small improvements over this time it is very slow and will be many years before he is able to speak well enough for others outside our family to understand him. It will also be a long time before we (as his family) know more then the 40 words (or so) that he can say along with the sounds, pointing, prompting and playing 20 questions.

There is some amazing speech and communication devices, programs and software available these days. They are called AAC which stands for "Augmentative and Alternative Communication". I have spent many hours researching, talking with experts and parents, and getting some hands on experience too. We figured out exactly what we would need to purchase that would fit Izzy's needs...and well...the price was quite far beyond our range. We applied for different grants and continued to get denied. I almost just used our credit card many times, but knew better. And then one day, I got a very unexpected phone call. My Uncle Dale (who lives in Alaska) wanted to do a fund raiser at his work for Izzy to get him the iPad! I was blown away. Within a month he had raised enough money to get everything we needed for Izzy!!! I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of complete strangers when they see a need, especially when that need is my little boy.

We introduced the iPad2 and Proloquo2Go software to Izzy today and let me just tell you...that boy is a FAST learner. He picked it up in no time at all. I just know that within a few weeks he will be able to use it so functionally to "speak" and be understood much better, thus alleviating the frustration he experiences. I am very thankful that we live in such a technical era in which such things are available. What a blessing!

*THANK YOU UNCLE DALE for your generous heart and selfless act in raising money (and giving your own too!) so that Izzy has a functional way of communicating with his world. Your thoughtfulness won't be forgotten. I wish we lived closer so you could "talk" with Izzy. I will take some videos soon and share them with you.*

Shriner's Christmas Card...AGAIN!

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

It was such a HUGE honor when we were asked last year for Izzy to be on the front of the Shriner's Christmas Card. You may remember this super cute picture that was the cover of the card...

We were asked again this year! Wow! I have been told that he stole the hearts of many and they just had to use him again so everyone could have an update on him. What a blessing that I get to share my precious boy with so many! Here it is!

(Cover of card)

(Back of card)

New Legs...with FEET!

2011-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

YES! We have finally advanced to legs with feet!!! This was a very proud and exciting day for me. Izzy was doing so good with his one helper leg that it was time to move on to a new set of legs. He got to pick out what he wanted them to look like...and of course picked green legs with dinosaurs. Such a boy. It has been quite a process already as there is so much to learn when you have feet that you have never had before! Plus they make him almost 2 inches taller. He is a quick learner and has finally decided that prosthetic legs and walking isn't such a bad thing after all. Don't get me wrong...Izzy has yet to actually choose to wear them on his own, but at least he doesn't fight me like he used to. He is wanting to do everything for himself and putting on his legs is no exception. He is learning quickly how to put them on...and even more quickly how to take them off! He is really enjoying being upright and tall. He can see thing he hasn't been able to before, and get into all sorts of new things. I have Izzy wear them for about one hour per day, give or take. There are days we never use them, and others when we use them much more. I give myself (and Izzy) grace to do whatever fits best for that day.

As you may remember from earlier posts...not buying shoes for this child has been very challenging for my heart, so you can only imagine the joy I had as I was able to buy him his first pair of shoes! Izzy and I went shopping the very day we got them and tried on lots of pairs until we found the perfect ones!

I have always tried to give his prosthetic legs a name but nothing has ever stuck...until now! Izzy named them, all on his own. He calls them his Boys :-) I have no idea where he came up with this name but I love it, and so does he. I don't know if it has something to do with the dinosaurs or maybe the fact that I have called them his big boy legs or told him he is such a big boy now...who knows. But at least we have something to call them now!

Here is a picture of Izzy wearing his new Boys.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

Prioritizing my life

2011-12-14T20:57:00.001-08:00

Eeeek!!! It's been over a month (again) since I last posted! Sorry friends...but I have been having to do a lot of prioritizing in my life. I am very good at getting super busy and committing to way to much. When this happens I realize I loose focus on what really matters in my life. So the things that aren't on the top of the priority list take a back seat, and whenever time allows I bring them back out. My blog is one of those things. But tonight...I feel like I really want to take some time and write! There has been so much going on with Izzy and I know many of you would love an update! So stay tuned for more blog posts such as...
Shriner's Christmas Card
New Legs With FEET!
Christmas Events
Family Photo Shoot
Physical Therapy
Speech Therapy
Special Times With Family

But for now, I will leave you with this super cute picture :-)

Back to School

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

This September marked the beginning of my 4th year homeschooling! I could write for days on homeschooling, but that's not what this blog is all about :-) Lets just say that I feel beyond blessed to be called to stay home with my children and educate them. I have no idea how long I will homeschool, so I just take it a year at a time and try very hard to treasure each day I have with my precious little ones. This year Rachel is 9 years old and in the 4th grade. Jaxon is 7 years old and in the 2nd grade. We are using BJU Distance Learning for the second year and still loving it. It really is a perfect fit for our us at this stage in our life. We are also continuing to attend a local homeschool co-op called FIGS. The kids are learning and growing so fast. (I am re-learning a lot too!) This year our biggest challenge has been keeping my toddler busy! Last year he didn't care at all about Rachel & Jaxon doing school, but this year is very different. He wants to be with them all the time! He wants to do school with them or at least do something that looks like what they are doing :-) I have been spending a good chunk of time on pinterest finding different activities and such things to keep him occupied and stimulated during school time. Israel has a love for letters and shows a desire to learn. I look forward to teaching him someday too. I am blessed to be their mother and teacher.

State Fair

2011-11-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Oregon State Fair is a long time tradition for my family. It's how we know summer has come to an end and the school year is just around the corner. We go every year and spend an entire day (13 hours to be exact!). We do it all from rides, to shows, to animals, and of course food! Recently we have started going with my sister's family which has been wonderful. This year Izzy was tall enough to go on one ride, the Canoe Ride, and he loved it! His big cousin Callie held him and it was super cute. Jaxon and Rachel enjoyed lots of thrill rides as they are tall enough for everything now.

First fair ride!

All time favorite ride at the fair...The Zipper

Izzy LOVES animals!

Jaxon got asked up on stage to do a little break dancing competition! He was SUPER excited and did awesome!

Clamming

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

We live only an hour away from the beach so we go often! Unfortunately our beach isn't usually warm and sunny. Its usually cold and windy. We wear winter coats and if we are brave enough we dip our toes in the water. But never the less...its our beach and we love going. This wear we decided to try clamming! We decided to go on a guided tour and were quite excited as we have never done anything like this before. My parents were joining us as well. We got up early and were there all ready to go, only to find our that the tour guide was sick and we had NO guide for the day! We made the best out of it and borrowed the items and used our iPhones to learn how to clam! LOL! It was a funny site I'm sure for anyone who knew that they were doing, but we didn't care! We went and had a blast! We mostly only caught small ghost shrimp (not edible) and a few tiny clams.

And since we were at the beach we made a whole day out of it; lunch at Mo's, lots of GeoCaching, Playing in the sand, The Wax Museum, and The Undersea Gardens too. Our day was full of laughs and smiles and fun memories. We hope to go back again on the tour some day. But for now...here are some pictures.

Clamming

Jon and my Dad...oh my!

Rachel & Gramma

He loves the sand

We made it in time for the show!

Truly NEVER a dull moment!

Our family with my parents Jeff & Mary

Canyonview

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

This post isn't about Izzy...it's about my other two beautiful children Rachel & Jaxon! This summer they got the opportunity to attend a camp local to our area called Canyonview. They went for the first time last year and loved it so much that we had to go back this year! It is a Christian day camp. The kids do all the typical camp things...canoe rides, candle making, learning silly songs, creek walking, swimming, hiking, making new friends, Bible study time and SO much more. With Izzy being the youngest and having needs that require more of my attention, it was so wonderful to have something that was JUST for Rachel and Jaxon. A place where they could go and just be them, not Izzy's brother and sister :-) We are very thankful for this camp and what it means to our family and the many ways it blesses our children. The kids are already looking forward to going back next year!

Rachel & Jaxon's camp counselor - He was GREAT!

On the last night they put on a program for the families. It is full of silly songs and the salvation message too.

Camping

2011-10-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

This summer we enjoyed lots of camping. We do it the old fashion way...in a tent! We have dreams of someday having a camper...but that's not today. We love to camp in the Bend/Redmond area where we are pretty much sure we will have lovely weather! No point in tent camping with kids in the cold and rain! Izzy LOVES being outside and getting dirty (Although he doesn't like being dirty beyond the activity he is doing...lol). We did lots of hiking, GeoCaching, biking, swimming, rafting/tubing and relaxing. Here are a few of my favorite photos from our trips this summer.

There is never a lack of fun in our family!

Doesn't get much sweeter than this!

GeoCaching

This was one of our favorite camping activities this summer

Off to go rafting for the first time

*Family*

Learning to make Paracord Bracelets

The Turkington Family ~ Summer 2011

Camp Attitude

2011-09-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

I have waited to write this post because there is just way to much to say (and show) and I just know I won't do it justice. But I will try to put into words this amazing place full of love and grace.

Camp Attitude is a camp for kids of all different types of special needs and their families. We heard about it last summer, but really knew little to nothing. I checked out the website and we signed up many months in advance. We had some friends who went a few weeks before us and had nothing but beautiful words to say about it, so we were getting pretty excited. The week finally arrived and we were off. Thankfully for us it was just a short 1 1/2 hour drive away. Lots of people traveled many more miles then we did...even from different states. Upon arrival we were warmly welcomed by many "red shirted" happy faces, many of whom already knew our names! We were shown to the yurt we were staying in and a flood of "yellow shirts" followed us and unloaded our whole car, helped us get set up, unpacked and all settled. It was awesome! The rest of the day was spent wandering around the camp getting to know where everything was, along with meeting new people and making friends.

The following day each of our children were assigned a "Buddy" also known as "Yellow Shirt". They all wore a yellow shirt that said "Buddy - A friend who sticks closer than a brother" on the back. The job of the buddy is to love on our children and be with them doing whatever they wanted from breakfast until bedtime! We had some time to talk with the buddies and go over special needs and such. Then off they went...without us...it was crazy! But wonderful at the same time. Each of my children got specialized one on one attention from an amazing teen who was there just to love on my kiddos! They all had so much fun and my kids sure wore their buddies out!

Jon and I enjoyed lots of time to ourselves. Some of which we had no idea what to do! LOL! We took walks, rode bikes, fished, read books, spent time with other parents, and truly enjoyed our alone time. Throughout the day we would meet up with our kiddos and they were always enjoying themselves.

There were also "red shirts" or servants. They were adults and/or families who came to serve as well. They would clean bathrooms, wash dishes, take out the trash and every other type of "household" job. They were wonderful people with beautiful spirits that were as bright as the sun. Both the red and yellow shirt people are all there as volunteers...no one gets paid. Yet we campers get to go for FREE! Crazy isn't it!

All of our meals were prepared my a culinary trained chefs...and everything was homemade! It was SO yummy...especially for camp food!!!

Every day was filled with tons of activities. All which were adaptable for any special need. It was amazing how they thought of EVERYTHING! The kids did so many things, but just to name a few...horseback riding, jet skiing, tubing, talent show, playing in the river, fishing, wagon rides, lots of lake time, petting zoo, laser tag, crafts, hot air balloon rides and SO much more! There was never a dull moment around there!

We were there a total of 6 days and we were pretty sure we could just move there! The place if full of more love then you could ever imagine. Here is the link to Camp Attitude if you want to check it! If you have a kiddo with a special need of any kind...you need to go! You will never be the same!

Here are a "few" of the pictures from the week. It was so hard to pick which ones to share since there were photographers on site taking pictures of our kids all the time, then composing a CD at the end of the week with them all on it for FREE! But here are the ones I picked.

They took this picture of our family upon arrival.

Izzy LOVED the horse rides!

Jaxon and his buddy Chase

Rachel pretty much lived at the barn with the animals

The who group of week 5

Izzy got two buddies! Charlene and Alex

Rachel and her Buddy Cassie

Laser Tag!

Jon enjoyed playing too!

Getting a ride from Dad

Jon, Izzy & Me with "Uncle Mike" on the SeaDo

Our family on the tube ride!

End of Summer Recap

2011-09-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is always a busy time for us and this year was no different. In fact it was even more busy than normal! We packed it full of activities and trips and loved every minute of it! We created so many wonderful memories that we will forever cherish. I left off blogging with a little teaser from Camp Attitude and thought it was only fair if I finish that story, as well as tell you about the rest of our summer and the beginning of Fall. So stay tuned over the next few weeks for blogs about
Camp Attitude
Camping
Canyonview
Clamming
The State Fair
Back to School
and an iPad2!

Teaser...from Camp Attitude

2011-08-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we just got back from Camp Attitude...I have a huge blog post in my head right now...but I don't have the time to write it. So for now I will leave you with this. If you have a special needs kiddos of any kind and live in the NW (or even if you don't!) You have to check out Camp Attitude's website. It is something that will change your life! And here is a teaser picture for you :-)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July (A little late I know)

2011-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

We went camping for the 4th of July, as we do every year. However this year seemed to be the most fun we have ever had! Israel was old enough to really enjoy everything we did (Minus the freezing river water)! Plus he was able to go without taking a nap and stay up later than normal without falling apart! It was glorious! We spent our time...

Playing in the dirt

Taking hikes and GeoCaching...Izzy LOVES the Beco (And SO do I)

Having necessary potty time (Very thankful for travel potty chairs!)

Sleeping in very warm sleeping bags

Together as a family

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Boy ~ 2 Years Old

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

I got some lovely photos of Israel done for his 2 year old pictures and I wanted to share them all with you. (He turned 2 in March, I got the pictures done in May, and I am finally sharing them in July...if that tells you anything about how busy life has been!)

(Photo credit to Bethany Butler at Tiny Wishes Photography)

BIG at Shriner's

2011-07-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I have always known Izzy was beautiful and deserving of being famous (Just kidding...kind of)...but it's a whole other thing to have someone or something else acknowledge it too! Everywhere I go people tell me how precious, sweet, handsome, cute, darling, beautiful (and on and on) that Izzy is. And I love it. But I often wonder if people are just saying it because they don't know what else to say because they are in such shock and awe of how different he is. But I know this is NOT the case with anyone who really knows Izzy...and that it is also not the case with Shriner's Hospital. I've written many times about Shriner's and how amazing they are...so it's no surprise that I am writing about them again. Only this time...it is to share some BIG news. After Izzy was on the Christmas card, on their magazine and being honored at the dedication of the new building...he started to become famous around there. Different staff know him by name even. And now he is even MORE famous in a BIG way! A BIG picture of his beautiful little self is hanging on the wall in the main hallway. What an honor and a blessing to be such a huge part of something so amazing like Shriner's.

Summertime Stares

2011-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Summertime means shorts, no socks, short sleeves, no coats, no blankets, swimming, playing on the playground..and LOTS of stares when you're Izzy. A fellow blogger wrote a post today and I wanted to share it with all of you. Click HERE to view her post. I completely agree with what she wrote and felt strongly enough about it to share it on my blog with you all. PARENTS: Please teach your children that staring isn't polite. If you genuinely have a question then ask. But don't stare. ALSO please teach them to be respectful of other peoples differences. Today was the WORST experience I have ever had with rude kids. A little boy, about 7 years old said about Izzy "That is creepy. He is going to give me nightmares!" And to make matters worse, Rachel and Jaxon heard it and it really bothered them. Apparently this kid needs more parenting! I am SO thankful that Izzy still has no idea...it's going to break my heart the day he understands. It did open up a good conversation with my kids about people though and how some people are just plain rude and weren't raised right etc.

(If you are considering writing me a comment or email saying something like "Don't you just think they are curious?" or "He is different so it's normal to look at him, people aren't used to seeing people like him." or "Kids are just curious creatures." or anything of the like...please don't. I've heard it all...and then some. And unless you have walked in my shoes...)

Cousin Lovin

2011-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

My sister and I are best friends and always dreamed about the days when we would be married and have children and be Mom's together. That dream is now a reality...and I LOVE IT! Although she lives an hour away…I am SO grateful it’s not farther. We don't get to see each other as much as we would like, but the times we spend together are always wonderful, quality times. Our children are also all close in age and get the opportunity to grow up together and be wonderful friends. We LOVE watching them play and interact together and develop such tight bonds.

Recently we had my sisters two little girls over for a whole week! I tell you what…it was so much fun, and also exhausting! I really admire people who have 5 children (or MORE!) , especially close together in age. I felt like I never stopped moving while they were here. It was a good, fun busy…but none the less…BUSY!

Israel and Hailey are 10 months apart and I love watching them together. They are so sweet and really enjoy playing with one another. I look forward to watching their relationship develop over the years.

Here is a little picture re-cap of our week with the girls.

The lunch assembly line!

Izzy and Hailey in the wagon on a walk to the park.

Callie is SO sweet with Izzy, always helping him and taking such good care of him.

Izzy and Hailey went on the slide the whole time we were at the park! Good thing there were two of them!

BATHTIME! That's one full tub!

I got a new bed while the girls were here...so before it came we let them go crazy on the old one. I LOVE this picture.

Awe...everyone loves Auntie Becca's new bed!

And we threw in a fun Tutu photo shoot as well. LOVE YOU GIRLS!

(PS…we miss all the other cousins and family who don’t live close. You are always in our hearts and thoughts.)

I'm still here...

2011-06-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I last blogged...a whole month in fact! A lot has been going on in our lives and the blog takes a backseat often times. But I haven't forgotten about you all, my faithful followers :-) Summer is packed full of fun times to come, so I probably won't be on here as much as I would like. I will try to post whenever I can though and update you on our life and Izzy's progress.

Here is a small re-cap and a glimpse into what has been going on in our life this past month.
The kids finished school! HOORAY!
Speech Therapy...which Izzy loves (He doesn't realize he is working!)
Art/Soccer Class for the big kids...which means lots of Mommy & Izzy time.
A new leg...just one this time.
Memories made with cousins.
A 2 year old photo shoot.
More Physical Therapy...despite Izzy's every attempt to make us stop!
A BIG surprise at Shriner's.
Park Playdates...and much more.

Growing up...way to fast!

2011-05-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how fast children grow...and right before my very eyes too! I try to never miss a moment though, and truly enjoy every stage in their lives, because I know that in no time at all this too will pass. Israel and Jaxon have shared a room since the beginning. And with having a crib and a bed in there very small room, there wasn't much room for playing. We decided a while ago that maybe it was time to try a big boy bed with Izzy. We toyed over different ideas, and decided to just move him straight to a twin size bed. Jaxon has an awesome bunk bed from Ikea in which the bottom bed lays directly on the floor. It is PERFECT for Izzy because he can climb in and out of it on his own. The day we got it all set up Izzy was beyond excited about his new big boy bed and couldn't wait to sleep in it! We put a side rail on it he can't fall off, but he is still able to get in and out. He is such a good boy and has done amazing since night one! Never getting out of bed or playing with toys or anything! He lays right down and falls fast asleep. It's crazy to see him sleeping in such a big bed...but then again...he isn't a baby anymore. He is my big toddler!

Izzy May 2011 ~ 2 Years Old

Izzy July 2009 ~ 4 Months Old ~ First time in his crib

One Whole Year!

2011-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yup...that's what she said! I am speaking of course of Izzy's surgeon! We went and saw her last week for Izzy's post op appointment. She is SO pleased with how the surgery went and how well Izzy is using his tongue that she doesn't even want to see him back for a whole year! I asked her for clarification...and said...so you mean he won't be having surgery in a year? She said NO surgery in a year! She said she isn't sure if or when he will need another one. We will reevaluate in a year! I was SUPER encouraged by this, it was honestly hard to believe! THANK YOU everyone who remembered us in thought and in prayer over that past month during Izzy's surgery and recovery. He is doing wonderfully! His speech is starting to improve already and he is trying new things like licking his lips for the first time ever! Its amazing the things we "normal" people take for granted some times! I had never even thought about not being able to lick my lips, an ice cream cone or a chocolate covered spoon!

45,000!!!

2011-05-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I don't do this blog for publicity or "hits" or anything other then sharing our story with family and friends and anyone else who happens upon us during our journey...but I do have a little counter on my page that I put up just for fun. I think it's neat to look at every now and again. Today I happened to look at it and it said 45,000!!! WOW! It's amazing to me to think that over the past two and a half years my blog has been looked at that many times! Thank you everyone who faithfully follows my blog, prays for Izzy and remembers our family. We are very grateful for each and everyone of you!

Surgery Update #3

2011-05-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't posted an update in a few weeks...and I have been getting lots of message asking how he is doing, so I figured I better get an update out there!

Izzy is doing GREAT! Finally! This time around recovery went much better than last year, as I mentioned in my last update. We were exactly one week out of surgery and I was very hopeful for a full and easy as possible recovery...until he woke up with blood all over his bed and himself. His mouth was bleeding and not stopping. After two hours of being up and bleeding I called the surgeon. She gave us some instructions on how to try and get the bleeding to stop at home. We tried (Which felt like we were torturing him...it was terrible!) with no luck. She said if we couldn't get it stopped we needed to take him to the ER. So off we went. To sum that experience up in a few words...it was terrible. We were there for four hours...and all the doctor did was send us home saying he wasn't going to bleed to death and that the bleeding should stop. Poor Izzy was miserable and not eating or drinking much. He had even vomited from swallowing so much blood. I took him home and loved on him as much as I could. After 12 hours of bleeding, it finally stopped! Other than that though he has been doing great! Started eating food again after two weeks. We still have him on PediaSure a few times a day to help him not lose weight since he struggles with that too.

We go back for surgery post-op appointment next week and we are looking forward to hearing how the doctor thinks things look. It's still hard to me to tell just how much has changed. Although Israel does seem to be using his tongue more and trying to do things like lick his lips, which he has never done before! We are hoping his speech will really improve soon too!

Thanks for all the love, support and prayers!

Surgery Update #2

2011-04-16T11:38:00.001-07:00

Thursday evening was ok, Israel was wanting to play and interact more, but we were finding this hard since he was hooked to the IV machine, he couldn't go very far. He also found it highly annoying and kept trying to get it off. The charge nurse on duty Thursday night was Alan...and he was so wonderful! He was full of ideas to keep Izzy occupied. Like these bubbles!

THEY DON"T POP WHEN THEY LAND! You have to actually pop them! Izzy was fascinated and loved the adventure of trying to pop each and every last one! They last for a long time...in fact we were still finding them the next day! We loved them SO much I had to get the details so I could buy them for us and for gifts too! I thought you might like the link as well. So here it is!

He also had a HUGE case that must have had a few hundred kids movies in it! Israel looked through them and picked out Madagascar...one he has never seen before. He really enjoyed it!

So far Israel is doing SO much better then last year! I really think that keeping him on fluids and morphine for a full 24 hours made a huge difference! We were able to take him off of both of them Friday and switch him to oral medication and fluids from a cup. Izzy is only allowed to drink from an open faced cup because they don't want anything to accidentally poke or rip the stitches. At first he was reluctant to the open face cup because he has always drank from a straw sippy cup (due to his mouth complications this was the easiest for him when we transitioned from the bottle a year ago). But he eventually got thirty enough that he didn't care. The only thing that bothered him about it was when he spilled on his shirt...have I mentioned he hates being dirty? He is getting the hang of it pretty quickly though. He hates his medicine still and cries through it every time.

The only thing keeping us from going home was that Israel needed to be able to drink fluids and his medicine and keep them down. He did very soon after taking him off of his IV and we got to go home Friday late afternoon!

Izzy and Daddy just got the OK to go home!

It's Saturday afternoon now and things are going great. Israel slept well last night, waking up every four hours, like clockwork, for his medicine. As long as we keep up on his meds he is a happy camper. Playing and enjoying being home. During the day he sleeps for about two hours then is awake for about two hours...I feel like I have an infant again :-) It is actually nice though because I am able to get some things done around the house while he sleeps...or take a nap with him too!

My big kids come home today and I am really looking forward to seeing them. Even though it has only been a few days it is crazy how much I miss them! I am hoping for an enjoyable day having all my family together again...with no plans except to be together!

Surgery Update

2011-04-14T18:04:00.001-07:00

This is the first real moment I have had to even think about writing an update and it's 6:15pm! (By the way as soon as I wrote that sentence, literally, the nurse walked in! So much for having a few moments huh?). Here is the low down on our day...starting bright and early!

4:45am - Jon and I woke up late! Apparently we were more tired them we though and both turned off our alarm clocks. Thank God we somehow woke up before it was too late!

5:10 - We grabbed Izzy, stuck him in his carseat and headed up to Shriner's. Of course...Izzy thought it was morning and stayed awake for the whole drive. Silly boy!

6:00 - Praise the Lord for NO traffic or problems...we arrived right on time. We got all checked in and into our room Did I mention it is a BEAUTIFUL new room in the new wing of the hospital? All new state of the art everything...lovely!

7:15 - We headed up to the pre-op/post-op area where we met all the O.R. team of the doctor, the anesthesiologist and the many nurses. Izzy was given "goofy juice" just before heading up so by the time he was meeting all these new people he was quite happy and silly...and flirting with ALL of the nurses! Too funny! We went over all the basics, signed papers so on and so forth.

He was being SO funny and kept wanting to give me nose kisses...then would start cracking up, which would in turn make all of us start laughing too!

7:40 - Jon and I gave him one last kiss and watched him head off to surgery. A small piece of me was worried/sad/concerned...but honestly, a big part of me was at peace. I know it was because of all the many prayers that were being said for us. So THANK YOU for all who were praying!

8:30 we got a call from the nurse saying that surgery had begun and everything was going well. The nice thing about having a repeat surgery is that the doctor knows Izzy now and what to do differently or the same. We learned last time that Izzy has a small airway and they had a terrible time trying to intibate him (Put a breathing tube down his throat). So this time around they knew to go with a nasal intibation, and it was perfect!

9:20 - The doctor came out and met us in the waiting room and shared with us about the surgery. She was very happy with it and is expecting good results from it. She never wants to worry us so she won't even talk about future surgeries :-) She's pretty wonderful that way!

9:45 - We got a call from the nurse letting us know that Izzy was ready for us in the recovery room. We were very anxious to see and hold him again. He came out of the anesthesia much better this time around and was much more bearable. He just wanted lots of Mommy loves.

10:15 - We headed back down to our room with Izzy and began the rest of our day...trying to keep Izzy as pain free and comfortable as possible. Jon and I took turns holding, rocking and consoling him.

We are staying overnight because of what happened last time. When Izzy had this surgery a year ago they sent us home a few hours after surgery, which we thought was wonderful. We learned...it wasn't so wonderful after all. All he would do was sleep. We couldn't get him to drink anything at all for three days. We eventually had to take him to the hospital for dehydration. Have you heard the old phrase "When you know better you do better."? Well, that was the case here for sure. They were more then happy to let us stay overnight this time and keep Izzy on fluids. He is also on antibiotics because last time around he also got an infection in his mouth. So we are trying very hard to be proactive!

Right now it's 6:40 and all is calm. Izzy and Daddy are both sleeping peacefully. Praying for a good night and a fast recovery. I will try to update throughout this next week as time allows.

(PS - A BIG shout out goes to my sister Melanie and her husband Kevin for taking Rachel and Jaxon for us for 4 days so Jon and I can be together and concentrate on getting Izzy better faster! THANK YOU!!!)

Surgery...again

2011-04-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to write about this for a while...but honestly, I didn't want to think about it. However surgery is in just a few days so I figured I probably should now. Israel will be having surgery on his tongue again just as he had last year. Here is my post from after he has his surgery last year. Most likely this one will be very similar to the details in that post. The surgery last year was a success, although the doctors say they have never seen anything like this before, so they didn't know what to expect. What we learned is that Israel will most likely have this surgery once a year until his tongue has the desired mobility. At each surgery they can only cut it back so far because as they cut it they have to create a underside of his tongue since he doesn't have one, and there is only so much available tissue to work with. In this blog post here I wrote about Izzy's particular mouth problems. I figured no point in writing it again. So for those who don't remember or who maybe weren't around my blog last year here are the details. His surgery is scheduled for Thursday April 14th in the morning. I will be updating my blog as time allows. Thankfully Izzy is to young to know what is going on so we don't have to try and prepare him, but this is a scary thing for Mommy and Daddy since we remember last time around. We would really appreciate all of your prayers.

Shriner's Dedication

2011-04-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday April 10th, Shriner's Hospital in Portland had their dedication of the new building! They had asked Izzy and the rest of our family to be honored guests at this event. We really had no idea what that meant, until a few weeks ago. We were asked to come up front and tell a little about our Shriner's Journey with Izzy, as well as have Izzy put a few items into the time capsule. Now I have to say at first when I heard we were asked to speak, my nerves started to get to me. But all I had to do was take a look at my precious boy and remember all that Shriner's has done for us and will continue to do for the next 19 years...and it wasn't such a scary thought anymore. It really is the least I could do for something that has done so much for us.

We arrived early to the event and toured the hospital with all of our family who came to support us. It was wonderful to be able to show them where we spend so much of our life. We also saw a bunch of the hospital that we hadn't even seen yet. It is amazing! Beautiful state of the art everything! What a gift...and it is truly just that...a gift...no cost to us, ever, for anything!

I wanted to share with you what Jon and I said in our speech at the ceremony because I loved it...I just wrote from my heart, as I always do, and the words came out perfectly and said everything I wanted to share.

My name is Becca Turkington and this is my husband Jon. You already know about Israel, but we also have two other children; Rachel who is 8 years old and Jaxon who just turned 7 yesterday. We live in Salem and are very thankful that whenever we have Shriner’s appointments it’s only a 45 minute commute as we know others travel much from farther away.

We started coming to Shriner’s in July of 2009 when Izzy was just 4 months old. After our first appointment here I left saying “Shriner’s is the first place I have taken Izzy where I felt like we were “normal”. Everywhere else we go people point and stare and comment. But not here…unless they are commenting on his curly hair or blue eyes or chubby cheeks or his ability to give dirty looks or his killer smile. We love being at Shriner’s so much that my husband and I actually joke about wishing we could live here because we just love the people and the environment so much. Everyone treats us like family and has a genuine love and passion for what they do. It’s so evident in the things they say, the way they work, and the smiles on their faces.

Most of the time when we are here, which is every other week, we see Shannon for physical therapy and quite often Todd or Sabrina for his prosthetics. They have been such a gift and a blessing to Izzy and to our whole family. They are always willing to help with any need, answer any question and give advice and encouragement. And because they believe in Izzy so much they also challenge him (and me) from time to time.

Along with having congenital limb differences, Izzy was also born with many mouth and jaw complications which required surgery. We were originally trying to get the surgery done at Doernbecher’s because that is where he had first been seen for this particular problem. But after 6 months of fighting the insurance company, we came to the conclusion that we had lost the battle and they were not, under any circumstances, going to cover the surgery. As you can imagine this was heart breaking for us because we did not have the means to cover this very expensive surgery. In this time of heart ache and pain, Shriner’s was there. Within weeks they got Izzy’s surgery approved and scheduled. It was our first experience with surgery, plus Izzy was just barely a year old, but Shriner’s provided us with amazing care for Izzy and for Jon and I. Everything went wonderfully and the surgery was a success. And all of this, at no expense to us. This is a blessing beyond words. Israel will have surgery again here at Shriner’s next week. And we are looking forward to it with hope and anticipation for another great outcome.

We are so thankful and blessed to have The Shriner’s Hospital and could never say Thank You enough.

And of course...what would a post like this be without pictures? :-)

My sister Melanie and her husband Kevin

Jon's parents Don & Sue, Grandma Lois, and brother Jesse

My Parents Jeff & Mary and my niece Callie

(Kevin's (My brother in law)Mom, Dad & Grandma. They used to be very involved with Shriner's years ago. And my niece Hailey too.)

Seattle

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Oh a whim, I got a phone call from a friend asking me if I wanted to be spontaneous and go to Seattle for the weekend. Mind you...this was Friday mid morning! Our hubby's had other plans for the weekend, so it would be the two of us plus our 5 (together) kids! I said YES! I quickly packed our things, rushed the kids in the car and headed up (Its a 4 hour drive from where we are at). We stayed at an awesome hotel across the street from the Space Needle. The kids swam in the pool for hours, jumped and wrestled on the bed (until someone got hurt), stayed up VERY late, ate way to much fast food, went to the Space Needle, enjoyed the Seattle Children's museum, and made lots of wonderful memories. I threw out the "rule book" and we did things I would never let them do at home! And guess what...we had a BLAST! I need to remember to do more things like this because my kids couldn't thank me enough during the weekend.

Truckin' It

2011-04-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

My Dad is a truck driver and last week we got a surprise when he drove up in his BIG truck and honked the horn. The kids went running out to see him...and the BIG truck. They love climbing in and pretending to drive, and of course honking the super loud air horn. This was Izzy's first time in the truck. He figured out the horn right away and thought he was pretty cool honking it. Thank you Dad for coming by and making such fun memories with my kids.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Israel Over Time

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

I LOVE to look at pictures from different months of Izzy's life to see how much he has changed. Some months there is little or no change, and others there are huge changes. For Izzy's one year old birthday announcements I put together this.

I loved it so much I decided to do it again this year...but not as a party invitation, just for something fun to do, to be able to see the changes. There is a picture from each month of Izzy life of being 1 year old, starting at the top left and winding around, ending with his 2 year old picture. I just had to share them with you.

Birthday Update!

2011-04-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just realized I never posted any birthday pictures or wrote a post about it! Sorry for the delay!

Izzy's birthday and party were wonderful! He was so much fun this year! What a difference a year can make. We were remembering when he turned one and wanted nothing to do with the people or presents. This year, he was very outgoing and loved opening his gifts :-)

Israel isn't really "into" anything...so picking a theme was a bit of a challenge. I was trying to think about what things made him smile...and I remembered a recent time that we were reading books and he loved the page with monkeys on it. He kept wanting to go back to that page and saying "Ohh ohh Ahh Ahh" (Like a monkey says). So there we had our theme. I made fun monkey cupcakes with banana cupcakes and got him a monkey outfit. He loved it all.

He wasn't to sure about everyone staring at him and singing to him...he doesn't like being the center of attention.

He was determined to blow out the candle though...even if it meant loosing an eyebrow! He kept getting SO close because it wasn't going out! Finally (with a little (unknown to him) help from Daddy) he blew it out and was very excited!

He LOVED eating it...but didn't like being dirty. LOL! He would take a bite, set it down and clean off his arms. Then do it again! He was there a while trying to finish!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ISRAEL!

2011-03-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe those words are coming out of my mouth! How is it possible that my baby is 2 years old already? WOW! These past years with him have flown by so quickly. But I can honestly say I was fully present during each moment. I think back on my other two children and find it hard to remember details and exact moments without having to look through pictures or at videos. I determined I was going to do it differently this time around because I know exactly how fast it passes. I wanted to remember every single moment, milestone, achievement, joy, smile, sorrow, tear drop, doctors appointment, weight check, physical therapy appointment etc. And I have! I can remember everything...and I LOVE it! So just as quickly as these years have flown by...they have also gone slow enough for me to remember. I have tried not to rush any stage in his life, or forget any "not so favorite" moment. Because this is his story...the journey of Israel. I am tearing up as I can recall memories like a flood rushing in.

I remember...

The moment we found out we were pregnant.

The first time I "saw" you.

Our first moments together.

The first time you touched the sand.

The way your Daddy loves you.

Your first Shriner's appointment.

The way your brother loves you.

The first time you held your own bottle.

Your first (of many!) haircut.

Your 1/2 birthday.

The first time you sat up on your own.

The moment you discovered YOU.

Your first finger foods.

Your first Christmas.

Your first pair of legs.

The way your sister loves you.

Your first surgery.

Your first birthday.

Your first steps.

Your first parade.

The MANY faces you make!

Your curly hair.

The first time you drove.

The day you mastered my iPhone.

The first time you crawled!

The way "YOU" NEVER let "YOU" stand in the way of what "YOU" want to do!

The day we learned you were a thrill seeker!

The day you could stand on your own!

Your LOVE for both milk and movies :-)

Your amazing smile that brings light to even the darkest day.

The way I love you more then I could ever express!

Israel David...I am so proud to be your Mommy and blessed beyond words (and so unworthy) that God chose me. You are my miracle everyday. You bring so much life and joy to this family. God has big plans for you boy...and even though I haven't the slightest idea what they are, I know He is working out every detail. You continue to amaze me each day with everything you can do and the way you overcome every obstacle placed in front of you. I look forward to this next year with you with great expectation. I love you Izzy!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Where have I been?

2011-03-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering where I have been...I have been HERE! I opened an Etsy Shop called Journeys Boutique and have been having a lot of fun creating! I have always loved crafting and sewing for as long as I can remember. The idea of attempting to sell online, at craft shows or what have you has crossed my mind for years. And after some much needed "encouragement" from loved ones, I decided to give it a go on Etsy. It has been taking up all of my extra time right now...but I'm ok with that :-) since its something I love doing! I would love for you to check out my shop and tell me what you think! Maybe if I get enough feedback I will do a giveaway!!! Also, if you "Like" my FaceBook page you can get a free shipping code through March!

Here is a tase of what I have going on so far...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well Wednesday got away from me before I knew it the day was over and I was exhausted. So this week you get Wordless Wednesday on Thursday instead.

~ Enjoying a splash of sunshine ~

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

*I used to post a "Wordless Wednesday" all the time back at the beginning of my blog, and somehow I got away from it. But I love the idea. So I'm bringing it back! Enjoy this precious face. I NEVER get tired of it!*

Life is a "Picnik"

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's NO secret that I love pictures, and photography, and cameras, and well...really anything that involved a camera and it's outcome :-) I have long time wanted to purchase "PhotoShop" but never have. In recent past I learned about a fabulous website called PICNIK that allows me to edit pictures wonderfully for FREE! I love playing around with the colors, saturation, temperature, cropping, vignette, softening and more!

Here is a little example of a picture I played around with...and LOVED the outcome! (I also very much love the two little people in this picture!!!)

I couldn't keep this little secret to myself...so now you know! Go HERE, play, have fun!

unLIMBited Attitude!

2011-02-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

I LOVE that play on words! I read it HERE where I learned all about Cody McCasland. A little boy with no legs. He is inspiring so may people at such a young age. He is amazing! I saw this video and just wept. I had to share it with you too!

I also found this little video from when he was on Ellen Courageous Kid - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Socks & Shorts

2011-02-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

As I have observed people with leg limb differences over the past few years, one thing they all seem to have in common is the fact that most of the time they wear shorts. I always thought this was odd and I didn't understand it. It didn't matter if they were wearing prosthetics or not. My thought with Israel was always to have him wear pants so people wouldn't stare quite as much. It hasn't been until recently that I realized that having Israel wear pants is like us wearing pants that cover our feet and shoes. The ends of Izzy's legs are "his feet". He uses them a lot for different things, and putting pants on him really "disables" him. So I pulled out the shorts and put his socks on. He seemed to be very happy about the whole thing.

Out for a stroll

2011-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

He is doing it...he is walking...with the help of his Baby Walk he can get around a bit! This is such an exciting time and milestone in Izzy's life and all of you who donated money back here at this post and this one and this one too,are to thank for it! He is enjoying his new found mobility...I only wish we had hardwood floors in the whole house, because he isn't strong enough to do the carpet yet. Oh well, he will get there.

Touching Lives

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog, it was really just a place for me to update friends and family so I wasn't making tons of phone calls and writing hundreds of emails every time something new happened with my pregnancy and with Izzy. But over time, God showed me He had more in mind for this little blog. But even then, I though...who is going to want to read this anyway? I'm NO writer. Never have been! But again, God assured me I was to go on with the blog. To be real, and honest. Open and vulnerable, and let Him worry about the rest. And WOW! I have been amazed at how God has used this blog to be a blessing to people all over the world. Literally! To share our story, to inspire hope and to touch lives.

Now anyone who knows me knows I am a planner! Many times in my life I thought I had it all figured out...when WHAM! God changes up the direction I wanted to go, toward the direction He has for me. And Israel's life was no different. I just though I wanted one more baby. Nothing out of the ordinary. And God gave us Israel. A little boy whose life and sweet little face have touched more lived then we will ever know.

I have a stat counter on my blog and it tracks where people are who read my blog. I am always amazed to see where God sends this blog. Most recently there have been people from USA (Of course!), Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Spain, Poland, Brazil & Sri Lanka!

I don't get many written comments to my blog, and that's ok. But when I do, I LOVE them. They are SO inspiring to me. They show me that this is what I am supposed to be doing. They remind me that He uses everything for His good...even things that others think are less than good. I wish I had contact information for everyone who comments to me, because I would love to write you back and thank you for inspiring me!

God's got BIG plans for this boy!

2011-01-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

As you know...Israel was the face of the Portland Shriner's Christmas card. This was such a special exerience for us. Because lets be honest...when we found out about this little boy, we had NO idea what God't plans were for him. Obviously, we still have tons of questions and wish we could see the whole picture, but we are learning to trust God, step by step, as he shows us His perfect plan for Izzy. Just last week I received another email from Shriner's. As it turns out, the national office saw the Christmas card and requested to use Izzy's story on their national magazine! WOW! Of course we said yes! I continue to stand amazed at how this precious little one year old is touching so many lives.

Giving Back - A Fundraiser for Shriner's - Donation Update

2011-01-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

At our last trip to Shriner's Izzy and I paid a little visit to the HR department and saw our new found Shriner's friend, Kay. We presented her with an envelope including the donations and a little letter. Izzy was happy to pass off the money to such a special place. I wanted to share with you the letter that I included. And just once more, say THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of this step in the journey of Izzy's life.

January 13, 2011
Dear Shriner’s Hospital for Children,

We wanted to take a moment to personally say THANK YOU for everything you do for our precious Israel. We count it a privilege and honor to be a part of your family. We are blessed by this hospital each and every time we come!

We also wanted to say thank you for making our little guy the face of your Christmas card this year! Wow…how special! And the way you did the card, with the wording and pictures was precious. We cried…more than once. It was wonderful to get to give out the cards personally as our Christmas card this year. But even more so to give them to others to send out and receive donations for your hospital! We raised $420 in such a short period of time! We know firsthand that these cards touched many lives! Thank you for sharing them with us!

We wanted to name those who donated money…no matter how small or large the amount.
• Kevin & Melanie Kruse
• Jeff & Mary Ballard
• Don & Sue Turkington
• Jim & Jenny Bettis
• Glenn & Jagene Dorn
• Suzie Doeren
• Sharon DeLaveaga
• Wanda Petipiece
• Jan Steiner

Thank you again…for everything!
All our love,
The Turkington Family ~ Jon, Becca, Rachel, Jaxon & Israel

~ Splish ~ Splash ~

2011-01-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

Splish ~ Splash...Izzy has outgrown the bath!

As a parent of a child who is a little different then the "standard" child, I take full advantage of every positive that this brings our way. One of my favorites has been bath time in the kitchen sink! Since Izzy's legs are short he has fit perfectly in the sink for almost two full years! This means my back isn't killing me bending over the tub. It also means I can make lunch or clean the kitchen while he is taking a bath and still be right there with him! Sadly, I think this was his last bath in there though. Not only is he getting to big, but it's getting scary! He likes to kneel all the time now and most recently he has been dropping his toys over the edge and doing this...

Yeah...that doesn'e excetly make me feel comfortable! One slip and he is over the edge! Guess its off the the big boy tub from now on!

I just have to share one more picture with you though...he posed like this all on his own...seriously...it doesn't get much sweeter than this!

Legs...aka Horse Hooves!

2010-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

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!

Giving Back - A Fundraiser for Shriner's

2010-11-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

In my earlier post about Izzy's being on the Shriner's Christmas Card, I got a big response from people asking if they could buy them to send out this season. I contacted Shriner's about this and here's what I found out. They don't sell the cards, they are used as the hospitals card to send out to people who have made donations and such things. However, I asked if I could have permission to "sell" them and donate all the proceeds to Shriner's. They said YES! :-) I am SO excited!

A little "behind the scenes" story about Shriner's...from my heart. Without this place, I truly don't know where we would be! They had been such a gift since the beginning. The are a 100% FREE hospital for children who are as special as Izzy :-) The people who work here are precious. They LOVE these children and they LOVE what they do. They become family. Jon and I often joke about how we would live at Shriner's if we could :-) They are SO giving and generous. Shriner's is the ONE place we can go, other then home, and feel totally normal, loved and accepted. And they never ask for anything in return! I have never paid a dime for anything from them! Amazing! They are such a blessing

So if you are interested in sending out these precious cards this season and in return making a donation to Shriner's, just let me know! (Comment to this post or email me at beccaturkington@comcast.net )

Here is what the card will look like.

(Front)

(Inside top)
On the cover
Israel “Izzy” packs the essentials for his visit to the recently expanded and remodeled Shriners Hospitals for Children® in Portland, Oregon. There he will find beautiful new patient rooms, a fantastic orthotics and prosthetics shop, day lounges, new waiting and activity areas and so much more. Izzy and his family have been part of the Shriners Hospitals for Children® family since he was just a few months old. Born without hands and feet, Izzy has shown everyone just what a miracle he is by taking his first steps and holding small objects, along with many other milestones this past year. Izzy is an amazing example of the nearly 9,000 children who received care at Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Portland this year. For Izzy, and 50,000 other children over nearly 90 years, the sky is no limit!

Special thanks and photo credit to Angela Watts, TekoaRose Photography in Salem, Oregon.

(Inside Bottom)Celebrate the miracles in your life this Holiday Season. From our family to yours, may the joy, wonder and hope be with you throughout the year.

Famous?!?!

2010-11-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well as it turns out, I'm not the only one who thinks Israel is PERFECT! :-) Shriner's fell in love with him so much he gets to be the face on their Christmas card this year!!! I was beyond excited to hear this news! I actually cried...and cried again. I mean, I know he is wonderful and amazing and beautiful and perfect, but to have someone else acknowledge it in such a public just blessed my socks off! I got the card proof sent to me today and sat at my desk with tears running down my face trying to read it. I am going to make you guys wait though...until it's actually here! They are using this picture that we had taken for his 18 month pictures, courtesy of Angela Watts @ TekoaRose Photography. She does amazing work as you can clearly see!

State Fair Fun

2010-10-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

As usual...we attended the State Fair...and stayed for the entire day (13 hours!)...and loved every minute of it! Here are a few pictures from our fun filled day.

Israel seemed to enjoy the petting zoo...although he never smiled...the lama kept trying to suck on his arm!

The HUGE mammoth ear!

Rachel and Jaxon were both big enough to go on EVERY ride at the fair! Wow...when did they get so big?!

My sweet niece Callie always gives Auntie Becca lots of loves!

Even Uncle Kevin enjoyed the carousel!

Cousins...Israel and Hailey...pretty sure they will be best friends!

Rachel, Jaxon & Callie enjoying rides together.

Jaxon on the canoe ride.

LOVE this action shot of the kids on the swings!

Eye Candy

2010-10-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

For Israel's 18 month old pictures I stepped out of the box a bit, and instead of doing the normal JC Penny's route I always do...I decided to let Angela with Tekoa Rose Photography do an outdoor shoot for us. IT WAS AMAZING! She did a fantastic job and I haven't even seen all of the pictures yet! She did however send me these teasers that I just had to share with you all!

18 Months Old

2010-10-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Israel...You are 18 months old!
What have you been up to lately?

How can you already be 1 1/2? It really feels like just yesterday you were a tiny baby! In fact...I still call you my baby, and maybe I should start saying my toddler...but it's just to hard!
*You have changed a lot lately, with the biggest change being movement! You roll around everywhere with full intention of where you are going and what you are doing!
*You are busy and FULL of energy!
*You eat everything...finally! You are always willing to try something once, but not always twice.

*You are wearing size 12 & 18 month clothes.
*You now weight 18 pounds (You have lost a pound in the past 10 months...the doctors are worried...but that's a whole other blog post!)
*You are VERY smart! You love figuring things out and doing "task oriented" things.
*You LOVE my iPhone and have figured out how to do a lot on it already!

*You love attention and know how to get it!
*You are a very big flirt and know how to give the perfect look.
*Speaking of looks, you also know how to give a pretty nasty look too!

*You can say some words and phrases and knows a few signs too. But you gabber a lot!
*You have a mouth FULL of teeth! 12 to be exact!
*You are an amazing baby, with such a great personality. You shine! You delight us everyday! You make our hearts smile.

So much to say...so little time!

2010-08-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

As I was hoping on here to blog this morning I realized that my last post was over a month ago! Crazy! This summer has been super fun...and super busy! Unfortunately blogging has taken a backseat to all the summer activities and projects I have going on. I figured I should probably write something today...and since Israel is 16 months old now...its probably time for an update.

Hey Israel...YOU'RE 16 MONTHS OLD...What are you up to these days?

*You weight 19 pounds, again, finally!
*You wear size 12-18 month clothes...you seem to be growing a lot lately!
*You have four top teeth and four molars...and those pesky eye teeth are attempting to come in now too, so sorry...I know they bother you a lot!
*You're hair is SO curly and blond...we get compliments on it EVERYWHERE we go!
*You have started moving around by rolling (More details about this in a later post)
*We are trying to switch you from formula to soy milk in hopes that maybe it will help you to want to eat more, you still don't eat much of anything!
*You're most favorite things to eat are Gerber Yogurt Bites, Anything Banana!, Peter Rabbit Organic Fruit Snack Baby Food.
*You LOVE babies...even if they are bigger than you.
*You are the happiest baby ever!
*You SMILE all the time!!!
*Being outside is still one of your favorite places to be.
*You LOVE Books!!! Reading is one of your favorite things to do.
*Now that you are slightly mobile you won't tolerate your exersaucer or jumparoo at all!
*You are wonderful, amazing, brilliant, cute, happy...you are YOU and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Baby Fingers & Baby Toes

2010-06-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

I miss them...I want to kiss them...and hold them...and I won't ever get to do that with Israel. Makes me sad I took Rachel & Jaxon's for granted, just always assuming they would be there on any baby I had. If I would have known I would have kissed theirs a lot more. I would have held them longer. I would have taken more pictures of them. I would have bought more shoes. I would have cherished every time I had to clip their nails. I would have played this little piggy every night. I would have held their hand every time they asked...and even when they didn't ask. I would have painted Rachel's nails more. I would have cherished all the hand prints on my windows and walls and not been so quick to wash them off....and never taken them for granted.

OUR BABY WALK IS HERE!!!

2010-06-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

You can only imagine the excitement we all felt as we saw the Baby Walk box arrive! We put it together right away and started using it immediately! Once we got it all figured out...setting and such...it has been great! We have been getting creative in doing fun things while he is in it, such as bubbles, fridge magnets and new toys! He has been doing well in it and tolerating it for about 45 minutes at a time...and even taking a step here and there! I just know now that we have this in our home and get to use it so often that Izzy is going to just take off in no time! We still feel SO blessed by all of the financial gifts that we were blessed with and we think of you all every time we use it. We thank God for you all the time! It's because of the hearts of amazing people that little Izzy will have the ability to become mobile and gain some Independence. We are forever grateful. Here are a few pictures, and even a little video for you you all to see Izzy and the Baby Walk in action :-)

In Transit

2010-06-08T08:21:00.001-07:00

Friday was a very exciting day for me...however I have been super busy and am just now getting a chance to post about it! I ORDERED THE BABY WALK!!! HOORAY!!! I was originally going to purchase it through a vendor, of whom was amazing. Simply amazing, sweet, kind, loving people work there and I was blessed to be able to talk on the phone with one of them and share Izzy's story with her. I was blessed to be able to "meet" her. She had all the paperwork going from the beginning to send it off the insurance company and such. But on Thursday someone suggested that I call the manufacturer myself and tell them I am wanting to purchase this with cash and see if they would be willing to give me a discount. So I did. On Friday I called Mulholland and asked them that very question. The receptionist said they really prefer we go through a vendor, however the owner of the company was available and she said I could ask him. (Wow...what are the chances of that?) So I spoke with him and briefly told him what I was wanting to do and without hesitation he said "SURE! You can purchase it from me, and in fact, I will give you my vendor discount!" Holy Moly!!! AMAZING! So as of Monday, the Baby Walk is in transit on it's way to my house!!! Thanks to all of you wonderful people who blessed us with financial gifts and prayers. We are so grateful for each of you!

In addition to that...we have had some more money continue to come in, and with that and the money we saved on the Baby Walk, I am happy to announce that we have raised enough to ALSO PAY OFF ALL OF IZZY'S MEDICAL BILLS!!! Wow...a double blessing! These past few weeks have been amazing and I am blessed beyond measure. I never cease to be amazed at the kindness of people (Some friends...while others are complete strangers) and what God can do.

Still want to help?

2010-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have received some emails asking if there was anything else I might need donations for because they hadn't had a chance to donate yet but wanted to and our goal had already been reached! (You people are AMAZING!) So I got to thinking about how it might be a good idea to have a "Back-Up Plan"...for those unexpected expenses that so easily come up. I called and left a message about the Baby Walk and the exact cost. I haven't heard back yet. The average cost it $2000, however depending on the "extras" it could be more. I haven't heard back yet. Additionally, we are still paying on medical bills from when I was pregnant with him and ALL of the many doctors appointments, ultrasounds, tests, birth, hospital stay etc. What a blessing it would be to pay this off! And thinking about "down the road" when Izzy will need a wheelchair or powerchair or whatever else he needs. So I have set up a new PayPal donation link for "Izzy's Back-Up Plan" If you feel led to donate, we would be so blessed. The money will stay in his account until there is a medical need that comes up. (Don't worry...I won't use it for Starbucks...although the thought of a Starbucks Fund sure sounds nice...lol!)

Thank You again, to everyone who has already donated!

100%

2010-06-02T10:21:00.001-07:00

Did you see it already? The THERMOMETER IS FULL!!! In just 5 days...you amazing people came together and raised $2000 for our precious little boy to receive his Baby Walk! The words Thank You just don't seem to be enough right now! We are blessed...and overwhelmed at the selfless act of giving that you have shown. We pray many returned blessings on each and everyone of you!

(I am going to pick up the phone right now and order the Baby Walk!!! Can you tell I am excited?!?!)

HALF WAY THERE!

2010-06-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Amazing...yup, that's what it is! In just 4 short days we have raised over 1/2 of our goal for Israel's walker! We are currently at $1152 and counting!!! WOW! You guys are amazing! :-) We truly feel so blessed by each and every one of you who has been able to donate to this wonderful little person we call Izzy :-) I have felt overwhelming emotion as I continue to see the gifts come in...everywhere from $5 to $100...they are all so precious. And to see them come from so many different people...those I know well...those I don't know too well...and those I don't know at all! I have been pondering over this post and what to say. Honestly I don't think I can even put into words all of what we are feeling and I feel slightly embarrassed by this lame post...I really just don't know how to say it! It has just been so amazing to see what is happening. We feel SO BLESSED! Thank you to all of you also who have shared our story with friends and family! I would have never imagined...a year and a half ago when I started this blog...that it would ever touch so many lives. We are blessed by each and every one of you. Thank you for joining us on this journey in our life. I will keep up posted on how the donations are coming. (There is also a donation thermometer on my blog for any of you who want sooner updates.)

And just because of all this goodness...I thought I would share a precious picture of our little Izzy.

DONATION FYI

2010-05-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

To anyone who has clicked on my blog through someone's FaceBook page and are trying to donate...let me update you. When you click on it though FaceBook it directs you to my blog through a weird way and doesn't direct you to the paypal donation account correctly. The ip address looks weird. You need to actually go to www.thejourneyofisrael.blogspot.com and then click on donate. Sorry for any confusion!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED ALREADY! WE ARE SO BLESSED!!!

"Baby Walk"

2010-05-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today Israel has PT at Shriner's...which isn't anything new. For the past 4 or 5 times they have been putting him in a walker that is called a "Baby Walk" (Also known as a gait trainer).

(I realize he looks less than excited in this picture...funny thing is he was actually VERY happy...I just couldn't catch the smile)

The first time they put him in it he hated it and cried through the whole thing! Each time has gotten a bit better as he gets used to it. And today he was in it for 45 minutes and didn't mind at all! This devise is different than the stander that we have at our house. It still offers him support, but allows his legs to be free and lets him move around. Where as the stander that we have at home only allows him to stand in one position and not move his legs at all, making him be passive in movement. Usually Israel just stands when we put him in the baby walk and plays with toys on a table. But today we were working with him on walking in it. Taking his legs in our hands and moving them along. We would stop and see if he would make any effort to move on his own. And he did...he took his first steps today! It was SO exciting! He initiated and moved his leg on his own to go forward....he has NEVER done anything like this before! He did it about three different times :-) You can imagine how proud I was! In addition to that, he was using his arms to push himself away from the table while he was in the baby walk. It was amazing! He is really starting to understand moving and that it serves a benefit to him! Can you imagine how fast he would improve if he had one of these at home and could use it every day...instead of just twice a month?!?! We filled out paperwork and will submit it to insurance to see if they will approve and pay for it. However, we have been told this can take a very long time and most likely will get denied :-( After our terrible experience with the insurance company when we were trying to get Israel's VERY necessary tongue surgery done, I have very little hope that they will approve a $2000 walker! I can only imagine the excuses they will come up with as to why they won't approve it! Well, God knows our hearts doesn't he? A friend of mine posted this on my FaceBook page today after a status I wrote about asking for prayer for the insurance company to approve the walker "Why fight with the insurance company! Why not let the people of God strap on their sword & get Israel his needed walker. If 200 people give $10 that's 2000 bucks! I'm in! May I be so bold (I've NEVER done anything like this before!) to ask friends to step up & provide for Israel. 10 bucks! That's 2 Vente drinks at Starbucks! C'mon let's overwhelm the Turkington's & bless our little boy with a walker so he doesn't have to wait!" I was blown away that someone was so thoughtful as to even think of and offer this to Israel. This has literally NEVER entered my mind, but after thinking about it more, I think it is an amazing idea. I have since had two other friends write and say they would also donate too! I feel so blessed already! So I am stepping out of my comfort zone and asking, can you help? If you feel led to donate, there is a "button" on the top right side of my blog that you can click on to make a safe secure donation through PayPal. If you would rather send a check, just comment me and I will send you my address. Thank you in advance for your gifts, your love and your prayers!

A bit more about the Baby Walk...for anyone who is interested :-)
(From the website)
Mulholland Positioning Systems
We Offer a Full Line of Gait Trainers, Standers, Seating Systems, and Adaptive Components
Mulholland Positioning Systems provides postural support seating, standing, and walking systems for children and adults with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and other types of motor development disorders.
Our products are designed by an engineer and are continuously being improved upon as a result of information from families, therapists, physicians, and clinicians. Hand-made with high quality materials, Mulhollands have a reputation for lasting years past their intended use. They truly are durable medical equipment.

Izzy Update ~ 14 months

2010-05-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Israel is 14 months now and we are really starting to see his little personality shine though. He has learned how to glare at people...and he does it ALL the time to anyone he doesn't know, or if he is upset! I think it's hysterical! But I tell him he is being rude and needs to be a happy boy :-)

We have movement! It's slow and small...but we have learned to celebrate even the smallest of victories. Israel can now turn himself around in a circle while sitting on the floor. He can also scootch himself backwards while sitting...very slowly but it's something. I think he is finally starting to see the value in movement. In all the times past he hasn't cared at all about moving. Even if he is sitting on the floor with no toys, he never seemed to mind much. He would just hang out. He reminds me SO much of Jaxon. Very laid back and easy going and does things only when necessary :-) Jaxon didn't crawl until he was a year old and didn't walk until he was 17 months old...and he was fully capable if he wanted to! He just simply didn't care. Israel is making small "steps" (no pun intended) toward becoming mobile. He will get there...but not until he is good and ready.

Another bit of news, Israel decided he is a big boy now and has no need for a bottle! This was TOTALLY his own doing. We have never tried to get him off the bottle, and about a week ago he just up and decided that he didn't want a bottle anymore, but a sippy cup instead. Wow...talk about an angel baby! With Rachel and Jaxon we had to take the bottle away and suffer a few cranky days for it! But not Izzy :-) He likes sippy cups with no valves (stoppers) or straws. It's pretty cute to see him growing and changing so much lately. Seems like it's happening all to fast though!

And...more teeth! He now has 3 teeth really in, 1 that just broke through, and 2 more that are super swollen! I remember this happened with the other two kids too...it seemed like all of the sudden they went from being toothless to getting them in all at once! Poor guy though has been a bit crabby from it though. Although I can't blame him...it has to hurt!

Well, there's just a little update on Izzy. I decided not to do the monthly updates anymore since he is one now...but it just seemed like he has been changing so much that I had to make another post to share it all.

Mother's Day

2010-05-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

May seems to be a very busy time of year for us, filled with birthday parties (Lots of them!), baby showers, end of the year parties, wraping up school etc. So once again, I am behind on posting some new blogs. I realize Mother's Day was a few weeks ago, but I couldn't not post about it.

My husband has always done an amazing job at making me feel so special on Mother's Day, and this year was no different. The day started out with me sleeping in, which is always the best way to start my day! Followed by a homemade gormet breakfast. The table was set with my mother's day gifts and two boquests of flowers from my children. We went to church, then off the the beach. The weather was decent, for the Oregon coast. Loved watching the kids play in the water and the sand. Went to MO's for dinner...so yummy! I had an amazing day, and was reminded of just what a blessing it is to be able to celebrate Mother's Day.

The reason I get to celebrate Mother's Day

Blessing #1

Blessing #2

Blessing #3

Motivated Moms

2010-04-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a few things about myself.

I’m a person who loves lists.
And I love how-to books.
And bullets.
And boxes to check off.
And things to strike through.
I’m the type of person who will add something I've already done to my to-do list, just to be able to cross it off.
I like the idea of FlyLady, but…It’s just too cumbersome.

So I want to share something with you, in case you’re the same way.
Motivated Moms has a printable chore list… it details a few chores to do every day of the year, and cycles through things like changing towels, cleaning the lights in your bathroom, cleaning the crumb tray of your toaster, and all sorts of things that are easy to let slide if you’re not thinking about them. Just what I need! Because each day you check your list...do your few designated chores...then RELAX! No need to feel the continual pull to do more! I love it!!! I feel like when I can keep up with everything on the list, I’ll feel like the house is “together” and in maintenance mode.

I found this site because a dear fellow homeschooling Mommy friend told me about it and knew I would love it! I’ll tell you that I immediately spent the $8 to buy the PDF download and it's one of the best things I have done for myself in a while. And I’m VERY excited about using it this year and seeing the change it makes in me and in my house. I bought the full-sized planner with Bible reading for each day. The site has several sample PDFs so you can see what you’re getting into before you pay, which I totally love because I am a very visual person! Anyway, just thought I would pass this gem along to anyone who loves this idea as much as I do :-)

Happy Easter

2010-04-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

So maybe I'm a few weeks behind on this post...but who's counting?!?!

Easter was hard for Israel this year because he was still really trying to recover. He wasn't interested in much when it came to festivities. He watched Rachel and Jaxon color eggs for all of two minutes. He didn't hunt for eggs, but Rachel helped him find his basket. He had bubbles in it, which are his new favorite thing! We went to church...of which he slept through the whole thing. Then headed over to Jon's parents house...of which he slept most of this time too. Rachel and Jaxon, LOVED Easter! They enjoyed coloring eggs, hunting for eggs, opening their baskets, going to church and doing the big egg hunt there, and of course they loved going to Nana and Papa's house! I couldn't get much in terms of pictures, but here are a few of the best ones I got.

Recovery

2010-04-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post is coming a bit late...and for that I apologize. It feels like life has been going 100 mph!!! I think of great blog topics and compose them in my head...but actually getting/taking the time to sit down and write has been hard lately. But tonight, my husband is gone, the kids are in bed, all of my chores have been done...so I think its time for a bit of blogging :-)

Israel is doing AMAZING! Praise God! The first week was hell! The second week was ok. The third week was getting back to normal. And the fourth week was awesome! YEAH! We have our baby boy back! His tongue is completely healed and he is eating and drinking wonderfully! It has been so much fun to introduce him to new foods. So far there isn't anything he doesn't like. This week he tried bananas, strawberries, corn, green beans and pasta. I love to watch his face as he tried something new. It's usually quite a perplexed look as he decided what he thinks of it. Too cute! In addition to that, he is making all sorts of new sounds and noises as he discovers all that his tongue can do. We are so very grateful for wonderful doctors and modern technology! It has changed this little boys life forever!

(Eating a Gerber Fruit Twist...he loves these and can feed them to himself!)

Nubbins

2010-04-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

In addition to having Israel's tongue surgery we had something else done as well, very last minute. On the end of each limb he has what we refer to as "nubbins". Basically they would have eventually turned into fingers and toes, had he developed properly in the womb. However because something stopped his growth they stopped too. They are pointless and useless. They have no bones in them and serve no purpose or function.

(Here is an example of his left arm)

I have always worried about them getting caught on something and ripping. I have also worried that they would eventually get in his way and could possibly cause pain with his prosthesis. So, we asked our plastic surgeon if she would mind just removing all of them while she was at it and he was under aways. She was wonderful and agreed. We had them removed off of all four limbs. His right side ones were smaller and the left side ones were quite a bit bigger. He had to get stitches in them, and even a soft cast on his right arm, because he sucks on it and the stitches would have dissolved to quickly. Israel is recovering well from them and doesn't seem to mind the change. He is using his arms and legs just the same. I am so glad we decided to get this done...just one less thing to think about along this journey :-)

Frenulum...Mandible...What?

2010-03-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have been getting many questions about Israel's tongue surgery and what exactly was wrong with it, and/or what the big deal was with it. Many people say "Oh I know so and so and they are tongue tied and it's no big deal, or I know so and so who had the surgery and it's pretty easy. Now I know that these people say things like this out of a way of trying to connect and show sympathy, not to try and sound rude, as it often comes across. So here's the long and short of Izzy's tongue stuff. He was born tongue tied. Meaning that his frenulum (that thing under your tongue that hold it to the bottom of your mouth) was connected to the end of his tongue, instead of about half way back like the rest of us. This in and of itself really isn't a huge deal. Many people can live like this with no problems and other opt for a short out patient surgery to quickly clip it. But Izzy's was a bit different. So different in fact that many people at Doernbecher's looked at it and all said they had never seen anything like it, even a pediatric ENT who has been in his field for 34 years! So Israel was quite a different case. Israel's tongue wasn't only connected to the bottom of his mouth, it was connected up through the tip of his tongue and to the back of his lip causing his mandible (gums, where your teeth grow in) to split into two. Here's a pictures so you can get an idea of what I am talking about.

This is a major problem because it doesn't allow Israel to eat anything solid, unless it is mashed, like baby food. His tongue had no mobility so as soon as something entered his mouth he could not control it and he would eventually choke and most of the time throw up! In addition, this would cause other major problems in the future with speech and teeth growth. So it wasn't something that could just be left alone, like many of the other cases of people who are tongue tied. We have been seeing our surgeon since Israel was two months old, and she is amazing! She felt that this needed to be done at around age one for the best recovery and retraining process of the tongue and eating and such. As mentioned in my earlier post, we had the surgery on Friday and it was a huge success. She said it was quite difficult because of the way in which it was attached to the gums, but she feels good about it. Most likely he will have another surgery similar to this when he is two years old to completely free his tongue. She could only go about half way as far as it needs to be because she only had so much tissue to reconstruct the tongue with. But she feels like this is a very good start for him and will allow him to begin eating solids. Our other hope is that as his mouth continues to grow that his mandible will grow back together and teeth will be able to grow in properly. Prayers for this would be greatly appreciated.

Surgery Details

2010-03-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

*The detailed blog post about Izzy's surgery for all of you who enjoy all the fine print as much as I do*

Thursday afternoon (3/25) we went to Shriner's for our pre-surgery appointment. We filled out all of the necessary paperwork, got all of his stats (weight, height, etc.) and talked with the nurse about basic surgery info. We were then supposed to meet with our surgeon and the anesthesiologist to discuss the details of Israel's surgery. Well, we then found out that our surgeon wasn't going to be in that day to meet with us, but would meet with us in the morning before his surgery. However we needed to wait and talk with the anesthesiologist still. He was currently in a surgery so they said it would be a little while...well after 2 more hours of waiting (We had already been there an hour) I went and checked in on things, they called up to the anesthesiologist and he said he would be at least another hour! We had all three kiddos with us and it was nearing dinner time and Izzy was WAY over due for a nap...so we left. They said we could just talk with him in the morning. Sure wish we could have had this option earlier! Oh well!

We drove to my sisters house (about 30 minutes from Shriner's) and stayed the night. We left Rachel and Jaxon there for a few days (My sister and her husband are amazing! And my kids just love them!). Israel was only allowed to have food until midnight, but could have clear liquids until 5:00am. He drank a bottle at 8:00pm, just before bed. I tried waking him up in the night to get him to drink another one and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. To bad he didn't understand why I would want him to do this. He slept the rest of the night, peacefully.

We woke up early on Friday (3/26)and got Izzy up too. My thought was, just stick him in the car in his PJ's as soon as it's time to go and he can sleep on the way over. And did he sleep? NOPE! He was wide awake talking and as happy as can be...at 6:00am! Well we arrived at Shriner's at 6:30am. We got checked into Israel's room, did the basic stuff and then we waited. Amazingly since Shriner's is a children's hospital they were very accommodating. When we got into Izzy's room his bed was covered with a soft fleece handmade blanket (You know, instead of the boring white blankets). They also had a handmade pillow case for him draped over the edge of the bed. In addition, they had a mobile attached to his crib, which he really liked. And lastly, they had a brand new toy in the box for Israel that he LOVED! You know...it's the little things like this that make the difference in your experience.

Israel's surgery was scheduled for 8:00am. However they were running behind. At 8:15 they came in our room and gave Israel some "Goofy Juice" as they call it. It basically gives him temporary amnesia and totally relaxes him so he isn't afraid and doesn't fight them. He drank it up and right away it started taking effect. It was quite funny actually :-) Around 8:45 they took us down to the "holding room" where we waited to send him back to surgery. The people down there we so nice and sweet. They pulled out 4 stuffed bears and let Israel pick one out to take to surgery with him. He picked the brown one, and preceded to chew on it's ear...cute! At 9:00 they took him from our arms and back into the operating room. I was sad to see him go, but I tell you what, the power of God is so amazing and I could literally feel all of the prayers being said for Israel and us and I was surprisingly calm and relaxed.

We left our cell phone number with the surgery desk gal and she called us along the way with any details so we didn't have to just sit and wait. Jon and I walked over to OHSU and got some breakfast. During breakfast we got a call that surgery had just started at 9:30 and everything was going well. After that we walked over to Doernbecher's and got ourselves a Starbucks coffee. We got another call at 10:30 that Israel was done in surgery and was heading to the recovery room! At 10:45 we got our last call that he was ready for us! We got in and held him right away. He had a very hard time coming off the anesthesia and other drugs. He was very upset and confused. Although we found he enjoyed being help closely and being sang to. We had planned to stay the night, but Israel was doing SO well our doctor sent us home at 2:30 the afternoon!!! God is SO good!

We are home now and enjoying being here instead of the hospital. Israel is doing as good as can be expected. He is still cranky and obviously in pain, but we are keeping his meds going on a regular basis and that really seems to help. More updates to come later on as time allows :-) This post took me a whole day to finish as I only seem to have a few moments at a time. Thank you again for all of your continued prayers. We cherish them!

Quick Update!

2010-03-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

It seems I only have a few minutes here and there, so I figured better to post at least a small update than nothing at all.

Israel went in for his tongue surgery this morning. Everything went well and as expected. Israel is with us now recovering. Having a very hard time coming off the drugs and anesthesia. Very fussy and confused. He goes in and our of awareness...meaning he will be calm and fine for a new minutes and than totally crying the next for no apparent reason. He is currently drinking his first bottle since 8:00pm last night and enjoying it...even though it's only watered down apple juice. He is liking being in Mommy and Daddy's arms wrapped in his blankie. Israel is doing so well they might even send us home today! What a blessing that would be!

(Pre-Surgery Picture...I love the gown!)

I will post a bigger update with more details later on as I have more time. Thank you for all your prayers! We could feel them this morning!

Birthday Fun!

2010-03-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Israel's first birthday. It is still hard to believe he is 1 already! We did a little celebration on the actual day with just us. We gave him a few gifts and a frosted cupcake. He loved it! A few days later we had a party for him with all of our family and some of his favorite people :-) Unfortunately Israel accidentally got woken up from his brother too early from his "before party nap" so he was quite out of sorts. He is usually the happiest baby and he was scowling at everyone and wouldn't let much of anyone hold him...even some of his favorites! Bummer! But I guess that's how the song goes isn't it? "It' my party, and I'll cry if I want to" :-) None the less, it was a great time celebrating the life of our precious miracle! We are so blessed with such wonderful friends and family who love Israel so much! Here are some pictures from our celebrations.

Israel LOVED his cake!

Happy Messy Boy!

The cake I made for his birthday
(I can't seem to get this to flip the right way when I upload it, so at least you can get the idea)

Izzy's personal cake

New Legs...part 4

2010-03-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry this update took so long to get here! It's been a busy time with birthday stuff. (A new post with fun birthday pictures is coming!) Let me see here, where did I leave off? I was talking about getting his prosthetic legs shorter so they would be more functional I believe. Well, that was all well and good, except for the fact that he absolutely no leg/butt muscles developed so this was an absolute nightmare to get him to stand for more then a few minutes. Not to mention the fact that my body was in a crazy contortion just to hold him up! I had to have my hands on his knees to keep them from buckling, my thumbs on his butt to keep him from sitting down and my head/shoulders on his back to keep him from leaning back! It was a crazy position...for both of us! And if I needed to use my hand to do something...it all fell apart! This is NOT a functional way to get Israel to learn how to stand what so ever! So thankfully our in home therapist was able to bring a stander out for us to borrow for as long as we need. This is a God send! It allows Israel to stand in a functional and comfortable position and lets me be free! It save my back and lets me play with him instead of being his support system physically! YEAH! Its a win win situation! Here is a picture of what I am talking about :-)

It has tons of individual adjustments that can be made so it can fit him just perfectly! It has support straps that go around his knees, trunk and chest. This allows him to be completely supported and feel safe at the same time! And the tray is wonderful because we can put toys on it to entertain him! Wonderfulness!!! He will even stay in it for up to 20 minutes at a time now! This stander will allow his muscles to develop and let his body get stronger. It will still be a very long road before he can ever stand without it, but at least I now feel like we have an effective plan in place!

Surgery Scheduled...we think...for now anyway...

2010-03-22T13:19:00.001-07:00

I title it that way, because honestly I have a hard time thinking that the surgery will actually go through, after all we went through back in December. But after more than three months of fighting insurance, and getting virtually no where, we decided to take a different route in getting Israel's tongue surgery done. We go to Shriner's Hospital for all of Israel's prosthesis and generally Shriner's is an orthopedic hospital, but recently they have started expanding to a few different things like plastic surgery stuff such as clef lip/pallet thing etc. We asked about Israel's tongue issue and they said they would have to check because it wasn't a normal thing they covered...and guess what? God just reached down and worked every little detail out for us!

Praise #1: Israel's plastic surgeon from Doernbecher's works at Shriners twice a month!

Praise #2: They said that she is way backed up on appointments just to see her. They called me the same week and said she could see him next week!

Praise #3: After seeing the doctor, she said they could approve the surgery there! However her wait list for surgery was 9 months out! But they would put him on the wait list and could possibly get him seen in 3-6 months.

Praise #4: I received a letter in the mail the next week saying they could get his surgery done in less than a month and gave us our surgery date!

Praise #5: Because it is all being done at Shriner's...we don't have to deal with any insurance stuff!!!

HOORAY! Praise be to God for working out every little detail! We may never fully know why it didn't work out with the insurance or why we weren't supposed to have it done at Doernbecher's, but we can rest fully in knowing that our God knows why and what is best for Israel and that is all that matters!

Some details for all of my prayer warriors out there...Israel's surgery is scheduled for THIS FRIDAY...3/26/10 at 8:00am. We will have the laptop with us and update as frequently as possible.

One Year in Pictures

2010-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I stole the idea of taking monthly pictures of Israel in the same place with a little sign from a blog friend, and I am so glad I did! It has been amazing watching him grow, and to see it in progression like this is beautiful :-)

One Year

2010-03-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

One year ago today!
March 18, 2009

I headed up to Portland for a routine (for this pregnancy) doctors visit. My sister Melanie joined me this time while Jon stayed home with Rachel and Jaxon. I had my routing ultrasound to check the heartbeat and fluids. Then saw my mid-wife. She talked for a bit and then said “So how is today for having a baby?” My face lit up with joy as I questioned here why. She informed me that the amniotic fluid level was too low and that Israel needed to come today! Hooray! She sent me home to gather my things (And to get Jon!) and we headed back to Portland to be induced! They started me on pitocin around 3:30 and contractions started right away. They were very manageable for quite awhile. Around 8:00 I was dilated to a 7 and they broke my water. Things picked up right away after that. After about 30 minutes of strong contractions (and absolutely no drugs the entire time!)and two pushes (About 6 total hours of labor), little Israel David was born.

He was born at 9:29pm, weighed 7 pounds and was 19 3/4 inches long. I got to pull him out and put him directly on my chest. There was a whole crew of people on standby incase he was having difficulty breathing. But by the grace of God they were all there for nothing less than to witness the miracle God did in Israel. He came out crying and screaming breathing with absolutely no problems what so ever. THANK YOU JESUS!!!

The neonatologist asked if he could borrow him for just a short bit to ensure everything was fine. About a minute later he handed him right back to me and said he is great, no problems what so ever. It was humorous as we watched the NICU staff take all the TONS of unnecessary medical equipment that they so carefully brought in earlier, back out of the room, all unused! That's the awesome power of our God! He started nursing wonderfully and sleeping great! We were so delighted and overjoyed to finally have our miracle here with us!

And now…one whole year later…ISRAEL IS 1 YEAR OLD!
My of my how a year changes things! I can honestly say that this was one of the fastest years I can ever remember experiencing!
Israel, You are amazing! One year ago, I held you in my arms for the first time, and I was changed forever. I could never fully express the way I feel for you, because I honestly don’t think there are enough words. You have touched my life and changed who I am, and for that I am so blessed! I look at life through different eyes now, trying never to take anything for granted. I marvel at even the smallest of achievements, not looking for the big things anymore, but taking delight in the small. I fall more and more in love with you every day precious boy and I am honored to be the one chosen to be your Mommy.

New legs...part 3

2010-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

After about a week of having Israel's new prosthetic legs we went back to Shriner's for a Physical Therapy evaluation appointment. This is so we can learn how to properly work with Israel in terms of getting him used to his new legs, wearing them, adjusting to having them on, moving around and such things. Right away the physical therapist noticed that his legs were way to long for him! Here's the deal. For a baby to have prosthetic feet is purely aesthetic. They have no functional value. The feet are really for the parents to feel some sort of normalcy with their not so normal child. But the truth is, it is much better and easier for the child to not have the feet on, and here is why. A prosthetic foot adds about an inch of unnecessary height. Plus there is a bolt which holds the foot into the prosthetic legs which adds another unnecessary inch. So to have feet adds two inches of unnecessary height. And with a baby who has shortened arms and legs, to have extra long legs helps nothing, but actually makes things even harder on him. So we did a few adjustments to make life a bit easier on Israel. We took of the prosthetic feet and turned the bottom of his legs into what we call "stumps". They are now two inches shorter and are actually more stable for him in terms of standing. Plus now they are not nearly as heavy (and long) so when he is sitting he can actually pick them up and move them around...which is wonderful! He seems to like these legs much better! For me...honestly...it's hard. I know it sounds selfish, but when we got his legs I went out and bought Israel real socks and his FIRST pair of shoes. You should have seen the delight on my face as I carefully picked out just the perfect pair. And now, the shoes are back in their box waiting to be returned to the store. Sometimes, it's just the little things like buying shoes, that make a big difference to me. But I know this is what is best for Israel. And someday, I am sure he will get feet again and at that time I can buy new shoes. For now, I am finding delight in watching my baby standing and discovering this new world of prostheses.

Keep Breathing

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Music has always been a huge part of my life. Since the time I can remember I have always loved music. Playing music, listening to music, making up songs, you name it! As I grew in maturity in my relationship with God in my teen years God really started speaking to me through music. Sometimes songs with words, sometimes just instrumental. I have found comfort in knowing that God give me songs whenever I need them. I recently happened upon a song that has been amazing for me. I now have it on my blog page as the first song and on my computer and I listen to it over and over and over again. As I write this post, it is playing in the background. As I said in this earlier post recently times have been harder for me. And honestly, sometimes I feel like all I can do is keep breathing. The reason this is so significant for me is because I am not someone who is usually ok with "just breathing". I usually feel the need to go go go and get things done and be busy and consume my life with so much busy. Often times even forgetting to stop and enjoy the small things, or just stop and feel. I would say I am someone who for the most part feels my emotions and knows my feelings. But I also know that it's easier for me to be busy and simply just not think of everything going on in my life. But as I have slowed down my life, I feel myself feeling more. And you know what, sometimes all I can do is keep breathing...and you know what? That's enough! I don't need to do more, or be busy, or change anything. Sometimes it's if all you can do is keep breathing.

I thought I would share this song with you. Some of you will understand...some of you will not. But that's ok. So if it's not already playing, click on the music player on the top right side of my page, it should be the first song in line. Sit back, listen, and keep breathing.

11 Months Old!

2010-02-28T08:00:00.001-08:00

Hey Israel...You're 11 months old!
What are you up to these days?

*You are already 11 months old? How did that happen? Really...my next update on you will be when you are 1 year old? That hardly seems possible!

*You received your first pair of prosthetic legs! They aren't your best friends...but you are learning to deal with them.

*You stood for the very first time ever in your life!

*You haven't grown much since last month...still 19 1/2 pounds, wearing 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

*You have been teething ALL month...with nothing to show for it! Such sad times for you. Your gums are so swollen and look so owie!

*Your bedtime is 7:30 and you usually sleep a full 12 hours!

*You are still taking two good naps a day! Praise God!

*You're two favorite things to do are being in the water (doesn't matter if it's the bathtub or the swimming pool) and doing anything outside, especially going for walks in the stroller!

*You have started something new, making faces! It's hysterical! You are so expressionate!

*You have started really loving Baby Einstein movies!

*You now realize that if we are eating...you probably should be too! Lol! You had many first bites this month...which included pizza (You loved it!).

*You still love your bottle! No cups thank you very much!

*And you much prefer to feed yourself...so independent!

*We love watching you grown and develop into your own little person. You are bright and funny and make us smile all the time! Thank you Israel, for just being YOU!

New legs...part 2

2010-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

So that same day we got his new legs we started our new routine of working with Israel and his prostheses. They want us putting them on him once a day for one hour at a time, of which 10 minutes of that needs to be standing. To you, this may not seem like a big deal. But to us and to Israel, it is a very big deal! Just learning how to properly put the prostheses on is a challenge in and of itself. Making sure they are on at the correct angle and not pinching or rubbing. And then also making sure they are on tight enough so they don't fall on when he kicks his legs. As you can see from the pictures one is different than the other. Israel's left leg is so short and chubby that as soon as we put it on and he kicks his leg and it flies off! So that leg gets a special sleeve to help hold it on :-) It's made out of the same material as wet suit material so it is tight, but breathable. The right prosthetic leg is held on by pressure...it's pretty cool how these things work! Israel didn't mind wearing them all that much, so long as he was sitting :-) Standing though...now that is work! If you think about it, any child who is born "normal" starts learning to stand at a very young age. You bounce them on your lap, their legs buckle from the pressure after about 2 seconds, you stand them up on the floor while being supported as they slowly get stronger and such things for a very long time before they ever stand on their own. So when the time finally comes and they are able to stand up, it is only after months of training that neither you nor they realized they were even doing. So basically that is where we are starting with Israel right now. He has never been able to ever stand before, ever! So we are starting from square one. And it's hard work! It take a lot from both him and I to get him to stand for any amount of time. But just as when you practice anything, I know in time he will get stronger and eventually be able to stand better and better. It is just going to be a very long road!

New legs...part 1

2010-02-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday February 2nd we received Israel's first pair of legs! As you can imagine, we were overjoyed with excitement and we took a new "step" (Pun intended!) in Israel's journey. We arrived early and could hardly contain our joy. We met with the Prosthetist and she showed us his legs. She then placed them on him and taught us everything we needed to know about them, wearing times etc.

And then, for the first time ever, we were able to stand Israel up! It was a very proud moment for Jon and I!

Israel on the other hand, was much less excited then we were. In fact, he wanted nothing much to do with standing or with these new legs. To him, they were long and awkward and probably didn't feel very comfortable.

Despite his protest to them, we kept them on him and we were able to occupy him with toys and things to get his mind off of his legs.

After a while the prosthetist took them off and checked his skin to make sure they weren't rubbing weird or anything. All looked good. So we set off for home, with new legs in tow...to embark on a new step in Israel's journey.

(Stay tuned...more parts to this story to come in later posts)

I'm trying...

2010-02-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

I promise, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, or forgotten about all of you or my blog. Honestly...I have been trying to blog! Really...I have! I get on here, start a blog, and either don't finish it because it seems boring or because it's to hard for me, emotionally. But I am determined to finished this post! I won't promise it to be much...but at least it's something. And really, that's quite an accomplishment for me right now.

*Can I be honest? Can you read this through my eyes and not judge me but instead hear my heart?*

I am going through a hard season in my life right now. Asking questions that have no answers. Seeing understanding when there is none. Wanting and longing for more...but instead having to STOP and just be. I have decided to change my life to make it more of the way I desire it to be. For the past 3 months now I feel as though my life has consisted of driving to appointments for Israel, going to doctors appointments, talking to doctors, doing occupational and physical therapy for him, talking (more like fighting) with insurance companies...and doing all the "Have to's" of wife and motherhood...such as homeschooling Rachel and Jaxon, cleaning, cooking, running errands, taking them to various events and commitments...and running the children's ministries (I haven't talked about this on here...I don't think) as a part time "volunteer" job...which consists of making schedules, researching curriculum, training teachers, finding volunteers, setting up classrooms weekly, trying to find funds for the things they need, printing materials, cleaning, finding subs for when people cancel last minute, teaching many Sunday's, missing sermons for the better part of the past 6 months etc. etc. etc.....!!!

And in all that, I finally found what was missing, my joy! I was so busy and consumed with doing the do, that I was no longer enjoying most of the things in my life! I hit a real low recently and it brought me to this revelation. The low sucked! But I am grateful for it as it made me see that something HAS to chance! So I began to really look at my life. I got some advise from a much admired mom friend and she said, when life gets like this, look at what you are doing and ask your self these questions. "Is this coming between my relationship with God...with my husband...with my children?" And if there is a yes to any of it...then get rid of it! So I started evaluating everything I was doing in my life and one by one I started letting things go that were hindering those relationships and robbing me of my joy.

It was a hard decision for some of those things because they were things I loved and enjoyed...but as I stepped back and looked at it, I realized that due to the busy-ness and "doing the do" attitude I had, that truthfully I wasn't really enjoying those things anymore either! I am making my life as less busy as I can, while still being a Mom and wife and friend. And each day that dos by I am finding joy again. And as I write those words, my eyes fill wit tears, because it makes me so sad that I missed out on a lot of the simple joys of my life for the past several months because I was so full of "busy"! But I am thankful that I am realizing this now. I am able to just sit, and hold my children and not feel guilty for all the other things that need to get done. I'm not stressing about the dishes or the laundry or the vacuuming because I know there is time later on in my day to accomplish those things...since it isn't so filled with "busy" anymore. I am playing with my children more, taking walks, and enjoying the splashes of sunshine and warm air that come so seldom this time of year. I am opening up windows and letting fresh air in. I am turning off the tv and getting off the computer more often and stopping to enjoy the small and large joys in life. Anywhere from the laugh of one of my children to the smell of roast in the crock pot. Oh life...how I have missed you!

As I sat with Israel this evening after I had dressed him in his jammies and I was delaying bedtime because I knew I was going to miss him once I put him down, I decided to capture some of the simple joys of him that make my life worth living. I wanted to share them with you :-)

I can never get enough of those baby blues and adorable smile!

Precious curls, long eyelashes, button nose and chubby cheeks...doesn't get much better than this!

He deosn't miss not having a thumb, so why should I?

The many faces of Israel...I love his personality!

So I say to you, sit back, and look at your life through different eyes...is there anything that needs to change? That needs to go? If so...don't wait...you will only be loosing precious time that you can never get back. Change now! Don't be afraid of change...it's an amazing thing when you can learn to embrace it! GO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE! You only get one...so don't waste it!

10 Months Old

2010-02-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

(This post is running a bit behind! Where did the month go?)

Hey Israel! You're 10 Months Old!
What are you up to these days?

(So much for the whole sign idea...he wouldn't leave it alone for anything!)

You are a growing boy! You weigh 19.6 pounds! And to think...the doctors used to be worried about your weight!

You are wearing a size 3 diaper and size 9-12 month clothes!

You have switched over to only taking two naps a day...but thankfully they are still about 2 hours.

You have been to Shriners and Doernbechers so many time now that I have lost count!

You got casted and fitted for your first pair of prosthetic legs and feet!

You experienced your first real sickness...a double ear infection plus sinus infection!

You are finally deciding that eating baby food isn't such a bad idea after all :-) However...you still don't seem to miss it if we forget to give it to you.

Bottles are your friend...no cups please! :-)

You aren't so into your binkie anymore...occasionally you will take it, but for the most part you could go without.

You unfortunately still don't really eat any solid foods because you are unable to with your tongue issue.

You were supposed to have your first surgery, but due to insurance hassles it has been postponed.

You experienced your first Christmas and New Year and loved it all!

You love toys that make noise and light up.

You love the littlest details on things...like tags and strings and necklaces.

You are still the happiest baby I have ever known. You smile and laugh and are content to do almost anything.

You are amazing and precious and a gift from God! I couldn't imagine my life without you in it! You make me a better Mom, wife and friend. Thank you for being you...and blessing me more then you will ever know!

LEGS & FEET!!!

2010-01-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

Good news!!! Israel is getting LEGS & FEET! We are beyond excited! They started the prosthesis process at the beginning of January. Since then we have had another appointment for a fitting. And by the beginning of February we will have them! YEAH! We are VERY excited about this new phase in Izzy's life! With these new legs and feet he will be able to learn how to stand...and eventually how to walk. I can't wait to see him learning new things as he gets comfortable with them.

Getting casts made to make prosthesis to fit him perfectly! On his first leg he thought it was pretty neat...but by the second leg...he was done!

Appointment #2...the fitting...he was less than excited about this!

He thought his foot was pretty cool! He kept sticking it in his mouth and chewing on it!

Surgery

2010-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Israel was supposed to have surgery on December 9th, but they had to reschedule due to a conflict with the surgeon schedule. So we were on for December 30th. We had been planning for this day for months now. We had schedules rearranged, the older kids were going to my sisters house for the week, Jon's work schedule was changed to meet the needs of this surgery and many, many other preparations had been made for this day. Especially the preparation of our hearts and minds. The day before his surgery we got a phone call from the hospital asking questions about insurance. This story might get long...so bear with me. Since we own our own business we have private insurance. Along with that, Israel also has Medicaid/Disability insurance which is provided by the state. In November it was brought to our attention that we could switch health care plans and take Israel off our private insurance and save ourselves a lot of money each month. Medicaid would step up into primary insurance for him and still provide him full coverage at no cost to us. Obviously we took it! Well, the hospital didn't get this memo, because they didn't check until the day before Israel's surgery, which was 29 days after our other insurance became inactive. Plenty of time for them to get details ironed out! They had to get pre-authorization for Izzy's surgery, but due to lack of knowledge/communications somewhere between the hospital and the insurance company they were trying to rush and make it happen so he could still have his surgery the following day. We got the case looked at...and they denied him. Stating that the surgery wasn't medically necessary! WHAT?! How could it not be? If Israel doesn't get this surgery done he won't be able to eat solid foods or talk! The surgeon was outraged and insists that Israel has the surgery. The hospital has submitted an appeal to the insurance company (Meaning the doctor wrote a personal letter explaining why Israel needs this, they also sent pictures, chart notes etc.) We are now playing the waiting game while the insurance takes another look and decides if they will change their mind. We probably won't know anything until at least the end of the month...if not longer. This has obviously been a very frustrating and trying time for Jon and I. We have tried desperately to understand the heart of God why we not only have to go through everything on a daily basis with Israel...but then have to deal with more junk like this too. But alas, we have just had to rest in the fact that even though we may have NO idea what God is doing and why, that he is always in control, he does not make mistakes and he knows exactly what he is doing with Israel and with us. Please be in prayer for all of the insurance stuff to work out, and in a timely manner as well. We will keep you posted as more details surface.

To read more about the details of this surgery, Click Here

Updates

2010-01-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

As usual, the holidays were a busy time and the days flew past...not leaving much time for blogging. I'm sorry for my lack of communications with you all this past month or so. I do have lots of new news and updates, so rest assured, the posts will be coming in this week :-)

Christmas was wonderful! We are blessed to have most of our family nearby. We celebrated Christmas on three different dates this year with different sides of the family. Israel truly enjoyed his first Christmas...mostly the wrapping paper and bows. He received some very thoughtful gifts, such as altered shirts and leg socks from my Mom, and some very "adaptable/manipulative" toys that he can play with well from my sister. As well as many other wonderful things.

As many of you know, Israel was due to have surgery on December 30th. Unfortunately, due to frustrating insurance stuff, we had to postpone it. More details to come on this in my next post. However, Jon and I made the most out of it and decided to spend the day with each other and with Izzy just being together and enjoying the fact that we weren't sitting in a hospital room holding our baby who was doped up on morphine and in pain. Instead we went shopping, out to lunch, and were just together.

Israel seems to be growing quickly. It seems as though he outgrows his clothes in no time and I am constantly getting new ones in bigger sizes. He is loving life and thriving. He is seriously the most happy baby I have ever met. I am truly blessed to be his mom!

9 Months Old

2009-12-27T00:40:00.000-08:00

Hey Israel! You're 9 Months Old!!!
What are you up to these days???

You continue to amaze us everyday! You are so bright eyed and love taking in the world. Your smile is always bringing joy to those who meet you.
You weigh 17.6 pounds and are 26 inches long.
You wear a size 2 or 3 diaper.
You got your first ear infection and sinus infection…which were horrible…but were quickly remedied with antibiotics, thank God!
You still love your sleep! Taking 3 two hour naps a day and sleeping 12-13 hours at night!

You much prefer to hold your own bottle instead of having someone feed you…quite an independent little boy already!
You will eat baby food and a few different kinds of big people food…but don’t much care for either of them. You are happy to just have your bottle every three hours.
You experienced your first Christmas season with all of the fun and festivities and loved it all…especially the lights!

You continue to amaze us with how adaptive you are with what you have. You can pick almost anything up…even the smallest items! You can bend over almost to where your face touches he floor, pick up your toy, and sit back up!
You are the happiest baby I have ever known!
You gabber such things as mama and dada…and are starting to say Mama with intention!
Making clicking noises and blowing raspberries is something you love to do!
You absolutely love the water! We take you to the Kroc center 1-2 times a week and go swimming in the big pool and you think its wonderful!
Israel…we love you so much and are so proud of you! You are a miracle and a blessing to us each and every day!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

~ Our Christmas newsletter...from our family to yours ~

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that it is almost the end of 2009 already! This year has flown by for us! It has been an amazing one of blessings and joy. We are coming up on the 2 year mark of owning our own business. God has continued to show that he is faithful in this area by bringing lots of jobs our way, even despite the economy. We always say our business is run by God’s economy, not this world! In fact our business has been doing so well that we had to hire a bookkeeper and a part time employee! Praise God! Owning our own business has been such a blessing to our family and has allowed us the flexibility and freedom to control our schedules, and thus our lives. Just this fall, Becca has taken on the position of Co-Children’s ministry director at church with another gal. This has been an awesome opportunity to sew into the little children’s lives at church and really make a difference for eternity.

Life with three kids is just as busy as it sounds. But honestly, we wouldn’t want it any other way! Again this year, Becca is able to stay home and homeschool Rachel and Jaxon. Last year was such a wonderful experience we wanted to do it again. Rachel is now 7 years old and in the 2nd grade. She loves getting her work done quickly and having the rest of the day to play! She is a super fast learner and enjoys reading and discovering new things with science. She read her first chapter book this year and has been breezing through them ever since! Rachel also did swimming lessons and gymnastics this year. Both were fun experiences for her. Jaxon is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. He is very bright and picks up on concepts fast. However his favorite subject in school is math and is flying through it! Jaxon did swimming lessons and played soccer this year. Jon was his soccer coach and they really enjoyed having this time together. Israel is 8 months old already and learning new things every day! He was born on March 18th. He came right into our lives and stole our hearts! He is a miracle and a huge blessing to our family. He has overcome many challenges and obstacles already and is thriving! As many of you know, we have a blog dedicated to him. We update it regularly with any new information on him and what’s going on in his life. Feel free to check out the link below.

We pray that this Christmas season will be a time for you to reflect on all of the blessings God has given you and your family over the past year. We pray your Christmas is filled with love and laughter…and the joy of Jesus.

All our love,
Jon, Becca, Rachel, Jaxon & Israel Turkington

Santa Baby

2009-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

This week we took the kids to see Santa. I was a bit nervous at how Israel would respond because it has been just recently that he has really started developing stranger anxiety. Rachel went first...

Then Jaxon...

All while Israel watched. Then it was his turn. I sat him down, and he turned and looked at Santa...and just stared!

No Crying!!!

I was so thankful he did so well and that I was able to get so many great pictures! Of course I have to share them with you all!

Self Diagnosis

2009-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

You may remember a post a few months back about Israel having a rash. He had a continual rash for over three months...no one could figure out what it was, we saw two doctors and then a pediatric dermatologist...yet no one could find what was causing the rash. We tried multiple creams and other medicines. We even did a culture...yet no results. I was bound and determined to find the cause of this rash. So I started doing some research on my own and decided to give something a try. I took every piece of clothing Israel owned and washed it all with "ALL Free and Clear" with an extra rinse at the end. I also wash all of our families laundry and towels and such the same way. Guess what happened...the rash was almost completely gone in 3 days! I was shocked! And so thankful to have found the answer to sweet Izzy's rash! To this day it has never come back!

8 Months Old

2009-12-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hey Israel ~ You're 8 Months old!
What are you up to these days?

*It seems as though this last month has brought along big changes for you. You have grown and changed in so many ways!
*You sit all on your own...and pretty much wouldn't have it any other way these days!

*You weight 16 pounds and are 26 inches long! You have grown tons this month!
*You are enjoying exploring new foods and are willing to try just about anything. Although we learned at Thanksgiving that mashed potatoes are one of your new favorites!
*You are learning how to play with new toys and getting creative about how to adapt them to meet your needs.

*You took your first trip to the snow...which you mostly slept through!
*You have found a new love for the water and enjoy our twice a week swimming at the Kroc Center!
*Baby Einstein movies totally captivate you! If you are really into it you will watch it through the entire 30 minutes!

*Since it's winter time around here, the dogs have been spending a lot more time in the house...and you LOVE them! You get so giddy and excited every time you see them!
*The jumparoo is one of your new best friends! You can actually bounce in it and find a lot of pleasure moving around in it!
*As I say every month...you continue to surprise and amaze us every day. You are bright and curious and you are going to continue to do amazing things. We love you precious miracle of ours!

More Doctors Appointments

2009-11-30T14:54:00.001-08:00

I am sitting at Doernbecher's Children's Hospital in the waiting room as I type this post. We are here for Israel's Pre-Opp appointment. We have been to two of our three appointments here today. They are basically going over all of the legal stuff, signing papers, going over everything that could possibly happen etc. We are all here...Jon, the three kids and myself. Thankfully they have been pretty good about being on time today, which is wonderful! Last time we were here for well over 4 hours! That makes for a long day with a baby who needs to nap!

Israel's surgery is scheduled for December 30th in the morning. If you aren't sure what I am referring to...Click Here for more details on an earlier post. I am feeling pretty good about everything, and thankful that his surgery is so minor, comparatively to what it could possibly be. The doctors are hopeful about the positive outcome and honestly, I am just looking forward to the surgery being a thing of the past!

FOOD!

2009-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

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! :-)

The Journey of Israel

iPad2

Shriner's Christmas Card...AGAIN!

New Legs...with FEET!

Wordless Wednesday

Prioritizing my life

Back to School

State Fair

Clamming

Canyonview

Camping

Camp Attitude

End of Summer Recap

Teaser...from Camp Attitude

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 4th of July (A little late I know)

Wordless Wednesday

Beautiful Boy ~ 2 Years Old

BIG at Shriner's

Summertime Stares

Cousin Lovin

I'm still here...

Growing up...way to fast!

One Whole Year!

45,000!!!

Surgery Update #3

Surgery Update #2

Surgery Update

Surgery...again

Shriner's Dedication

Seattle

Truckin' It

Wordless Wednesday

Israel Over Time

Birthday Update!

Wordless Wednesday

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ISRAEL!

Wordless Wednesday

Where have I been?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Life is a "Picnik"

unLIMBited Attitude!

Socks & Shorts

Out for a stroll

More stories of hope

Touching Lives

God's got BIG plans for this boy!

Giving Back - A Fundraiser for Shriner's - Donation Update

~ Splish ~ Splash ~

Legs...aka Horse Hooves!

Another inspiration

FAST!

Update: Shriner's Christmas Cards

Merry Christmas!

Yup...still here...somewhere

Giving Back - A Fundraiser for Shriner's

Famous?!?!

State Fair Fun

***Eye Candy***

18 Months Old

So much to say...so little time!

Baby Fingers & Baby Toes

OUR BABY WALK IS HERE!!!

In Transit

Still want to help?

100%

HALF WAY THERE!

DONATION FYI

"Baby Walk"

Izzy Update ~ 14 months

Mother's Day

*Motivated Moms*

Happy Easter

Recovery

Nubbins

Frenulum...Mandible...What?

Surgery Details

Quick Update!

Birthday Fun!

Eye Candy

Motivated Moms