August

Wow! It's really been over a month since I've written!?! Unbelievable for a girl who loves to write.
Well, all I can really say is "August was busy".

Here are some highlights:

Emily's "Pink" 9th Birthday Party:

Washington Park with Grandpa Mouw and cousin Brookelyn:

Meeting Brianna and Wesley Shales at the Park:

The Lynden Fair:

Friday Harbor with the Fasolos:

And Labor Day weekend in Coupeville:

We still find that in some ways Zachary is a very challenging little boy. He LOVES to be on-the-go and becomes more and more "Toddler" every day. He has an opinion about everything and hates being told "No". 

But we also find that he is so much fun. I can't believe how much I love him. He makes us laugh EVERY day - almost to the point of crying EVERY time. He daily gives hugs and kisses without being asked. He is thoughtful and caring. What a blessing it is to know him and watch him grow. 

It is still difficult to take him places - he's a creature of habit who thrives on routine. But we are also able to make so many more memories with him now that he can walk, talk, throw rocks, climb, communicate, and laugh. We don't worry that taking him out of the house could end in countless hours of screaming and crying inconsolably. We enjoy him - A LOT!

Last summer we attended a wedding where Zachary screamed at the top of his lungs for the entire ceremony and reception - I ended up locking us in the bathroom since it was the only place appropriate to hold a screaming baby. I left the reception 4 hours later sobbing and defeated, not sure what in the world to do. It is one of my worst memories of the terrible days we experienced over the course of MPI. The couple that got married that day just celebrated their 1-year Anniversary last week. All day the only thing I could think was "Oh how far we've come". 

Speaking of which - did I mention how far we really have come? Far. 

Zachary is still not gaining weight and growing as he should but we have come to realize that it doesn't matter. He's doing just fine. We saw our Nutritionist in August and she was completely thrilled with just about every aspect of where we are at in our journey. We have 10 foods approved at this point. TEN! And we have quite the variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins. The Nutritionist was very impressed. And that's not the only milestone we hit - She gave us the go-ahead to move him off of formula and onto a Milk Alternative as long as we continue to give him one or two bottles of formula a day so that he can still get the vitamins out of it that he needs. One small step for MPI - one GIANT step for the formula bill! The Nutritionist also helped us compile a list of the next 10 foods we should trial... we are starting to conquer this thing! We then took Zachary to the Pediatrician yesterday where, again, we got only great news. He's still sitting at the 10th percentile for height and weight which is completely fine and he's developing wonderfully. Our Pediatrician and the staff at his office have been such a God-send to our family. They really have helped us through every step of this journey, making us feel like every piece to the puzzle is important and reassuring us that we are doing a good job.

So, we trialed Rice Milk which, unfortunately, failed the first day. Now we're on to Coconut Milk. It never ceases to amaze me how complex this whole disease is - Zachary can have whole grain rice and rice cereal... but not Rice Milk. Bazaar. And trialing foods is getting more and more tricky as Zachary works through molars coming in and daily schedule changes that throw off his mood and sleep. I still get overwhelmed at how slow and tedious this process is, which is why I'm thankful for little reminders (like Anniversaries) of where we were just one year ago. Clueless that anything was even wrong and living with a child who was in miserable amounts of pain. Now his reactions are far less severe. They are usually hours instead of weeks, which is a complete answer to prayer.

Aside from MPI and all the busy and exciting things we've been doing lately - our life is pretty steady right now. I like steady. We don't have any major life changes happening, we are just trying to keep up with work and friends and family and church and home. I basically live for my day off. It's my time to unwind, to be with my son, and to feel rested. As summer ends and fall rolls in, I am thankful that the season of life we are in is simple and steady. I am thankful that God gives us joy and love and a time to just "be" without feeling like we need to fill our life with something else. Our family is full, our lives are overflowing, our faith is grounded, and our blessings are abundant. 

Psalm 62:5

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; My hope comes from Him.