Once again, I have let the time slip by and my posts have been very lacking in recent months. For good reason, I suppose. We are keeping very busy as always. While I did manage to get our Christmas cards sent out in the last few days, I did not include a letter. I am hoping that the blog will serve as a place to keep up with us throughout the year! (As long as I remember and take the time to post as some have politely reminded me!;) So... I will start this post with a quick update on each of us to get everyone caught up if you so wish to know what's happening in our little world!
ISABELLE
Isabelle turned 5 years old on December 9!! She is such a big girl now (or at least she thinks she is)! She started preschool this fall (see the proud school girl below). She attends Jordan Creek Elementary in the afternoon preschool program four days a week. She absolutely loves it! We had her first parent-teacher conferences in November and were thrilled to hear about all of the wonderful things she is doing. We are kept "in the know" daily through communication notes from her teacher and our own little informant. We are happy that Isabelle loves to share about her days through storytelling, songs and the many wonderful art/learning projects she brings home. She especially likes music, snack, and playing with her friends. Isabelle started gymnastics this past June and has continued to enjoy it throughout the fall. She has class weekly and loves to learn new things and have fun with all of her friends at gymnastics! As many of you have witnessed, Isabelle is a wonderful big sister and loves to "help" whenever she can. She is starting to realize that Sophia is getting bigger and has her own ideas on what to play and when... although I'm not sure she appreciates this new concept just yet! The girls really do love to play together and Isabelle tells me that Sophia is her best sister and friend. Warms my heart!
SOPHIA
Sophia turned 2 years old on December 1! She was very pleased with all that the celebration entailed! She especially liked the singing, gift opening and blowing out her candles! She has really started to enjoy pretend play-- she likes to play with her babies and play doctor with her sister. She also loves animals, puzzles, blocks, balls, and books! Okay, and she may also love Sesame Street and the I-pad! She idolizes her big sister and wants to do pretty much anything Isabelle is doing.
We stay very busy with Sophia's therapy schedule. She continues to receive weekly occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy through both Blank Children's Hospital and the AEA Early Access program. She also receives feeding/nutrition therapy at home. She currently has a reverse Kaye walker that she is learning to use and wears both SMO and AFO braces on her legs at different times throughout her day. She continues to wear a Benik splint and kinesio tape, minimally, to help with training her right hand/arm muscles. Sophia is making wonderful gains in all areas and we could not be more thankful for these blessings. She works so hard and it can be exhausting and difficult for her at times, but she is forever our warrior. She makes it through most therapy sessions with her therapists (and those with us at home too) with a smile on her face and a determination that I continue to be amazed by. She is an inspiration!
A few updates on her health-- As I shared, she has continued to make wonderful progress overall. While she still has daily struggles with motor skills (both fine and gross), communication/speech, eating and other GI issues, we do not allow our focus to lie there. We are continually in awe of the new things she is learning and new skills she is acquiring! God is watching over our little girl and holding our hands through any hard times.
She will be having a repeat MRI of her brain in the next month or two (we are still waiting to confirm that with her pediatrician and neurologist but should know this week or next). This is to ensure that there has been no change and that her condition is static, not degenerative which was a fear after her initial MRI at 9 months of age. As terrifying as this possibility still is, we strongly believe that we will receive good news with this MRI (and her doctors and therapists agree). She has never shown any signs of regression and so we believe that they will confirm her diagnosis of cerebral palsy which is NOT a degenerative condition!
We were sad to learn this fall that her pediatric physiatrist, Dr. Ramsey, was leaving. He has moved on to a teaching hospital/clinic in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, there are no other pediatric physiatrists in the state of Iowa. Therefore, Sophia has been referred to another hospital/clinic to serve her needs in this way. We had options in St. Paul and Kansas City, but have chosen Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul, MN for it's outstanding reputation. They have several specialty clinics-- cerebral palsy being one of them. This means that when she goes, she will be seen by a multidisciplinary team of doctors and specialists that work with individuals who have CP. We are excited for this opportunity for her and what we may learn from it. Sophia will have her first visit at Gillette this spring. I've added a link below for those interested in learning more about what they do at Gillette.
As always, we thank you for your prayers on behalf of Sophia's health. We have certainly felt their power over the years!!
JASON
Jason continues to stay very busy with new varying roles as the OIC (Officer in Charge) for the Des Moines Poultry Market News division. He has done some travel as usual this year, mostly to Washington, D.C. where they would love for him to be permanently. However, we have no intentions of moving there... at least not anytime soon! He also stays very active in the basketball league that he participates in through Adaptive Sports Iowa. He has participated in many tournaments and meets many wonderful individuals along the way. In his spare time (ha!) he loves being with his girls and they absolutely love their time with Daddy! He has also been able to enjoy some ISU football games this fall and is looking forward to an ISU basketball game this coming weekend! He has taken some time to create some wonderful projects for our home this year too... he made our headboard (out of old barn board from the Karwal farm) which turned out beautifully and is currently finishing up a project for our home office.
ALICIA
I am still home full time with the girls and loving that we made this decision! It allows me to enjoy moments with my babies that I would not otherwise be able to (yes, I realize that they are not really babies anymore, but I may be slightly in denial). So, in a nutshell, that is my life right now... CEO of the Karwal household! And I do not wish for it to be any other way! I love that I can take Isabelle to school each day and join her on field trips and for class parties. I love that we can do fun things like go to the library and parks and have all kinds of fun in our own home! It also allows us to get Sophia the additional therapies she needs... sometimes I think her schedule dictates my schedule! ;) I also enjoy lots of fun times with my good girl friends and love to read when I can. I continue to be active in our church by teaching Sunday school at least once a month. Isabelle and I also serve on a Beloved Community team one Wednesday a month. We help prepare and serve food to those of our congregation and others in attendance during a time of fellowship and worship. This has been a special time together for Isabelle and me. On occasions that are probably too few and far between, Jason and I get to enjoy a night out too. I don't know where I'd be today without him. He is most certainly our rock!
I hope you'll enjoy the photos I've posted to capture some of our fun from late summer through the present (not necessarily in chronological order)! Come back soon for birthday and Christmas postings!! Promise ;)
Isabelle's 1st day of school! We are so proud of her!!
Sophia and Mommy in the "sunflower house" at Grandma Deb's! The kids enjoyed a special story about sunflowers and a yummy snack surrounded by the beauty of some really tall sunflowers.
Isabelle and her friend Emily (my step-cousin's daughter) enjoying the balloons during the Balloon Classic in Indianola. Thank you Grandma Linda & Grandpa Dennis for the VIP treatment!
State Fair fun!! We had a great time at the Iowa State Fair this summer. We went while my sister Michelle was visiting from South Carolina with her three children. The girls loved playing with their cousins Logan, Brayden and Kyla!
Sophie & Kyla giving each other some lovin'! They were so sweet together!
We have enjoyed having a pass to The Science Center and Living History Farms this year. In the photo above, the girls are in one of the "old mansions" at Living History Farms. They are playing in one of the childrens' bedrooms.
We sometimes like to enjoy a treat at Starbuck's downtown after church!
Her favorite new trick... getting into the pantry to get cereal! We love this trick because, despite the mess that it often creates, it means she's eating!!!
We enjoyed a day trip to ISU and Reiman Gardens over Labor Day weekend. The girls loved the Lego exhibits!
Bummed that I didn't capture a better picture at the campanile before my camera battery died, but here are J and the girls... I'm pretty sure he was talking them into joining him as a fellow Cyclone :)
We borrowed Grandma Deb's bike cart and enjoyed some fun rides!
Isabelle's 1st field trip with her preschool class to an apple orchard in Adel. She had so much fun! Pretty sure that she thought the best part of it all was the bus ride to and from!
A fall walk to gather some leaves, acorns, and pine cones!
The runt gets a little lovin'! Grandpa Karwal decided to set up a little petting zoo when we visited for pumpkin patch weekend! The kids loved it... and so did the pig!
Sophia was the most hesitant at first, but by the end she was the one who did not want to leave the pig's side!
This is how she rolls!
Isabelle having fun in the pumpkin patch at Grandma Deb's and Grandpa Bryan's!
Sophia exploring the patch!
Isabelle made this special treat of covered dark chocolate bars for her teachers at preschool. Thank you Pinterest! :)
Just a cute pic of my goofy girl!
Happy Halloween from our little pumpkin & bumble bee!
A little fun at the corn maze and pumpkin patch just north of Indianola! It was freezing, but we had a great time!
They love each other so much! Pretty sure this moment didn't last long, but I captured it!
Her favorite spot in the house! If she's not in hers, she's probably in Isabelle's!
"She likes it Mom, I promise!"
Posing with a few pieces of her fall art!
Our little Cyclone fans!
The girls were so excited to put up the tree! Isabelle was truly a great helper this year. She was as meticulous about it as me which I greatly appreciated. ;) Sophia joined in the fun too... and she only broke a few!
A visit to see Santa! Isabelle jumped right up... Sophia kept shaking her head "no"... until she saw that Santa gave Isabelle a coloring book and crayons. Then she urgently signed "my turn"!
Our Elf, Jelly Bean, came for a visit on Thanksgiving. Here they are finding her on the first morning! The girls are thoroughly enjoying the search for their beloved Jelly Bean every morning to see what she has been up to!
Okay, one final picture... for some reason I can not rotate this photo the correct way, but wanted you to have a peek at Sophie in her newest walker. She's pretty big stuff!! She still needs assistance from us to take steps, but she can stand independently with it for a short time!
