{Crohn's Awareness} :: A Quick Update

There wasn't a new theme this year for Crohn's & Colitis Awareness Week, so I thought I would just provide a quick update on my own health. It's actually the last day of Awareness Week, but I also had another follow up with my GI today, so it worked out perfect to provide the most up to date info :)

I was 27 when I was diagnosed, 6 years ago this month. I often say that I received my diagnosis the most expensive way possible: in the emergency room. I had an appointment with my GI scheduled, but never made it to that first appointment, because I ended up in the ER before that. I ultimately received my diagnosis through a colonoscopy and subsequent biopsy and lab work. 

I have been able to achieve remission through medication {Humira}, diet, rest, and stress management. Thankfully, I did not have too much trial and error once I received my diagnosis, which is very rare with IBD. Humira has worked well for me, I was able to identify my flare triggers within the first few months, and I have worked hard to get good rest and reduce stress.

Last year, my GI mentioned that they start to do extra monitoring about 7 years after the onset of symptoms {which for me was about 2 years before my diagnosis}. It's usually about this time that patients can start to see the return of flares or even the efficacy of medication start to slip. So I have been going to see him more often, with my most recent appointment today.

Thankfully, all checks out well, and I am still considered in remission. I will see him again in 6 months, but he didn't have any concerns.

I am so thankful for continued health and for the grace the Lord has allowed me to have in remission. 

Fall Wrap Up

So I knew when I created this list that it was going to be a long shot on completing it. Really, our main goal was to cross off the last item: Survive 2ish months with 3 kids under 2! :)

And then I ended up in the hospital the week after I posted this list, so that reduced our chances of crossing items off even further. So all that to say...I'm pretty proud that we were able to cross ANY off! Haha. But I'm also glad that our kiddos are still young enough not to know when we didn't get to do things...that would have been tough. We will just look forward to creating lists together as a family, and hopefully getting to some of these items in future years. 

Jump in a pile of leaves

Visit Pumpkin Patch

Explore the Heard Museum

Create a leaf craft

Paint pumpkins

See the hot air balloons {rain prevented us from seeing the hot air balloons...such a bummer!}

Celebrate National Taco Day {just missed it...too much going on}

Go to a Farmer's Market

Go on a picnic

Go on a nature walk

Visit with friends at Redeemer Reunion

Have neighbors over for a meal

Attend Anna Harvest Fest {everyone was sick}

Survive 2ish months with 3 kids under 2

BONUS FUN:

Third Monday Trade Days

Play at the Playground {this was on our summer list, but we finally got around to it!}

National Cookie Day

This was a fun, impromptu celebration! We had lunch with Laura and Cooper today, and she brought us a fun surprise: all the supplies to decorate cookies! :)

So after nap, we got Eli and Maddie all set up to decorate their cookies. I didn't tell them they could eat anything, but instead just let them figure it out. They loved "painting" their cookies, and they thought the sprinkles were fun.

Maddie was the first to figure out that all this fun stuff was edible haha. Then Eli soon followed by trying the M&Ms. After that, there was a whole lot more eating than there was decorating :)

I think it's safe to say that they are BIG fans of cookie decorating! I'm sure the icing and M&M's and sprinkles didn't hurt :)

Thank you, Mrs. Laura for sharing your fun Christmas activity {and for giving our Mama the encouragement to attempt it with twins!}  :)

Melissa Christmas Parade

Melissa had their annual Christmas parade last night, so we decided to go check it out! The parade route was right down the street from our house, so we were able to take a short walk over to see it. We loaded Eli and Maddie into the wagon and even got to play at the playground before finding a spot to wait for the parade to start.

It was a sweet little parade that showcased the city's leadership, middle and high school, police and fire departments, a couple of churches and businesses. It lasted about 10-15 minutes, which was perfect for our little ones, and Eli and Maddie loved it! 

{Sorry the photos are so terrible...it was dark, and I was bouncing Aiden}

It was the quintessential small town parade, and we loved it. It was fun to see more of our little town and how the community operates. It was fun to be able to walk to the parade and then walk home with all of our neighbors. We are really loving our new community, and we look forward to connecting with more neighbors and learning more about this small town life :)

Advent 2018

For Advent this year, we are using The Jesus Storybook Bible again, like we did last year. We haven't read through this book in several months, so I thought it would be good to bring it back out again. It will be fun to see how much Eli and Maddie can follow along this year, as they are talking and understanding so much more!

I am also excited to use the list of Christmas songs that Laura put together for Cooper! Eli and Maddie mostly just stare at me when I sing, but every now and then they will pipe in with a word or two. So we'll see how this goes. At the very least, I will enjoy singing through all the Christmas songs :)

For me personally, I signed up to receive daily advent readings from Gentle Leading. I am excited to walk through these devotionals about how the coming of Christ fulfills a longing we have in motherhood. With this intense season of mama life, I need to constantly remind myself of the gospel.