OtterPops: Our New Norm

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jared had his colonoscopy the day after Easter. It went as well as could be expected. The doctor commented that Jared's colon was thoroughly prepared. That is probably due to the fact that he's been on in involuntary cleanse for a couple months now. The good news is that the doctor was able to figure out what the problem is...The bad news is that he has been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. He basically has ulcers on the bottom third of his colon that are in a huge flare up right now. This is an auto-immune disease that he will have for the rest of his life. Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a disease that can be helped with diet and medication and can hopefully be brought under control in between flare ups, but it varies drastically from person to person. Needless to say, we are trying to figure out what this means for Jared, and by extension, our family. He has been very low on energy, had a couple hiccups with figuring out medication regimens (i.e. miscommunication/non-response from his doctor and lack of coverage from the insurance for the medication that actually works for him).

Jared thankfully has a job that can be conducive to low physical impact and he can still somewhat function in his career. We have so much to be grateful for and I am trying to focus on that, but needless to say, we've had a lot of changes take place in our home. Jared has had a very positive approach to all of it and I've stayed strong during most of it but had a pretty good breakdown one Sunday. A kind friend brought dinner to us and her husband came over to give me a priesthood blessing (Jared had already had one when his Dad was in town). I feel like I am ready to face this trial now and am ready to scale down dramatically in terms of outside commitments and obligations. The bottom line is that we need to be able to get through the day intact and we can only do that if I can simplify. We are finishing school over the next two weeks and then really figuring out what to do in terms of summer and next school year. I think the kids and I will spend several weeks visiting family in Idaho and Utah so Jared can just relax and focus on work. Wouldn't you know it, stress is a major factor in dealing with UC and having 4 kids under 7 isn't very helpful for de-stressing!! We'll get there, but we could use prayers and positive vibes our way for sure! We are so thankful to have such a supportive family. My parents have been here helping for several days which is priceless and Jared's parents were a huge help when they were visiting as well.

Jonas recently told asked me "Mom, can we trade our baby?" I asked him to clarify so he continued..."You know, trade her for a boy baby?" Poor Jonas is outnumbered and the girls have been a little exclusive (putting signs up on their forts that say "no boys allowed") which I have tried to stifle but his feelings are already hurt. Jonas loves Emma with all his heart but was trying to use his creativity to see how he could land a baby brother that would want to pal around with him. Jonas has such a tender heart and we talked about how we would miss Emma so much and maybe someday we would be able to have a brother, but it couldn't happen today!

Emma is a little crazy these days...Well, I guess she's just a toddler, but of the climbing variety. She climbs up on top of the table several times a day and does a little victory dance and a very proud smile (as seen below). I have to keep the office and bathroom doors closed to prevent her wreaking complete and utter havoc on everything in those two rooms. She also loves using a fork. She will pick up the food with her hand, carefully place it on her fork and then carefully put the fork in her mouth. When I handed her a kids plastic fork the other day she screamed until I realized she wanted a metal fork like the rest of us. Apparently she is above and beyond "kid's forks." She is also talking and signing more in recent weeks which is so fun to see. She can kind of say "Lilly" and definitely lets us know what she wants.

Emma with her proud face on top of the table

Which brings up another issue...her screaming. Ahhh, her screaming. She is to the point that she'll scream not only when she wants something, or when she has been wronged, but sometimes just to hear herself scream. When we were at school pickup the other day she dropped my keys and when Jonas bent down to pick them up she screamed because she thought he would keep them. Several parents in front of us turned around and exclaimed "wow! And I thought my kids were loud. She takes the cake!" Thank you, thank you very much...~~We've been trying to perfect the toddler scream~~. I've been trying to ignore it and ask her to use her words, but the other kids give her great reactions (covering their ears, laughing, etc.) so what is a 4th child to do??