Blog Number Eleventy-One today!

I feel behind on my blogging.
I probably shouldn't lump all of these subjects into one post, but I'm going to do it anyway. Sorry if it turns out to be incredibly long...

I Turned 30!
My family and friends "surprised" me with a great party the week before my birthday. I knew it was coming, because I can smell these things a mile away, but I didn't know how it would all work out or who would be there. It turned out to be a wonderful evening with amazing people who make my world a happier place.

I'm making an awesome face here!

 In related news, our washer went poo-poo that week. To celebrate my actual birthday, Barry and I went shopping for a new one. I must really be getting into my role as a domestic goddess, because I discovered that buying a new washing machine was a pretty rockin' birthday gift. We also went out to dinner that night, without children. Wow! A million thanks to my mom for that gift!

I have never been one to fear getting older. I love my birthday each year and am elated to be alive to celebrate the aging process. Thirty is a good number. In the past thirty years I've managed to secure a husband, a house, two children, two careers, loads of amazing friends, and a plethora of gray hairs. I feel adequately accomplished.

Emma's Arthritis is Still in Medicated Remission!
Can I say that again? Yes? Thanks.
Emma's Arthritis is Still in Medicated Remission!
We went to her rheumatologist today and Em still has no signs of active arthritis. There is some synovial thickening in her left ankle that isn't present in the right, but that might be left over from initial damage. We will monitor it and see what happens.
Since her disease has stayed under control with her meds, we're letting her outgrow her doses. So, she's currently being under-dosed for her medication. In mid-January, if she's still symptom free, we'll reduce her meds even more. Hip Hip Hooray!

Family
I miss my brother. He lives only thirty minutes away, but I haven't seen him since January. I talk to him on the phone periodically, but I never know if he'll be manic, depressed, or somewhere in between. With the holidays coming up,  I thought it would be nice to get together this weekend. I called him today and asked if he was available for a lunch date with my little family. He basically told me that he didn't think that was necessary and that we probably shouldn't get together this weekend, but that he still loves me.
That kind of crushed my little sister heart.
I see the way my baby Liam watches his big sister's every move. He adores her, smiles at her constantly, and will hopefully always look up to her. That's the way it is for little siblings. We view our older siblings with a weird admiration, a hero worshiping love that persists in spite of the teasing, wedgies, and general I'm Too Cool For You attitude we get in return. It's a very hard thing to watch my childhood idol deteriorate into a mentally ill, yet beautiful and bright man. So, as I said at the beginning, I miss my brother.

When I got married, Barry's family became my family. They have welcomed me into their lives and hearts and it has been wonderful. I have grandparents again and the number of aunts and uncles I can now claim as my own has tripled. The real bonus has come by gaining sisters. I never had a sister before, now I have two that live only 45 minutes away. I love them both very much and am grateful to have them  in my life. In the past year I have grown really close to Barry's older sister. She has become my big sister and my dear friend. No one will ever replace my big brother, but what a blessing it is to gain family.

Okay, that's all for now.

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy and be grateful for your physical health, old age, mental health, and family tomorrow. I know I will.

It's a New Month!

Welcome to November.

The Princess & The Pea

 Halloween was a lot of fun with my little ones. I took them to my parents' house so the grandparents could see how cute they looked in their costumes. We took some pictures and trick-or-treated at a few houses in their neighborhood. Then we came home to share their cuteness with my neighbors and my father-in-law, AKA Papa.

The Princess
Miss Emma continues to do well health-wise. She also continues to be a royal pain in the tookus whenever she gets the chance. I'm trying really hard to convince her that she should obey me. Sometimes she falls for it. She is so funny and so smart.

Her latest efforts to manipulate The Mommy happen at nap time and bedtime. "Mommy? Can we read one more book?" "Mommy! Can I have another drink of water?" "Mommy! Uhh... ummm..." "Mommy?" The best is when she comes out of her room and starts with some excuse for not being asleep, such as, "Daddy! You're too loud!" (She's probably right about that one.) I know she's just exercising her stubborn will power, and it's kind of cute, but it's also a little bit obnoxious. I've had to start bribing her to go to sleep. Today, since she went down for her nap without being a jack-in-the-box, she gets to watch some of Lady and the Tramp when she wakes up.

She named them Rapunzel & Eugene.

That brings me to my next subject: Movies and videos! The kid loves them. She's like her daddy in the way that she gets absolutely glued to a television. If she hears one of us watching a video on the computer, she comes running into the room to see what's playing. Good thing we don't have cable t.v.

All of her quirky traits make Emma the wonderful little girl that I love so much.

The Pea
Liam is 3 months old today. Already. He is still my little angel and I am very much in love with him.
His blue eyes are bright and aware.

My handsome 3 month old!

He continues to spit up like an erupting volcano.
He laughs daily and it is adorable.
If he's not sleeping, eating, or quietly observing the world, he is smiling, smiling, smiling.
He loves to engage others in conversations and has added "oooh" into his ever expanding vocabulary.

Liam & his adoring fans.

This may be a little bit gross, but Liam only poops every six or seven days. He saves it up all week long and then poops on Thursdays and Fridays. Today he decided to begin Project: Fill Up Diaper at 4 A.M. and I was not pleased.
He bats at toys, kicks at toys, and holds onto toys.
His eyes follow me around the room.
If I ignore him for too long, he calls out to me so that we can resume our conversation.
He is already a huge flirt.

He has me wrapped around his tiny finger.

Let's Talk About Arthritis. Again.

Next week marks one year since I gave Emma her first injection of Enbrel and we started getting her arthritis under control. It's been an awesome year. We got to wean off of her oral NSAID. We went to physical therapy and saw greater range of motion in her affected joints. We entered the world of medicated remission and we are still there!

Just look how much she has grown in a year. (Okay... 16 months, to be exact.)

Smiling through the pain.

My beautiful, big girl!

The first picture is from June 2012. That would be a month after onset of disease but before any treatment aside from naproxen. See her big, swollen knee?

The second picture was taken last week. You can't quite see it, but her knee is normal now and has been for some time.

Hooray for modern medicine and modern day miracles!

If she continues to be symptom free for two more months, we'll stop her meds and see what happens. I'm hoping we make it that far. I'm hoping we stop the medication and the arthritis stays away.

I'm delighted for my little girl, but there are kids out there who are not so lucky. Em was diagnosed quickly and we were able to start aggressive treatment early. Most children go for years without diagnosis and by the time the doctors figure out what is going on, these kids have permanent damage. We have a friend whose JA was quiet for months. Then while fighting a stomach flu, her immune system started attacking her little joints again and they became swollen, angry, and red. There are children whose own bodies attack their eyes, heart, lungs, and muscles. Juvenile Arthritis can kill these kids. It is horrible. I hate this disease.

Yet, it appears that JA is Emma's battle to fight in this life. I hope she endures it well and grows stronger because of her trials. I pray that her disease stays quiet for a while. I feel greedy to ask for complete remission; all I ask is for a few years so she can know comfort, peace, and a pain-free childhood without Mommy giving her injections every week.

Wouldn't that be nice?