Back at It!!! Thanksgiving Addition

 It's been a while since I've last been able to blog but finally had a few free minutes to sit down and type out some thoughts...feels good to unleash/unload/a few things that have been on my mind in the recent days, weeks, months.

We'll consider this the Thanksgiving addition of Carlson's Conclusions so that's where we'll start.  Tis the season to pull back from our hectic (maybe an understatement right now) lives and count our blessings and realize how much we have to be thankful for.  Boy, oh boy, I know that is tough right now for many people but if we can't realize how much we have to be thankful for we're in a whole heap of mess more than I thought we were.  Times are tough...if we let them be.  There is always a silver lining I think we all need to keep struggling to be slow to judge, react (or overreact), criticize, judge, etc. in times like this.  But here it is...to wrap that part up...Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you are all able to spend good, quality time with loved ones (even if "one's" is much fewer than in past years...as the CDC is strongly is strongly suggesting you do, but what do they know, they're only scientific experts that study epidemics and probably know a thing or two about COVID).  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaQUigXBKQY

I'll preface the rest of this with a "reader beware" that there may be a lot of "I" statements in here as the past few weeks have shed a lot more light to me on a few issues that I have some strong feelings about but they've come to a boiling point for me.  So if you don't want to hear my thoughts on a few things, feel free to abort the rest of this blog.  First and foremost, I've nicknamed the Covid 19 epidemic the "Need For Empathy Pandemic".  It amazes me how many people have proven to me that they don't get it or don't have the ability to empathize with other humans about decisions being made or actions being taken due to the pandemic.  They can't see past their own nose or are only focused on what they see is hurting them and don't dive into why things are occurring.  It's mind boggling.  I'm going to start with the need for us to be empathetic to health care workers (please read):

https://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20201124/hospital-workers-face-burnout-as-public-support-fades-covid-19-cases-rise

If that doesn't encourage you to put your darn mask on or to restrain from social gatherings, I'm not anything will.  Shawna was at the ER a few weeks ago with KJ for a leg injury from playing on our tramp (how we haven't been more is head scratching to me:) !) and came home astounded and almost petrified from the scene she had just experienced (keep in mind, this was the Sunday after the Saturday a few weeks ago that it was 75 and sunny and Northwestern beat Nebraska...I'll touch on that in a bit...but COVID has exponentially gotten worse since then).  She said Zeeland Hospital had people all over the place due to COVID and nurses were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, overwhelmed, many on the brink of tears.  The nurse they had said she'd been working in health care for over 20 years and had seen nothing even in the ballpark like what was going on.  Not only are they being asked to work extra shifts, but they are being asked to care for people with a highly infectious disease that is showing us all how tragic it can be.  She said it's what she pictures a third world hospital looks like.  In an effort to support these health care workers, my mom is collecting homemade thank you letters to bring to Holland Hospital in the next few days (a great project for families to do together and teach our kids some great lessons as well as keep them busy and creative...I'll touch more on that as well in a bit).  If that is something you'd be interested in participating in and need to know where you can drop them off or how I can get them from you, let me know (jcarlson@zps.org or 616.405.4262).  Great idea, mi madre (Sue Carlson: has a box outside of her front door for drop off - 75 E. 28th St., Holland, MI 49423).  After reading that article, I think all health care workers should be exempt from any criminal activity or lawsuits against them for absolutely decking someone they see in a public place without a mask on!!

Next, I'm done saying I understand the frustration of some with schools being closed to in-person learning (please don't say schools are shutdown because that is the FURTHEST from the truth)...unless it is coming from people that truly need their kids to be in school because all childcare options are not possible and those that MUST be at work for the pure survival of their family.  I'm not trying to be harsh but MAKE IT WORK!!  This whole thing has truly opened my eyes to the great need for kids to be in school...

1) Because many families need their kids at school so the primary care takers can earn a paycheck whether that be parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles...whoever.

2) Kids NEED social opportunities.  Absolutely.  And if that is your primary reason that you feel your kids need to be in school and not at home with you and you don't like this...by all means, feel free to substitute teach.  One of the major reasons we can't continue with in-person learning is that so many teachers are being quarantined due to COVID.  The last 3 days we were in-person learning at school I had no prep hour because I was subbing for other teachers that were out and there aren't enough subs to fill full time days for teachers.

3) "My kids are going to fall behind!!"  Stop...guess what?  Read to them.  Challenge them with journaling.  Have them research things they like and do research projects/presentations.  Play educational Kahoots with them (just make sure that if they make their own they spell check them...check out one of Peyton's questions he made - he meant to say "bears"...again, he and Myles have figured out how to make their own Kahoots, which has given us some great family entertainment at night!!).  

 Are they not learning as much content?  Maybe not.  But I do know that KJ (4 years old) can now fully participate in a zoom meeting, muting and unmuting by herself, sharing with her classmates appropriately, etc.  If it weren't for virtual learning, that would have never happened.  She can navigate SeeSaw (an on-line platform for teachers to put up assignments for kids to work on and turn in).  Peyton already knows how to use Google Classroom better than I do (another on-line teaching platform).  They are learning new things that may be more important in the grand scheme of their lives than knowing all 50 US capital cities.

4) Many kids need the school for health, specifically food and nutrition because they can't get it at home.  Guess what, true on all accounts so now is a time that many of us that are blessed to have the time or resources to help donate food, put meals together for families, volunteer to pass out meals.  

And speaking of having to sub during my plan hour...teachers (most) are working extremely hard to get to each and everyone of their students in any way that they can with what their allowed to be doing.  No teacher wants to be teaching from home...c'mon.  If we did, we wouldn't have chosen this career path.  99% of us are working many more hours than we've ever worked before (complaining, nope, just letting you know.  Yep, we don't get to live our normal cushy 7:45-3/4pm days anymore (picking up on my sarcasm).  So here's where the Empathy Epidemic comes into play again.  Here is my typical day and I only share this not for the need for you to empathize with me but teachers in general...

5-6am Morning walk for piece of mind and physical exercise (sad, yes, now walking instead of running at the YOUNG age of 37)...but no other time to get that in.

6-7:15am Create on-line video lessons to post for my classes that day.  This is done so that in the case a student's internet acts up during my on-line ZOOM class that day or mine goes down, there is a video of the lesson they can access whenever they need to.  If we were in-person, I wouldn't have to do that.  "But can't you then just push play on ZOOM and take that class off?"  Nope, as we stay on with the kids in case they have questions or need help and that's only when I do push play.  Mostly, we stay on and teach the lesson face-to-face (screen-to-screen).  

7:15-7:45am Get my own kids up, fed, and prepared for when their ZOOM day begins "at" school.

7:45am-2:40pm Teach via ZOOM/monitor KJ, Peyton, and Myles with their on-line schooling which has NOT been too much work because their teachers have done an incredible job of communicating each days schedule with us and them.  This includes 3 different lunch times...it's a CCC...Comical Chaotic Cirus (listening in on a pre-K ZOOM class session has been hilarious at times).

  

2:40-4pm Grade assignments, communicate with students/parents, start to get the next days lesson(s) ready.

4-5:30pm Have fun being dad my own kiddos at home.

5:30-10:30pm Dinner/family time/"The Office" (which, BTW, is being taken off of Neflix starting Jan. 1 so get your fix in before then...that would happen in 2020) or "Seinfeld"

So, there you go.  Here is my reason for sharing: We have 3 elementary school aged kids so we've seen now what they are doing throughout the day.  THIER TEACERS ARE SAINTS!!  They have WAY more to do than I do as a high school teacher,so when I compare, I can't imagine the time and energy they're having to spend to make this work for their students and families.  Shoot, KJ's teacher has driven to our house 2x to drop of school work and she does it for ALL of her students.  Incredible.  Talk about above and beyond.  This is not a pitty party for me as I've learned a ton of great new ways to teach that will make me a better teacher but a plead for grace and empathy for the teachers working their tales off "behind the scenes" that they have not had to in the past...for our kids.  If it doesn't seem like they're giving enough or are messing up here or there, take a step back, please.  If you want to shadow them for a day to see what they are doing, please ask them.  I'm sure they'd be MORE THAN happy to let you so you can walk a mile in their shoes.  Don't get me started on how much these times are weighing on administrators...because their jobs are SO easy when students are learning remotely.

Here is our thank you to our kids teachers!!  

Phew...sorry if this wasn't "up your alley" for reading my blog.  Oh yeah, our Wildcats are 5-0, sitting 8th in the college football playoff standings (hopefully that wasn't the kiss of death...maybe their success is what's keeping me sane!!).  Needless to say the past 5 Saturday's have been AWESOME!

   

And just think, I didn't even type about politics!!  I'll keep my tongue bit on those issues...for now.  You have my word (typing) that the next blog will be back to normal tone/themes...CHOOSE JOY!!

CHOOSING JOY from Valley Dr.

-Jeff/JC/Duffer/Coach C/anything else (appropriate please, siblings)

     

Quarantine song of the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39rD8ab0xA

Still, this Spotify playlist makes me chuckle with the names of the songs on it...and lots of classics on it that I've heard a thousand times before but never would have thought they'd be in correlation with a virus that had most of the world on lock down for weeks/months (well, everyone but the state of Georgia, apparently or possibly the city of Las Vegas)...
 
Unbelievable, but I'll keep my thoughts to myself on this one.  Don't want to upset the apple cart (too much) with my views!!
Hey, if you need a few more ideas to stay occupied or get your kids doing some simple (understatement of the year), check out this video (if you choose to participate in many of these, make sure you have GREAT health insurance and considering hospitals have bigger fish to fry right not other than treating people with injuries from being idiotic)...

We haven't done any Carlson Challenges lately, so now we've got a whole slew of ideas from that video!  On my walk this morning I noticed a couple rooftops downtown Zeeland that we could use!!
Also, not sure if anyone is aware, but there is this program called Netflix that streams movies, tv shows, documentaries, etc.  Shawna and I have been trying to find some stuff to watch together once the kiddos go to bed at night and we just finished a fascinating documentary...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBLS_OM6Puk
"Wild, Wild, Country"...crazy stuff that many of you may have remembered happening.  It was really interesting.  Great couple hours of entertainment.  We're now looking for our next nightly watch which we filled Tuesday night with my main man Ricky Gervais (don't watch if you don't like too much crude humor...although he prides himself on being honest and too be honest with you, I don't disagree with his stance that many people have become too soft and basically are too sensitive and blame there problems on everyone else except themselves)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAwU3Lyn--U
On the topic of finding ways to spend your time during the lock down, part of last weeks English 9 assignment that my students were given was a question about the best way to spend time during quarantine and I was once reminded about how insightful HS kids (9th graders, in this case) are.  I think HS-aged kids often get a bad rap from society as immature kids don't really know whats going on in the world, but that is why I love teaching 9th graders (well, "teaching" may be the wrong term...may more like being the person that is "supposed" to be in charge in their classroom for an hour of their lives everyday at school...not sure how much teaching goes on).  Everyone should have the opportunity to be in a classroom with them for a few days because I think the understanding of kids would change in terms of realizing how bright, thoughtful, empathetic, FUN, and truly caring they are despite what life throws at them as 9th graders in today's society and culture.  The answers they gave to that prompt were awesome and blew me away (although I should have expected that) such as spending time with family, connecting with friends, keeping a journal of all the things they miss and have taken for granted in their lives, creating awesome videos for their class assignments, exercising, picking up a new skill, etc.  Again, great reminders of why teachers love what they do!!  When I first started teaching I often wondered why some of the older teachers were still teaching and hadn't retired even though they had well over 30 years in the classroom and were fully invested in the state pension/retirement system (i.e. I'll be up to that at age 48...no I didn't start teaching at 18...I won't go into the math).  After teaching for 12 years now, I now have come to realize why teachers keep teaching, because they love what they do and love being around students.  I can't imagine doing anything else (it helps to be employed by a great school system with great people to teach with).  Sorry, there was my soap box speech for the week.  I hope that other people enjoy their "jobs" as much as I do.  Makes life a lot more enjoyable.
I guess that's why there are a lot of people pushing for the economy to open back up as they miss working (one of many reasons).  I do appreciate businesses who are realistic about the situation and have accepted the fact it's just not safe to be open so they've gotten creative instead of just sitting around and complaining.  Restaurants still doing take-out orders (my local plug today is The Farmhouse in Zeeland...we ordered some chicken wraps yesterday...excellent...I also need to plug Farmhouse as it's a Friday morning pre-school tradition to have breakfast there with a group of teachers/staff from both East and West...one of the things I miss the most during the quarantine).  I read in an article yesterday that many hotels are selling vouchers (The London House downtown Chicago).  For example, you buy a $100 voucher and can use it for $150 if you use it AFTER a certain date.  It's a way for them to keep cash flow coming in now to support their business and employees.  Some restaurants are even selling toilet paper with meals as the toilet paper shortage isn't a true shortage, it's just a shortage for "at home" toilet paper because most people aren't at home as much as they are now and use bathrooms outside of the home when we're in normal mode, which has left places of business and restaurants with their stockpiles of toilet paper that aren't being used right now.  Classic.  Although, I have had little trouble finding toilet paper on my last two visits to Aldi...

Glad I don't have to use pinecones anymore or walk to the nearest port-o-john (I've been able to make a mental map of the locations of port-o-johns around Zeeland on my walks!!  Also, an FYI, if you need a bathroom in Zeeland, the one located outside of the Admiral station on the corner of State and Main is great but there is no lock on the door so make sure you have someone with you to stand outside the door so no stranger, who no longer would become a stranger, walks in on you!!
Hopefully you all had a great Earth Day yesterday and were able to do something out of the ordinary to support the earth.  We had fun making pine cone bird feeders!!

Pine cones, peanut butter, and bird seed.  Easy peezy!! 
Looking forward to some higher temps for some more outdoor fun!!
Choosing Joy from Valley Dr.

-Jeff/JC/Duffer/Coach/Mr. C 

Winter or Spring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ5DOWPGxwg
Oh my gosh, what is going on!!

Not that I don't mind snow (see blog from the 2nd week of the Coronavirus Break 2020 when I was able to go sledding in the pre-dawn hours) but c'mon, April 15 - tax day (and birthday to sister-in-law Kath...Happy Birthday!!?  Mother Nature is playing a cruel trick on us or she's just testing our ability to stay positive and endure through hardship...yep, that's how we'll approach this!!  I was hoping by now we'd be able to get out to Huizenga Park and the new pickleball courts...great game for all ages and athletic abilities...the great equalizer...

Thank goodness we've been able to find some easy activities to keep the kids (that includes Shawna and me) having fun.  Again, for any hoopers, a simple piece of cardboard and clothes hanger have been a life saver...KJ even got in on the action yesterday as she wanted a hoop of her own...music to a dad/basketball coaches ears!!...

He can already jump higher than his dad could!!...I justified my inability to dunk with the fact that a 3 pointer is worth more than a dunk and takes less energy to make...so he then did this to show me he can do both...

Sorry if these are getting redundant, a bit, but isn't the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?"  I'm sticking to it...we've got a loose routine that we've established with activities and it's worked for us so we're going to keep having fun doing what we do...and that involved some more TikTok from last night...yes, we may be behind in this fad but we don't care...I've never been a trend-setter (I think I get that from my dad...and I'm good with that)...

Just for a little humor, but still, I have yet to see any toilet paper on shelves in stores and so we've implemented a 1x/day rule with sitting down to relieve ourselves at home (just kidding) but looking back on my past, man, for all those nights I may or may not have been involved in placing toilet paper in peoples trees to help them decorate their yards, I wish I would have had some foresight and saved some of those rolls.  So, it gave me a great chuckle when the other day I was helping KJ with a BM and found that she decided to do this...great timing girlfriend...

She just gave me one of these smiles and new her pops couldn't get mad at her (and I didn't, obviously...).  I remember when she was born out in Philly and everyone was telling me that I would treat her like my princess as Chad and I always have always accused our dad of treating Bethany (still today...I would list examples but I have a 2pm Zoom meeting and would still be typing).  I told myself no way...
Instead of a Louis Vatton purse, she's only getting a Klara
Instead of a lamborghini, she's only getting a corvette.
Instead of a senior trip on a cruise to Greece, we're only going to the Bahamas.
See, I'm not going to give her any preferential treatment over the boys.  I'm holding myself to that and please feel free to call me out on any of that if you ever see me deviating.

 So, keep on keeping on.  If you do need something to do today and have a few free minutes to do some reading, "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury...
https://www.juhsd.net/cms/lib/CA01902464/Centricity/Domain/256/2016_The%20Veldt.pdf
Short story that has some great connections to technology and has some eerie connections to current times and how society today has been impacted by technology or can be if it's not handled the right way.
ENJOY the day!
Choosing Joy from Valley Dr.

-Jeff/JC/Duffer/Coach/Mr. C

Return On Your Investment

Yep, she's 2 today and trying to figure out why she got a cake, ice cream and a candle last night and also a cinnamon roll with a candle this morning (notice it's the same candle...yes, we're Dutch...no hard feelings). 
Just like the stock market (here's the economics teacher coming out in me), when you make an investment you hope your return is high but likely may not be in the short term.  Well, as CEO (yes, I'll consider myself CEO but Shawna is the Board of Directors and truly controls everything at Carlson Inc., although if you're around us enough, Peyton may disagree with this all) of the family, I'd like to announce to all of you shareholders and investors that your 2 year return is very high!!  So many of you invested time, sweat, tears, blood, money, prayers, etc., in us over the past 2 years that you deserve a HUGE return. 
There have been many more highs than lows and we've seen a tremendous amount of progress with KJ.  Her physical abilities are being worked on with physical therapy on a weekly basis (her "exercise" helper, Myles, also has fun at the PT appointments).

Kierstyn has recently figured out how to wheel herself around in her bumbo wheelchair and stander wheelchair, which has given her some independence.  It has amazed us how quickly she has figured out how to maneuver the chairs (consider this your warning that if you're around us to maybe keep your shoes on so your toes don't get rolled over and it's probably smart not to walk backwards as she can sneak up on you and trip you up!!).

She has been a blessing to us and continues to bring JOY to us on a daily basis.  Her smile is contagious as many of you have experienced that and her friendly waves (definitely a trait from Great Grandpa Lamont).  We continue to learn a new normal and continue to be amazed at the outpouring of prayers, love, encouragement, etc. that we receive.  Thanks so much to you all.
Oh yeah, we have two boys still...they're doing great!

Sorry, again, for my lack of medical knowledge and insight.  If you remember from our previous blogging, Shawna is the expert in that field as she's been the head of our medical staff and may as well have an honorary medical degree with all of the time and energy she has poured into our journey (plus she has me to deal with and my ailments and Clark Griswold capabilities).

-from Zeeland/year 2...check

CHOOSING JOY

Isn't It Ironic?

There is my princess, fast asleep, but yes, unfortunately those are medical cords attached to her.  Which means, yes, we pounced on the opportunity to take full advantage of our great medical benefits as early as we could this year!!  Pretty sure the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital was not offering any weekend lodging deals this weekend which makes me fairly certain we'll meet our deductible by tomorrow morning!  KJ surgery #4 unexpectedly occurred this evening around 7pm after Nurse/Doctor Shawna noticed her scar getting very red this morning and starting to shine up like it did a few months ago when it became extremely infected, leading to a surgery to drain all of the "gunk" (I'm sure there is a medical term for it but us normal people would identify better with that).
So, she packed up Myles and a duffel bag (Vera Bradley of course) and headed over to GR where she figured another surgery would be needed and sure enough, she was spot on.  Our typical neurosurgeon (that's not typical to have a "typical" neurosurgeon, is it?) was on one of his two monthly visits to see patients in Traverse City so his "sub" performed the surgery to re-drain the infection just underneath KJ's scar on her lower back.  Sorry, Doc, but I can't remember your name, but kuddos to you...another rockstar in terms of personality, bedside manner, patient care.
As we all get a touch frustrated when these things pop up, although it's sort of becoming the new norm that have our cheese moved, I think Myles was the most upset.  His buddy, Aiden Damstra, was over on a play date as his Mom (Julie) and Dad (Marc) were at home with their newborn Jordan (congrats!!!).  So, Shawna had to call that early and bring Aiden home which apparently, according to Myles, interrupted a hockey game (which I later found out never was played) and a basketball game.
He told me he was pretty upset, although this was in a mood you can only imagine at around 2:30 this afternoon when he and I left the HDCH to get back to Zeeland to pick up Peyton from the bus, with no nap (and as you all may know by now, Myles takes long enough naps on a daily basis - still - for our whole family)...in fact, a short 5 minutes into the trip home....

Success scrambling, though, got him home and another hour of sleep, Peyton off the bus, and the boys to Papa Bob and Grandma Sue's house with their suitcases packed (they each got suitcases for Christmas from my parents with their names on them in preparation for the Carlson Family Odyssey to visit Aunt B and Uncle Brookie in San Diego this summer).  Yes, suitcases for a one night overnight with cousins Bryce and Brielle.  Peyton has had his suitcase packed for San Diego for a few weeks now....that is definitely the Shawna in him...her countdown to New Smyrna Beach for spring break is up on a chalkboard in our kitchen/dining room and I already see signs of packing around the house that have taken place.

I was able to make it back to GR to see KJ just before she went into surgery as I was called out to by a nurse in the waiting room to go back and see Shawna and KJ...."Are you Jeff....the really tall dutch looking guy?"  Thanks Shawna, that's the best you could do to describe me?

So, we waited for about 1:15 minutes while KJ was in surgery, got some Zoup for dinner and watched Fox News in the waiting room (I became a bit nauseated while doing this and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Zoup...Oh yeah, may have been that Kellyanne Conway was being interviewed....sorry, shouldn't bring politics into this).  Well, Fox News for a few minutes at least until Shawna went out of her way to turn it off.

Which leads me to the title of this blog...Isn't It Ironic, like the Alonis Morrissette (yes, spelling is way off) song.  We found ourselves chuckling at the fact that our daughter and Shawna will, more than likely, be spending the next 72 hours in a building providing us the best medical attention in the world while the boys and I will be spending the greater part of our afternoons and evenings tomorrow in buildings with "DeVos" (Helen DeVos Children's Hospital/DeVos Fieldhouse) on them while there may have been a chance that, had this medical setback not occurred, Shawna may have had the opportunity to participate in a march in Holland protesting, in large part, against someone with the same last name....huh.  Interesting.  Not that I'd support BDV in her nomination for a job, but I will say thanks to the DeVos family for putting forth the funding to provide great facilities that we've been fortunate enough to be the positive beneficiaries of (not sure if being a philanthropist qualifies you to become Secretary of Education, though).....shoot, said too much.  Sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone, just stating my, what some may call, "alternative facts"....shoot, did it again.

The sun will rise tomorrow....KJ's healing will continue under the great medical team assembled at HDCH, Shawna will become more knowledgeable of medical procedures and how to best survive in a children's hospital (Ah ha, dear, that is what you should do....write a survival guide to children's hospital and I'll publish my survival guide to traveling cross country with a 5 and 3 year old - Chapter 1...How to Use the Same Diaper Numerous Times Over for Numerous Different "Accidents"), Hope will play Albion (come out to the game as it is a purple night in support of the Van Andel Institute for Cancer Research...and who doesn't love purple....Go Cats, who by the way, are 17-4 in Men's hoops right now), and the Carlson's will keep:

Choosing Joy

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

-Jeff 

ONE

We did it - we survived the first year and by golly it was definitely a group effort (it takes a village, right?)!

The wonderful doctors in Philly warned me that the first year is really tough.  In October our physician at Mary Free Bed said, "You're almost through the toughest year."  I think a lot of people who go through Fetal Surgery think the hardest part is done after delivery, but really the whirlwind is just beginning... take a look at Kierstyn's past medical year,
MRIs - 4
Surgeries - 4
Doc apts - 47
Physical Therapy visits - 41
Ultrasounds - 6
Inpatient days - 9

Wow that's a lot, sorry Blue Cross Blue Shield (and thanks) :/

I didn't tally up Peyton & Myles's appointments that add to the mix or how many trips to Starbucks/ Tim Hortons for my sanity.

On a more exciting note, we also had a road trip to Rock Island, IL, a week in Florida, two trips to Philadelphia, lots of weekends at the cabin, many trips to the beach & splash pad, grandma's birthday in South Haven and lots of basketball/soccer games.

We are back on shunt watch for a little bit.  After Kierstyn's stay at Helen DeVos our local neurosurgeon is closely watching her ventricles.  We have another MRI scheduled for Friday and will also see a new physician, a pediatric Ophthalmologist.  I am hoping these are all precautionary measures and after these couple weeks of close monitoring the appointments will start to slow down.  As the physician follow ups start to slow down, the physical therapy picks up.  We are looking forward to spending lots of time at Mary Free Bed with the pediatric outpatient physical therapy team.  They are amazing and I continue to feel so lucky to have such a great medical team supporting us from everyone at Mary Free Bed, Helen DeVos, our Early On therapist and our pediatrician.

The past year and a half has confirmed what Jeff and I already believed.  Making memories & having experiences with our kiddos is the most important.  The best thing you can do for your daughter is give her an education, experiences, and show her the world.  One of our favorite doctors said that to me this fall and I feel the same way for all of our children.


Here are some pics from the past year...

birthday crown

I can't believe it either Kierstyn, you're 1!

NICU at CHOP

soccer kiddos

new wheels

dinosaur obsessed!

loving on her brother

splash pad fun

Myles is nursing his baby :)

hang on Kierstyn!

Myles was really proud of his purple cast (and it was water proof!)

Pavlik harness for hips

We are partying it up tonight with brownies, ice cream and Vitales pizza.  Its a celebration for all of us.  Thank you for following along with our family!

Choosing Joy,

Shawna

Almost 1!!

Our family is getting excited to celebrate KJ's 1st birthday at the end of the month.  Wow has time gone by fast.  We're thankful that we've encountered very few medical hiccups this past year in a relative sense as we've realized that most families with spina bifida kiddos usually run into some complications through the first year or are in need of much more medical attention than KJ has needed.  Shawna and the princess still have weekly physical therapy appointments and some medical appointments here and there but that has just become the new norm for the Carlson's (Myles really enjoys the PT as well as he thinks it's his "exercise" time to play on mats and with all sorts of work out stuff).
Having said that, we did have a bit of a scare on Monday evening when we noticed a large, shiny, warm bump had started to grow around KJ's incision on her lower back.  Erring on the side of caution we decided to take KJ to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital to have their neuro people take a peek and see what the issue was.  Turns out they admitted her right away and scheduled an MRI for 6am the next morning and put her on an IV.  Well, long story short, KJ and Shawna are still at HDCH.  Fortunately, we've learned to love children's hospitals 1) for the people watching!! 2) to see what unbelievable medical procedures are done to make the lives of children and families in need are out there, and 3) selfishly, you realize how lucky and blessed you are when you come across some of the situations and circumstances you witness and are reminded to count your blessings.  I would suggest anytime that you think life is tough, take the drive to a children's hospital and you may perk right back up....I don't want to make it sound like we take feel good about seeing other peoples struggles, but it reminds you that others are fighting like heck v. much stronger opponents than we have!!
Another lesson we've learned is that CHOOSING JOY is synonymous with CHOOSING PATIENCE.  The MRI scheduled for 6AM didn't occur until 4PM and when a baby can't eat for 4 hours prior to that, oh boy, watch out.  The MRI showed an infection that had yet to reach or get under any of the area from her previous surgeries but was close.  Our neurosurgeon felt it necessary to take care of the infection and immediately brought KJ into surgery to clean out the infected area.  The surgery was a success, according to the docs (and KJ as one of the nurses said the first thing she did when the anesthesia wore off was smile, giggle, and clap!!).
We've been told an infection like this probably occurs from situations like KJ sitting in a bath tub of still water too long & bacteria collecting around the site.  Basically, it happens.  We're now just waiting for the infectious disease team to get results from the lab to see specifically what the infection agent was so they can prescribe a specific antibiotic for KJ before sending her home.  We're hoping for a discharge in the next 24-48 hours but these things can take time so we're still a bit unsure of when the family will be back together in Zeeland.  It's almost been a little deja vu from last fall with going back and forth for the 3 amigos from Zeeland to a children's hospital and Shawna and KJ being away....good, bad, and the other.  Even Myles talked my ear off in our drive to the hospital last night about all of the fun he had in "Philiandelphia", as he pronounces it.  He thinks we're going back for his cousin Shane's birthday as we celebrated a whole bunch of birthdays out there last year.
So, current situation is that KJ is on a very broad antibiotic but not hooked up to any machines.  Her drain has been taken out and she's just being detained, kept, quarantined, whatever you want to call it until they can give her that specific antibiotic and see how she reacts to it.

 Dad's magic touch....or just the fact that she has been extremely tired!

 "C'mon people, do I look like an 11 month old that needs to be kept in a hospital"...#freeKJ

 Big bro Peyton cuddling up on the crib/bed!

 She's developed the need to suck her thumb like Myles....nice way to calm herself down.

 I think we have about a bazillion of these pics...Mommy/KJ in carrier/coffee in hand!!

And this piece of work loves getting on the loose in children's hospitals with all of the fun toys, displays, etc. that are set up for kids!!

Looking forward to the holidays and CHOOSING JOY!

-Jeff representing the Carlson Clan