A Mansion...

As I was lying with Logan on the couch this evening he nonchalantly says to me "Mom, I want to build a mansion." So I reply with "Well...what would you do with all of that space?" He then goes on to tell me about how he would take all of our stuff and put it into *his* mansion. He would make sure that he brings everyone. He would have all of the toys in the world there. All the kids in the world could come and play with his toys. He said that he would share *everything*.

My boy is so sweet. It's nights like this that cuddling on the couch and listening to him dream big dreams that I realize my life is so full of blessings and pure joy. His innocence and love for others is just amazing. I am thankful that there are times like this with each one of my children that I get to hear their stories and dreams. I want nothing more than to help my children accomplish each and every single thing they set out to do in life. I will always be their #1 fan, their shoulder to cry on, their encouragement when life is tough.

I am thankful that my parents have shown this same unconditional love and support for me through all the ups and downs of my life. They have been so supportive and helpful when I have needed it most. These past few months have been absolutely crazy...from Emily's seizures that hospitalized her for a week (then all of the testing that followed and the finding that she had a cyst on her brain), Hailey Grace having broken her ankle 4 times in less than a year, and then all of Logan's medical issues (muscle issues, 1 kidney, heart issues, adhd, developmental delays, etc). My parents have been there to watch kids, shuffle kids, pick up kids, etc. If my parents had not done the exceptional job they did to mold me into the person I am today...I am not sure I could have held my composure! I might have just fallen apart. I try to take all of this in stride and keep a positive outlook and a smile on my face.

Neil's mom, my mother-in-law, has also been a HUGE blessing. She also watches the kiddos, fills in Neil's spot at appointments when he cannot go, and helps pick up/bring things when needed. She always reminds me that God has a plan...I just love her!

 I guess tonight I am reflecting on all of the blessings that God has poured over our family...some people might think that every thing that has happened doesn't seem like a blessing at all, but there is a reason; a plan, for everything that happens. God has placed these little people and big people in our lives and each and every one of them have a purpose greater than we know!

Pretty soon we will be headed down to Riley to meet with Dr. W (on Halloween) to see what our next steps with Logan will be. I am a little scared. I just want to find what is causing his muscles to lose their tone and coordination. Then in November we are meeting with the urologists and cardiologists down at St. Vincent's. I pray for an answer - peace of mind - a plan.

I am pretty sure that my life is like a mansion. It's big, it's complicated, and it's full of the things I love the most! Thanks for taking the time to read our blog! :)

Much Love,
Autumn!

Prayer Request and Logan's Results

First of all please say a quick prayer for my friend Beth and her family. Keegan has an MRI to check and see how things are doing. He is a brain cancer survivor and one of the cutest little boys ever! To view his story click here: karingforkeegan.blogspot.com

This morning I took Logan for his actual physical therapy evaluation. This was supposed to have been done 3 weeks ago, but we had a bad week with LOTS of snow, the next week he had a high fever, and then this past week we had EVEN MORE SNOW! So with all of that said, we finally got in there today and got things rolling!

We met with Miss Deb, Logan's new PT, and she was so sweet. Logan responded really well with her and she seemed to be extremely in tune to what is causing Logan some of the physical troubles. The two of them just clicked and I think this is another step in the right direction!!!

We did find out that Logan has significant low muscle tone on his left and right side (the right side is more severe than the left). She measured different things and Logan's feet (when you are sitting and bring your toes toward your chest) are only going to a 65 degree angle with Miss Deb's assistance and an average child has at least a 90 degree angle without assistance. He was also unable to manipulate his feet from side-to-side toward objects. The movement he has is so limited. She put him on a large excercise ball and pointed out that when she would roll him from side to side he doesn't have the instinct to catch himself by putting his foot out...instead he would take his foot and grab/hold onto the ball with his foot (which is what infants do when they cling on)...so he is also immature there. She was extremely informative the entire time she was evaluating. All I could think though is WHY have I never really noticed these things??? I feel like a terrible mom! As soon as she pointed out what she was observing, I could see it! I can now see it A LOT. I guess I never knew what to look for. She did ask a few times if he had ever recieved any type of PT...I think she was shocked that it has gone without notice. I just feel really bad! I know he walks on his toes, I know he is clumsy, but I just didn't think it was as big of a deal as what it is. I thought it was just LOGAN.

Our game plan now is to do PT once a week. She wants to observe and work with him a little while and see how he does. If his improvement is not substantial, we have to see the neurologist. There is a possibility that he also has a processing/coordination issue. The neurologist may be able to further investigate. :( I thought we were done with the scary things and that all of that kind of "stuff" had been ruled out. Another possibility is having braces put on his feet. The thought of that just makes me sad! One fun thing that they do have at Turnstone is a swim team for children his age... She highly recommended it. I definitely think we will let him participate in that and give him the social interaction!

On a positive note, his speech therapy is FINALLY being moved from Parkview to Turnstone!!! This is a GREAT thing! I was NOT impressed with Parkview's SLP's. They were nice ladies, but I just wasn't "feeling" it. I feel that Logan gets so much more out of Turnstone when he is there! And for the cherry on top...all 3 therapies are in ONE place! No more running here, there, and everywhere! :) Yay!!!

I will leave you with a cute pics of Logan from this weekend. We were tired of being cooped up and snowed in, so we got a hotel room and let the kiddos swim! We had a great time.

Love,
Autumn