High Five for Friday!

Just a quick update on life around our house these days! :)

{one} I am now 28 months in to active Crohn's Disease, and I can finally say that I am feeling better! That's HUGE! I am feeling better than I was even a month ago, and it is such an encouragement to see actual improvement. I had another dose of Stelara recently, and I really think it's helping. My symptoms are not 100% gone, but I'm seeing fewer and less frequent GI symptoms. I still have to balance my energy levels; when I start to feel better, I am tempted to run ahead and get back to my pre-Crohn's activity levels. And I'm not quite there yet. So fatigue is still a very real issue. And I am still trying to manage my migraines. But I am {and my doctor is} definitely encouraged!

{two} Aiden is doing really well with potty training! He has asked every day if he can have his diapers back {the answer is always "no"}, but he also really loves his Scooby Doo and Dinosaur underwear and it hasn't kept him from progressing. He has had very few accidents, and we are feeling more confident about longer times away from home. I'm so proud of him! And I love that he still runs out of the bathroom yelling, "Mommy, Mommy! I went pee pee in the potty! Are you so proud of me?" :)

{three} Eli had another check-up for his eyes. We have been patching diligently, trying to strengthen his right eye. The good news is that it's working! Three months ago, he was at 20/80 vision, and now he's at 20/70...so progress is really slow, but it's still progress. So we stay the course and continue patching for all his waking hours and pray that his eye/brain start making more progress. I am so proud of how he wears his patch like a champ! It's not his favorite, and it's not always easy, but he has been working hard, and he was so proud of himself when the doctor praised him for all of his hard work!

{four} Granny recently sent some fun mail that included puzzles of our family and some cutting practice pages. The kids love getting mail, and they loved these fun activities!

{five} On Tuesday, I celebrated my 10 year anniversary at the bank! 10 years ago, we prayed for the Lord to provide a new job closer to home, and we never could have imagined what a huge blessing that new job would be. I loved my job so much, and it was so hard to step away from full time work, but I knew it was what I needed to do for my health. So the Lord was gracious to allow me to stay on part time, and here I am 10 years later, still able to contribute and be part of the team, even in Virginia! This job has been such a God-send for our family, and I cannot say enough good things about the company and the leadership for which I work. I am so very grateful!

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Happy Friday!