A Time to be Thankful~
We are all feeling how incredibly fortunate we are to be where we are and enjoying the people who are around us and everything that we have.
This last year has brought us so many reasons to be thankful.
Elliot's surgery has brought him along so much this year. His physical therapy has been amazing in helping him develop the muscles in his feet and legs that have not been there. He is able to move and walk up and down stairs so much more easily!
If we would not have moved here, we wouldn't have been in a position to have a foot doctor as one of my student's parents. We were able to have him looked at and get the types of tests we needed to see exactly the direction we needed to go to ensure the best outcome for him. For these things we are thankful. His comfort level at school in giving presentations and participating in sports has been amazing! Makes his mama and papa proud every.single.day!
Braden has completely grown into his own person here. It has been so amazing to watch him take that step into a middle school as a sixth grader and not know a SINGLE person. He has taken each step and tried new things with enthusiasm and energy. The base of friends that he has built is impressive in a school that is bigger than the entire school district we moved from. He is comfortable in his own likes and dislikes and even helps give direction to others in various scenarios. Makes a mama and papa proud... So thankful, he has been given the opportunity to be the best that he can be.
Having the opportunity to move here and take risks, try new things, go to new places and meet new people ~ for this we are thoroughly thankful!
We are so thankful that we are able to fly back to Colorado for Christmas this year. There are so many family members that we haven't seen since we moved away. We can't wait to see everyone!
Hope to maybe see some of you while we are out there! We will be staying in Longmont December 19th to the 25th.
The Steinacher Family
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Friday, November 4, 2016
Back to School Time Again!
Well, summer is officially over...
We started school the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Braden is a 7th grader.... playing football (sort of.... more to follow)
Elliot is a 5th grader... playing football and enjoying his last year at the elementary (with his dear old mom!)
Jen is teaching full day kindergarten (she taught first grade last year).
Brett is starting his second year as an assistant principal at the high school here.
We jumped from Baseball practice to Football practice mid August, for BOTH boys! They both LOVE it!
Braden had an unfortunate accident that has halted his FB season for now...
After FB practice one evening we had gone next door to cool off at our neighbor's pool (like we had done many times). The boys were finishing up cooling off and horsing around with trying to "outdo" each other with tricks and jumps into the pool. Well, long story~ short~ Braden did a goofy dive into the pool and managed to catch his foot on some piece of metal and cut a large chunk of his heel - on the underside of his foot. We had to take him to the ER and he ended up getting 8 stitches and a 30 day "break" from FB. He still goes to all the practices (on crutches) and is waiting anxiously for the OK to play again. Hopefully before the season is completely over...
Elliot is having a great time and is learning how to tackle and is getting used to "really" using his feet in a sport. He's finding it a little harder than he was expected. Physical therapy has helped a lot and he is getting better and better everyday.
School is going great for both boys! Elliot has a teacher he really likes and is doing just wonderful! Braden has earned all A's and one B and a place on the Honor Roll.
We are moving right along through fall!!!
We started school the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Braden is a 7th grader.... playing football (sort of.... more to follow)
Elliot is a 5th grader... playing football and enjoying his last year at the elementary (with his dear old mom!)
Jen is teaching full day kindergarten (she taught first grade last year).
Brett is starting his second year as an assistant principal at the high school here.
We jumped from Baseball practice to Football practice mid August, for BOTH boys! They both LOVE it!
Braden had an unfortunate accident that has halted his FB season for now...
After FB practice one evening we had gone next door to cool off at our neighbor's pool (like we had done many times). The boys were finishing up cooling off and horsing around with trying to "outdo" each other with tricks and jumps into the pool. Well, long story~ short~ Braden did a goofy dive into the pool and managed to catch his foot on some piece of metal and cut a large chunk of his heel - on the underside of his foot. We had to take him to the ER and he ended up getting 8 stitches and a 30 day "break" from FB. He still goes to all the practices (on crutches) and is waiting anxiously for the OK to play again. Hopefully before the season is completely over...
Elliot is having a great time and is learning how to tackle and is getting used to "really" using his feet in a sport. He's finding it a little harder than he was expected. Physical therapy has helped a lot and he is getting better and better everyday.
School is going great for both boys! Elliot has a teacher he really likes and is doing just wonderful! Braden has earned all A's and one B and a place on the Honor Roll.
We are moving right along through fall!!!
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Summer of Baseball and New Friends...
What an amazing summer we have had!
The weather was amazing all summer! There were so many days of sunshine~ and just enough days of cool and rainy to justify taking it easy and relaxing inside for a little while.
We put many, many miles on the I-5 corridor going to and from baseball tournaments. Braden played on a 12 and under team and Elliot was their "bat boy".
The boys on the team were so much fun! Even during the days when there wasn't practice or a game, the entire team would get together and have a great time doing just about anything and everything.
Braden was able to get an amazing opportunity to go to the Oregon State Beavers Baseball camp at the end of his season with a couple of his fellow teammates. They stayed overnight in the dorms and learned from the OSU Beaver coaches themselves. So much fun and such great memories!
The parents of all of those boys were just as great~ Brett and I have made some amazing friends this spring and summer! Such an amazing feeling to connect so easily and quickly to so many families.
The baseball team did very well and we can't wait for it to start again (believe it or not~ in the beginning of February~ since you can play baseball pretty much year-round here!)
Next year Elliot will be on a team of his own so I can only imagine we will be even busier with going to practices and games. But just as happy to do it~
Now we are wrapping up our summer with swimming and working around the house and playing with friends~
Until FOOTBALL season starts!!! And of course school too~ there is always that ;-)
The weather was amazing all summer! There were so many days of sunshine~ and just enough days of cool and rainy to justify taking it easy and relaxing inside for a little while.
We put many, many miles on the I-5 corridor going to and from baseball tournaments. Braden played on a 12 and under team and Elliot was their "bat boy".
The boys on the team were so much fun! Even during the days when there wasn't practice or a game, the entire team would get together and have a great time doing just about anything and everything.
Braden was able to get an amazing opportunity to go to the Oregon State Beavers Baseball camp at the end of his season with a couple of his fellow teammates. They stayed overnight in the dorms and learned from the OSU Beaver coaches themselves. So much fun and such great memories!
The parents of all of those boys were just as great~ Brett and I have made some amazing friends this spring and summer! Such an amazing feeling to connect so easily and quickly to so many families.
The baseball team did very well and we can't wait for it to start again (believe it or not~ in the beginning of February~ since you can play baseball pretty much year-round here!)
Next year Elliot will be on a team of his own so I can only imagine we will be even busier with going to practices and games. But just as happy to do it~
Now we are wrapping up our summer with swimming and working around the house and playing with friends~
Until FOOTBALL season starts!!! And of course school too~ there is always that ;-)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Schooool...is...out...for...SUMMER!!!
Wahoo!
We are officially out for summer break! Of course~ it is a little later than we are used to ! We have all been keeping incredibly busy the last part of the school year. I can't even tell you the last time that we had Brett home for dinner more than one night in a row~ between graduation, grad night planning, interviews for new teachers, scheduling for the following year... you name it~ phew~ it is ex--haus--ting! (and I'm not even the one doing it all ;-)
The boys have been super busy too~ end of the year projects and deadlines, parties with friends, parties and field trips in the classrooms, and of course~ baseball tournaments!
Myself, I have also been crazy busy. I found out that I will be changing grade levels next year~ super excited about that~ full-day kindergarten is what is next for me!!! But with that change means - A LOT of work... since I have to get my room alllll cleaned up and packed by the day after school gets out.... ummm - what?!?! Well, the teacher who is moving into my classroom needs to be able to get in and the teacher who is moving into her room needs to get in there - so the poor person who is leaving the kindergarten room has even more pressure than I did! She was much more efficient and streamlined in organizing her teaching materials and supplies than I was~ so she was completely done and out of there.... just had to do her paperwork end of things... so I spent the first couple of days of my summer moving into my new classroom and getting my bearings~ and enjoying the fact that I now am the proud "owner" of Air Conditioning!!! Not.Even.Kidding~ I know right~ ;-)
We have baseball tournaments planned for EVERY weekend in June... whew! Good thing we like watching baseball! I will post pics of all the baseball soon... I need to get a chance to sit down and go through the 100's of pics to zoom in and crop them and save the best to share with everyone.
We are also going to be having my mom come and stay with us for a week towards the end of June~ so she will be able to watch some baseball and we will show her the coast and take her on some hikes to some waterfalls too! We are all excited to see her and share all the fun things we have been loving about Oregon.
Here's to Summer!!!
We are officially out for summer break! Of course~ it is a little later than we are used to ! We have all been keeping incredibly busy the last part of the school year. I can't even tell you the last time that we had Brett home for dinner more than one night in a row~ between graduation, grad night planning, interviews for new teachers, scheduling for the following year... you name it~ phew~ it is ex--haus--ting! (and I'm not even the one doing it all ;-)
The boys have been super busy too~ end of the year projects and deadlines, parties with friends, parties and field trips in the classrooms, and of course~ baseball tournaments!
Myself, I have also been crazy busy. I found out that I will be changing grade levels next year~ super excited about that~ full-day kindergarten is what is next for me!!! But with that change means - A LOT of work... since I have to get my room alllll cleaned up and packed by the day after school gets out.... ummm - what?!?! Well, the teacher who is moving into my classroom needs to be able to get in and the teacher who is moving into her room needs to get in there - so the poor person who is leaving the kindergarten room has even more pressure than I did! She was much more efficient and streamlined in organizing her teaching materials and supplies than I was~ so she was completely done and out of there.... just had to do her paperwork end of things... so I spent the first couple of days of my summer moving into my new classroom and getting my bearings~ and enjoying the fact that I now am the proud "owner" of Air Conditioning!!! Not.Even.Kidding~ I know right~ ;-)
We have baseball tournaments planned for EVERY weekend in June... whew! Good thing we like watching baseball! I will post pics of all the baseball soon... I need to get a chance to sit down and go through the 100's of pics to zoom in and crop them and save the best to share with everyone.
We are also going to be having my mom come and stay with us for a week towards the end of June~ so she will be able to watch some baseball and we will show her the coast and take her on some hikes to some waterfalls too! We are all excited to see her and share all the fun things we have been loving about Oregon.
Here's to Summer!!!
Monday, April 18, 2016
Baseball Season is Here!!
Braden's team had their second tournament and had a great time! So much fun getting to see him play again!
The kids are all 12 years-old and most go to his school with him. Crazy how we have already had 2 tournaments by the beginning of April. Both of them on turf fields... no mud here~ even when it rains..
Braden has grown sooo much since we got here. I did not realize how much until we bought cleats for this season. He needed an 8 1/2 (in men's) and just last season we borrowed some 6's that were a little big...
Brett tells me that apparently we have been feeding them like we were supposed to... but we just needed to add water.... (get it~ Oregon~ rain~ lots of water...) :-)
We have another tournament in a couple of weeks and then it goes to every other weekend. Lots of great teams and fun families. Just like old times!
Braden's team had their second tournament and had a great time! So much fun getting to see him play again!
The kids are all 12 years-old and most go to his school with him. Crazy how we have already had 2 tournaments by the beginning of April. Both of them on turf fields... no mud here~ even when it rains..
Braden has grown sooo much since we got here. I did not realize how much until we bought cleats for this season. He needed an 8 1/2 (in men's) and just last season we borrowed some 6's that were a little big...
Brett tells me that apparently we have been feeding them like we were supposed to... but we just needed to add water.... (get it~ Oregon~ rain~ lots of water...) :-)
We have another tournament in a couple of weeks and then it goes to every other weekend. Lots of great teams and fun families. Just like old times!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Surgery Time!!
Well, our Elliot has been anxiously awaiting this day... nervous is an understatement! But here it is~ We went up to Portland the night before since he had to be there so early. We were super tired since Braden had a band concert that night - so we couldn't leave until after his part in the concert! But we made it~ safe and sound.
Getting up that early and NOT eating breakfast (for any of us...) was a little rough but we put on a smile and acted like it was no biggie for Elliot's sake!
Everything seemed good to go with Elliot ~ until~ they needed to put in the IV... He was having NO PART of it... They had to bring out the "big guns" and give him some "happy juice" and he was soon Mr. Mellow and all good no matter where he was or what was happening. ;-)
Dorenbecher (the hospital) was amazing! We had a pager that the OR nurse would send us text messages throughout the surgery for updates... there were screens all throughout the hospital that posted your child's "number" and what stage of surgery they were in at that point.
We received texts like - Dr. Halsey is finishing up with the left ankle and everything went well. He will be starting on the right ankle shortly. etc. Super reassuring as parents/family!
When he was in recovery we talked with the anesthesiologist who told us that there had been some issues right at the beginning where Elliot's lungs were inflated and were not "exhaling" correctly - so he had to take the breathing tube out and have him go under more deeply than normal. Crazy to find out this way that he doesn't go under easily!
Surgeon said everything went smoothly and the left ankle was less involved (we knew that it would be) and that his right foot took quite a bit longer since the bones were already fused together. But he said everything looked great.
When we went in to see him he had two camouflaged casts up to his knees... they looked sooo heavy and HUGE!! Crazy to think that our little guy would be hoisting those puppies up and down every step for the next month! He was pretty out of it but the first thing he said was "I did it!! I went through with the surgery Mom!" (I wasn't aware that he was thinking of backing out....;-)
When he was put into a room for the night we were able to get some sleep for at least 40 minutes at a time... (you know how hospitals are!) He had a rough night coming off of the anesthesia - lots of puking and bathroom breaks! Casts on BOTH feet do not do well with tile floors!
We made it through the night and the Physical Therapist fitted him with some "boots" so he would be able to have some traction. He was up and walking on them in a matter of minutes!!
He has been literally running, playing basketball, riding his bike, driving the lawnmower... you name it.. since he got home. We took a couple of days where he was able to get back into the land of the living but other than some naps - he was good to go... no need for those silly crutches they gave us!
He has been so active we even had to go back to Portland and get his cast changed because he had worn through the cotton padding on the inside and it was rubbing on his skin. He had even worn through the "boots" that were for traction. The doctors were a little surprised to see that! Had to get another pair~ they assured us that there was nothing wrong with him being active and being weight bearing on them - they were excited that he wasn't in any pain.
So, we go next week to get the casts off for good and find out what the game plan is next for his feet~
Hope you enjoy the pictures~
Love and miss you all,
Brett, Jen, Braden and Elliot
Well, our Elliot has been anxiously awaiting this day... nervous is an understatement! But here it is~ We went up to Portland the night before since he had to be there so early. We were super tired since Braden had a band concert that night - so we couldn't leave until after his part in the concert! But we made it~ safe and sound.
Getting up that early and NOT eating breakfast (for any of us...) was a little rough but we put on a smile and acted like it was no biggie for Elliot's sake!
Everything seemed good to go with Elliot ~ until~ they needed to put in the IV... He was having NO PART of it... They had to bring out the "big guns" and give him some "happy juice" and he was soon Mr. Mellow and all good no matter where he was or what was happening. ;-)
Dorenbecher (the hospital) was amazing! We had a pager that the OR nurse would send us text messages throughout the surgery for updates... there were screens all throughout the hospital that posted your child's "number" and what stage of surgery they were in at that point.
We received texts like - Dr. Halsey is finishing up with the left ankle and everything went well. He will be starting on the right ankle shortly. etc. Super reassuring as parents/family!
When he was in recovery we talked with the anesthesiologist who told us that there had been some issues right at the beginning where Elliot's lungs were inflated and were not "exhaling" correctly - so he had to take the breathing tube out and have him go under more deeply than normal. Crazy to find out this way that he doesn't go under easily!
Surgeon said everything went smoothly and the left ankle was less involved (we knew that it would be) and that his right foot took quite a bit longer since the bones were already fused together. But he said everything looked great.
When we went in to see him he had two camouflaged casts up to his knees... they looked sooo heavy and HUGE!! Crazy to think that our little guy would be hoisting those puppies up and down every step for the next month! He was pretty out of it but the first thing he said was "I did it!! I went through with the surgery Mom!" (I wasn't aware that he was thinking of backing out....;-)
When he was put into a room for the night we were able to get some sleep for at least 40 minutes at a time... (you know how hospitals are!) He had a rough night coming off of the anesthesia - lots of puking and bathroom breaks! Casts on BOTH feet do not do well with tile floors!
We made it through the night and the Physical Therapist fitted him with some "boots" so he would be able to have some traction. He was up and walking on them in a matter of minutes!!
He has been literally running, playing basketball, riding his bike, driving the lawnmower... you name it.. since he got home. We took a couple of days where he was able to get back into the land of the living but other than some naps - he was good to go... no need for those silly crutches they gave us!
He has been so active we even had to go back to Portland and get his cast changed because he had worn through the cotton padding on the inside and it was rubbing on his skin. He had even worn through the "boots" that were for traction. The doctors were a little surprised to see that! Had to get another pair~ they assured us that there was nothing wrong with him being active and being weight bearing on them - they were excited that he wasn't in any pain.
So, we go next week to get the casts off for good and find out what the game plan is next for his feet~
Hope you enjoy the pictures~
Love and miss you all,
Before the surgery...
Time to replace one of the casts!
Ready to run again!
Already riding his bike~
Sunday, March 13, 2016
February and March in Oregon~
Soooo many flowers!! Everywhere you look something is blooming~ we are not used to seeing so many flowers and trees budding this early in the year! Along with all that blooming - the grass is also growing... which means~ time to mow... and mow... and mow... ;-)
We inherited a small riding lawn mower when we bought the property.. but it is really not equipped to cover all this property... so we are on the hunt for a bigger- better -faster - mower! It takes 6-8 hours to mow just the property around the house... and it is starting to need it every week or so! Ummm - time for the boys to learn how to drive! With so many trees we have to go around and around and around.... Our next big job is chopping down some trees - there are literally hundreds... and many of them are dead and just end up blowing over and making a big mess when they do - so some time this summer we will be finding a way to channel our inner "lumberjack/ logger" and start clearing things up a bit!
It is amazing when it is all mowed... looks just like a park~ not even exaggerating.
On the "spring" note we are also able to enjoy baseball a lot earlier! Braden started practice the first part of February and we had our first tournament the second weekend in March. The boys had so much fun! I of course did not have any batteries and did not get any pictures .... ugh... but even with the rain they played non stop and did amazing - they won the "silver" tournament ~ Very cool - especially since they have only 6 players that played together last year... all the rest are new to the team and had not even played on the field together before the day of the tournament...
Braden is enjoying it tremendously - a big learning curve for him though - as the team plays primarily on turf and it is the "regular" rules of baseball - live stealing at all points, longer baselines and pitching mound distance... but he loves every minute of it!
Elliot is watching from the sidelines this year - he's not too happy about that~ he keeps reminding me that it will be over a year since he has played any sports on a team - sooo true.... sooo hard to watch... but soon ~ after he heals from his surgery at the end of March he will be on the road to being able to play again - this time - without those big 'ol "plastic feet" that he has grown to hate... and hopefully without pain - something he really hasn't known before...
But - until then he has really taken a liking to being a stats man about any and every sport he can get access to... he will rattle off the most random of stats and analogies in most any conversation... still not sure when/ where he has watched some of these sporting events to actually know these stats - but they are - for the most part- pretty accurate.
We had our first out of town visitor~ Brett's uncle Will came and stayed with us in February. He and his wife are getting ready to make the big move from Anchorage to Bend, Oregon. We have been lucky enough to borrow his shop for the last 6 months to store our convertible until we had a garage to put it in here in Oregon. It was great to see family again (outside of skype) and share all the things we have been enjoying in our neck of the woods... The boys love visiting his place in Bend - and catching as many lizards as they can... We can't wait for he and his wife to come and give us some direction as far as decorating goes... the house they remodeled in Bend is AMAZING!!
We are anxiously awaiting Spring Break~ Time to enjoy our company of Brett's parents and play on the coast and work in the yard.... and of course... sleep~
Hope everyone is doing well, we miss our Colorado family and friends.... and yes~ we do miss the snow... not the shoveling...but the playing and viewing part of it...
Lots of love to everyone~
Jen, Brett, Braden and Elliot
We inherited a small riding lawn mower when we bought the property.. but it is really not equipped to cover all this property... so we are on the hunt for a bigger- better -faster - mower! It takes 6-8 hours to mow just the property around the house... and it is starting to need it every week or so! Ummm - time for the boys to learn how to drive! With so many trees we have to go around and around and around.... Our next big job is chopping down some trees - there are literally hundreds... and many of them are dead and just end up blowing over and making a big mess when they do - so some time this summer we will be finding a way to channel our inner "lumberjack/ logger" and start clearing things up a bit!
It is amazing when it is all mowed... looks just like a park~ not even exaggerating.
On the "spring" note we are also able to enjoy baseball a lot earlier! Braden started practice the first part of February and we had our first tournament the second weekend in March. The boys had so much fun! I of course did not have any batteries and did not get any pictures .... ugh... but even with the rain they played non stop and did amazing - they won the "silver" tournament ~ Very cool - especially since they have only 6 players that played together last year... all the rest are new to the team and had not even played on the field together before the day of the tournament...
Braden is enjoying it tremendously - a big learning curve for him though - as the team plays primarily on turf and it is the "regular" rules of baseball - live stealing at all points, longer baselines and pitching mound distance... but he loves every minute of it!
Elliot is watching from the sidelines this year - he's not too happy about that~ he keeps reminding me that it will be over a year since he has played any sports on a team - sooo true.... sooo hard to watch... but soon ~ after he heals from his surgery at the end of March he will be on the road to being able to play again - this time - without those big 'ol "plastic feet" that he has grown to hate... and hopefully without pain - something he really hasn't known before...
But - until then he has really taken a liking to being a stats man about any and every sport he can get access to... he will rattle off the most random of stats and analogies in most any conversation... still not sure when/ where he has watched some of these sporting events to actually know these stats - but they are - for the most part- pretty accurate.
We had our first out of town visitor~ Brett's uncle Will came and stayed with us in February. He and his wife are getting ready to make the big move from Anchorage to Bend, Oregon. We have been lucky enough to borrow his shop for the last 6 months to store our convertible until we had a garage to put it in here in Oregon. It was great to see family again (outside of skype) and share all the things we have been enjoying in our neck of the woods... The boys love visiting his place in Bend - and catching as many lizards as they can... We can't wait for he and his wife to come and give us some direction as far as decorating goes... the house they remodeled in Bend is AMAZING!!
We are anxiously awaiting Spring Break~ Time to enjoy our company of Brett's parents and play on the coast and work in the yard.... and of course... sleep~
Hope everyone is doing well, we miss our Colorado family and friends.... and yes~ we do miss the snow... not the shoveling...but the playing and viewing part of it...
Lots of love to everyone~
Jen, Brett, Braden and Elliot
Friday, February 19, 2016
February 19, 2016
Well we have made our trip to Portland and met with the orthopedic surgeon for Elliot. Whew~ what a crazy ride we have been on lately!
We found out that Elliot has "talocalcaneal coalitions" in both feet. This is unusual for someone his age - at least to the progressed state that he is in. Surgery is the direction we will be going in a month from now...
The coalition means that the bones have grown together where there should be a joint. This makes the flexibility of his ankles/feet very limited. It is also quite painful to move and act like a 9 (almost 10) year old should act. He is a trooper and has a huge pain tolerance, only stopping when it is searing pain...
The "plastic feet" (custom orthotics) that he has been wearing since July of last year, have helped him tremendously but they have reached their max. He has been growing like a mad man! The surgeon told us that he should only need "basic" orthotics to put in his shoes~ so that is even more exciting!
From what the doctor told us he will be cutting the bone on both sides of where the joint should be and then filling it in with a piece of fat taken from the back of his heel. This will be done to both feet. So really the only healing will be with the skin and muscle, (since they do NOT want the bone to heal back together) He will need to wear walking casts for a month and can be weight bearing within a week. He will have to wear the walking casts for a month or so and should be without pain very soon after (meaning the pain he has been experiencing up until now.) That is the most exciting thing. He will not necessarily gain mobility of the foot/ankle but the pain is the main issue.
If we don't do this now there is only pain management and the possibility of having to fuse his ankles in the future, which limits his activities tremendously. We may have to look at that option at some point anyway but this extends that timeline for us... We just want to allow for him to try and be a part of whatever interests him for as long as possible.
Well, I hope I have answered some of the questions that you had about what is happening with Elliot. We will not be having the surgery until March 30th. We only had so many days to choose from and I didn't want to have him recovering during his birthday or over spring break when his grandparents would be out visiting... sooo pushed it back a tiny bit. Not sure how we are going to be able to make him part of a baseball team during all of this - but we will try!!! Since that is the one thing he is pretty adamant about wanting~
We all love and miss seeing our families and friends in Colorado! Sorry I STILL haven't written a "xmas" letter !! Maybe just keep in the back of your mind that we have been hard at work on making our home ready for guests... hint, hint!
- Jen, Brett and the boys
Well we have made our trip to Portland and met with the orthopedic surgeon for Elliot. Whew~ what a crazy ride we have been on lately!
We found out that Elliot has "talocalcaneal coalitions" in both feet. This is unusual for someone his age - at least to the progressed state that he is in. Surgery is the direction we will be going in a month from now...
The coalition means that the bones have grown together where there should be a joint. This makes the flexibility of his ankles/feet very limited. It is also quite painful to move and act like a 9 (almost 10) year old should act. He is a trooper and has a huge pain tolerance, only stopping when it is searing pain...
The "plastic feet" (custom orthotics) that he has been wearing since July of last year, have helped him tremendously but they have reached their max. He has been growing like a mad man! The surgeon told us that he should only need "basic" orthotics to put in his shoes~ so that is even more exciting!
From what the doctor told us he will be cutting the bone on both sides of where the joint should be and then filling it in with a piece of fat taken from the back of his heel. This will be done to both feet. So really the only healing will be with the skin and muscle, (since they do NOT want the bone to heal back together) He will need to wear walking casts for a month and can be weight bearing within a week. He will have to wear the walking casts for a month or so and should be without pain very soon after (meaning the pain he has been experiencing up until now.) That is the most exciting thing. He will not necessarily gain mobility of the foot/ankle but the pain is the main issue.
If we don't do this now there is only pain management and the possibility of having to fuse his ankles in the future, which limits his activities tremendously. We may have to look at that option at some point anyway but this extends that timeline for us... We just want to allow for him to try and be a part of whatever interests him for as long as possible.
Well, I hope I have answered some of the questions that you had about what is happening with Elliot. We will not be having the surgery until March 30th. We only had so many days to choose from and I didn't want to have him recovering during his birthday or over spring break when his grandparents would be out visiting... sooo pushed it back a tiny bit. Not sure how we are going to be able to make him part of a baseball team during all of this - but we will try!!! Since that is the one thing he is pretty adamant about wanting~
We all love and miss seeing our families and friends in Colorado! Sorry I STILL haven't written a "xmas" letter !! Maybe just keep in the back of your mind that we have been hard at work on making our home ready for guests... hint, hint!
- Jen, Brett and the boys
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
February is already here!
We are really enjoying the weather here in Oregon! I say that a little hesitantly as we watch the pictures come across Facebook of all the never-ending snow storms that keep hitting our former hometown of Meeker... we really do feel for you all~ shoveling non-stop... with no end in sight...
While here we are watching the grass grow and the plants (and trees- yes, the trees!) get ready to bloom....
But, like I keep saying you are welcome to come and visit any time! By the way, it was 65 degrees today ~ and sunny... but it might rain in a day or two...
On another note! We have started BASEBALL!!! Braden is on a traveling team and has started practices about a month ago... they will start going to tournaments in March. We are excited to be a part of baseball so early and be able to actually practice!
Elliot is getting anxious to be on a team too~ we are hoping to get that started soon. We just had some CT scans done of his feet today - and will be going to Dorenbecher Hospital (children's hospital of Portland) to have the pediatric orthopedic surgeon have a look and see what they think should be done with his feet. For those of you not in the loop on this topic, we found out right before we were moving to Oregon that he had some very severe foot and ankle problems on both feet. Both ankles are basically collapsing inward and making his feet very flat and also very painful. This happens to adults sometimes much later in life but not usually by the time you are 9. So he has been wearing some pretty major orthotics (sp?) on both of his feet since July. They go up past his ankles and have straps all over them - even around his big toe...but he has been a trooper with them!
From the moment he put those on he ran and walked differently - with purpose and not the bent over weird gate that we had always written off as "just how Elliot moves". Amazing physical growth started to happen too~ not that those are connected by any means but who knows... He has grown at least 3 shoe sizes since June and 2 pant/shirt sizes. He is still on the slimmer side but he has really started to catch up to his brother~ who was doing some growing of his own!
We are really enjoying the weather here in Oregon! I say that a little hesitantly as we watch the pictures come across Facebook of all the never-ending snow storms that keep hitting our former hometown of Meeker... we really do feel for you all~ shoveling non-stop... with no end in sight...
While here we are watching the grass grow and the plants (and trees- yes, the trees!) get ready to bloom....
But, like I keep saying you are welcome to come and visit any time! By the way, it was 65 degrees today ~ and sunny... but it might rain in a day or two...
On another note! We have started BASEBALL!!! Braden is on a traveling team and has started practices about a month ago... they will start going to tournaments in March. We are excited to be a part of baseball so early and be able to actually practice!
Elliot is getting anxious to be on a team too~ we are hoping to get that started soon. We just had some CT scans done of his feet today - and will be going to Dorenbecher Hospital (children's hospital of Portland) to have the pediatric orthopedic surgeon have a look and see what they think should be done with his feet. For those of you not in the loop on this topic, we found out right before we were moving to Oregon that he had some very severe foot and ankle problems on both feet. Both ankles are basically collapsing inward and making his feet very flat and also very painful. This happens to adults sometimes much later in life but not usually by the time you are 9. So he has been wearing some pretty major orthotics (sp?) on both of his feet since July. They go up past his ankles and have straps all over them - even around his big toe...but he has been a trooper with them!
From the moment he put those on he ran and walked differently - with purpose and not the bent over weird gate that we had always written off as "just how Elliot moves". Amazing physical growth started to happen too~ not that those are connected by any means but who knows... He has grown at least 3 shoe sizes since June and 2 pant/shirt sizes. He is still on the slimmer side but he has really started to catch up to his brother~ who was doing some growing of his own!
Here is a picture of them lined up with Brett at the rental!
Pictures - Pictures
Finally!!
Some pictures of the house and property!
Sorry it took so long~ turns out we were too isolated for internet and our cell phones! (Well, not really ~ just hidden beneath all those trees~) But we are now back in the land of the connected and hopefully we will be able to be posting regularly very soon!
Here are some pictures of the house and property!
Can't wait to have visitors!
Love you all~
The "Oregon" Steinachers
Some pictures of the house and property!
Sorry it took so long~ turns out we were too isolated for internet and our cell phones! (Well, not really ~ just hidden beneath all those trees~) But we are now back in the land of the connected and hopefully we will be able to be posting regularly very soon!
Here are some pictures of the house and property!
Can't wait to have visitors!
Love you all~
The "Oregon" Steinachers
Front doorway
Main entry
Living room
White Carpet...; for now...
(how will I ever keep it that color?)
Dining Room
Family room (another fireplace...)
Loft area - outside of boys' rooms
Elliot's room
Braden's room
Spare bedroom
Master bedroom
Master bathroom - mirrors and reflective wall paper ohhhh so sparkly!!
Not to mention the sparkles in the popcorn ceiling!
Our Driveway...
Back patio- Looking Northeast
Front of house (after Brett chopped down the dead trees)
Looking West towards the other 3 acres of our property
Looking out the back side of the house - towards the East
Master Bedroom - Repainted and w/out the sparkles!
Room is sooo huge (that is a king size bed...) 2 ceiling fans...
Crazy!
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