Sweet Siblings

Yesterday morning Parker was being so sweet with Tessa.

She sure loves her big brother...especially when he's silly and all up in her face!! ;)

~Whitney

Catching Up!

9.24.14

Lokomat ~ taking steps!!

9.25.14

SJN Family Picnic Fun

9.26.2014

Fun at the park with Friends!!

 9.27.14

Saturday morning fun with brother and an evening of flying kites!

 

Change is Coming...

Change is coming for the bynumfour!

We are super excited to be expecting Baby Bynum #3 in the Spring of 2015!  

We are thrilled that Tessa will get to experience being a big sister!

And Parker couldn't be more excited about being a big brother to another ;)

It has been a bit of a rough start, but now that we're arriving at the 3 month mark, I'm hopeful that the puny days will soon be coming to an end.

My how things have changed since being pregnant 5 years ago.  Having a 6 and 4 year old is very different from being pregnant and only having an 18 month old.  Parker's excitement right now is so fun.  It is so special to get to have conversations with him about what's to come and how life will change.  I do wish I could lift the burden of his understanding sometimes though.  He has been very aware of my many weeks of not feeling well and his prayers are always that 'God will help mommy to feel better and be healthy so our baby can be healthy'.  Parker has understood 'what happened' to Tessa for quite some time now.  He has gone through a couple of different phases of processing it all, but in his mind he knows 'Tessa is the way she is because mommy got sick while Tessa was in mommy's tummy".  I have tried explaning to Parker that right now I am not 'that kind of sick' and that what I have been dealing with is what any other pregnant mommy is dealing with...it is still rather concerning to him though...and of course, I can understand why.  

It is unique to be out and about and notice little babies.  We saw one the other night out at dinner and Parker said 'Mommy, look at that cute little baby girl.  She's standing up and she's just a baby.'  I simply replied 'Isn't that so cool Parker.  I bet you anything your little brother or sister will do that same thing.'  I want him to be excited about all the things his new sibling will be able to do, just like he is excited about all the things Tessa is able to do.  We like to celebrate the gifts that God has uniquely given each of us...we like to celebrate what makes us all different.  Somehow Parker is able to understand, that even though we didn't want me to get sick while Tessa was in my tummy and we didn't want Tessa to not be able to walk or talk, that God's plan for her is perfect and we are thrilled that God chose us to be her mommy and daddy and her big brother.  I don't even understand it sometimes when I talk to Parker about it all, but with an incredibly tender heart, he does. :)

We are so thankful for the opportunity to add another little Bynum bundle!  Each and every day I feel the Lord drawing me closer to Him.  I have desperately needed His strength during these weeks of such weakness and I am so humbled by this experience so much already.  Each and every morning I wake up needing Him to help all the fears subside and to help me be present and available in the life that's right in front of me.  Exactly how life will change in the Spring of 2015 is nothing that I can really imagine right now, but I do know without a shadow of a doubt, that with Him it is beautiful and possible...and that's more than enough for me.

~Whitney  

Buddy Walk 2014

9.20.2014

 

 

~Whitney

A Dream Coming True...

And one year later, our dream is coming true.

Watch “including isaac | a kala project” by Bradley Productions: http://vimeo.com/70446612

I remember watching this video a year ago and dreaming. I am in tears today as I realize our dream is coming true, right before our eyes.

There will never be enough ways to say "thank you" to all of those that loved, prayed and given, but I can promise that the impact on our hearts and the changes in Tessa's life, will speak to that gratefulness, each and every day.

http://www.gofundme.com/Tessa

~Whitney

SJN Grandparent's Day

9.5.2014

It was so exciting for Grandma and Grandpa to make it to Grandparent's day with Tessa at SJN!

Necklaces made by Tessa :)

What a special experience full of precious memories!!

~Whitney

Catching Up

It has been a very busy couple of weeks for us, which means I'm feeling behind and will do my best to get things up to date!

Tessa's second week of school started off lovely

 

Unfortunately later that Monday evening Tessa suffered her 2nd grand mal seizure.  I was in Yukon at a back to school meeting and Darin had taken both the kids to Tessa's Lokomat session in the city.  Tessa's seizure started while she was up in the Lokomat machine...which is no simple contraption.  So once Darin and the therapists were able to get her down and administer the Diastat, the seizure had probably gone on about 5+ minutes and was not easing up even after a second dose of Diastat.  By the time Darin was able to get ahold of me, they had already called an ambulance and they were just keeping a close eye on Tessa until they arrived.

It was a very stressful 20-30 minute drive for me to the hospital.  Darin and Parker had to follow the ambulance there from therapy.  The second Diastat did finally work and no additional seizure meds were needed, which was a huge relief.  Tessa did have quite a bit of vommitting, but once they got her IV started they gave her something for that.  Our time at the ER was peaceful overall.  Tessa slept.  They monitored her respiratory function closely to make sure she was handling the effects of the seizure meds okay.  She did great and we were very thankful when we were heading home between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. to get a good night's sleep at home.

There's no way to know exactly why Tessa suffered such a big seizure.  She wasn't sick at all and life had been going really good.  But I guess for Tessa, in this case, it was just too much of a good thing.  All of the changes with starting a new school had been very positive, but nevertheless, change can be stressful for all of us and I think her mind and body were maybe a bit on overload.

Darin said how amazing the therapists at Lokomat were during the whole thing.  They really helped him take good care of our sweet girl.  Tessa's para, her teacher and her principal were amazing too.  They each came to the hospital and were such a source of encouragement and support for us.  And our dear friends came to our rescue bringing us dinner and picking up Parker from the hospital and letting him sleep over and getting him to school the next day.  I have to say, God has surrounded us with incredible people in our lives.  People we can call on in a moment's notice that will help us think, and will help us act.  Clarity is not something that's readily available during a situation like this, and I just can't express how grateful I am for each person that helped us get through that difficult evening.  

We did get this sweet little grin out of Tessa as we were putting her to bed once we got home.  She had a long day, but knew exactly what this mama needed before heading off to bed :)

Parker was VERY happy to see Tessa doing so much better on Tuesday!  He had a great time with our friends the evening before and he had a great day at school.  A huge blessing for me and Darin.

Tessa was pretty thrilled to see her big brother too :)

By Wednesday evening it was safe to say she was feeling more like herself!

I knew she was cheesin for this pic...but I didn't realize it was that big!

Tessa was back at school by Thursday 8/20 and I think it's safe to say she was missed :)

She got lots of good rest over the weekend

Then she was back & up-and-at-em at Lokomat therapy on Monday 8/25

She's never too big for snuggles with her daddy

On that Wednesday at school she got in a little morning nap followed by playtime and giggles with her friends!

And sometimes that much fun means an evening nap is in order ;)

Some weekend moments :)

 

~Whitney