The latest news about the kids

Zoe: She went pee on the potty for the first time on Sunday! She has been very interested in the potty for a while but hadn't put two and two together yet. She continues to learn new things everyday and can hold a conversation with us. It amazes me how much she learns everyday!

Isaac: He has been selected by his Karate instructors to join The Black Belt Club! The kids chosen for the club are hard working, show that they are serious about Karate and show that they are committed to giving 100%. We are very proud of him and he about jumped out of his skin when he found out!
Isaac is seeing an Endocrinologist again for growth failure. He had some test done and a hand x-ray. The x-ray and the tests confirmed that he has idiopathic short stature which means his expected maximum height is under 5'5. His expected height is 5'3 and anything below 5'5 for a male makes them a candidate for growth hormone therapy. He will have a growth hormone test which will show if his body is producing enough growth hormone. The test requires the placement of an IV and takes about 4 hours! He is scared to death of needles so he is not going to take that well. If the test shows he is not producing enough growth hormones, he will go on hormone therapy...which is an injection, that will prove challenging! So far his height doesn't bother him except when people make comments about how little he is or call him "little guy". He is only 46" and about 50 pounds. What bothers him the most is that all his friends can ride the 'big' roller coasters at Kings Island and he's not tall enough yet. Most people think he is about 6 or 7. But he is very popular in school, I am the key room mom for his class so I've spent time in his class and all the kids love him because he has a great personality and is such a sweetheart. So no problems with self esteem so far but I know middle school and high school can be brutal for anyone who is different. It breaks my heart to think that other kids picking on him may affect his self esteem. I dealt with self esteem issues in high school and I know it is a horrible thing to have to deal with and can take years to overcome. Let's hope for the best.

Today is a snow day and Isaac has already shoveled the driveway but the snow is coming down fast so I'm sure it will need to be done again in another hour. So I'll be heading out soon.

New Year's day with my parents and the Gallos.

For New Year's Day, we went to my parent's house with the Gallos. We had our traditional dinner of pork with mashed potatoes and sour kraut. We had a mock New Year's Eve celebration with confetti and party hats. The kids enjoyed being able to celebrate together.

New Years Eve

We spent New Year's Eve with our friends Shawn and Amy and their 4 boys at their house. Caleb, one of the two oldest, he and his brother Ethan are twins, is Isaac's best friend. They also have Logan who is 6 and Braden who is Zoe's age. Zoe and Braden had a blast together! All the boys had a very rambunctious and fun time. Amy and Shawn have a playroom in their basement and the boys can go down there and go crazy! It's nice for the adults! We had lots of fun and I even had a few beers! And I managed to stay up for the midnight celebration, in fact we were there until 1:30! Both Isaac and Zoe had no problem staying up and actually slept in the next day. Zoe is old enough now to understand that we are celebrating and to join in on the fun. Oh, and by the way, why can't boys keep their shirts on?!!