Joy! Joy!

Oliver has been doing fairly well (considering what a rough few months he's experienced). His seizures have been on the up-swing the past few weeks, which we think may be linked to his growth spurt. We are waiting to hear back from the Boston team about a medication change. Oliver's oral seeking behavior continues, and although he is biting less it is still an issue. He continues to sing with joy and accomplish many of the goals in his daily therapy sessions.

This month our two CNAs (Kara & Kristen) who have become like family, are going to be graduating. Sigh...Kristen will stay in Wilmington and begin a job as a RN at New Hanover Hospital, but she won't be around as our CNA anymore :( Kara is engaged (yay girl!) and is moving back to her home in Southern Pines. We have been so thankful for these two wonderful women, who have brought so much calm into our lives. We love both of y'all! Thank you! A new CNA (Gina) will hopefully get started soon, and we think she is going to be a great fit!

Tomorrow morning is Oliver's IEP. I am a bit nervous, only because it is hard to hear so much about your child in such a concentrated way. It is like a parent teacher conference on steroids (and it is legally binding document!) Prayers for that meeting would be very much appreciated. 

Our business continues to grow, and we've spent much time reflecting on where we want to go in 2013. I am continuing to try and find the balance between working and cooking meals, doing laundry etc... I consider it a good week if we have clean clothes (albeit wrinkled) and some milk in the fridge. You can't have it all, and I'm ok with that (most of the time!) 

We'll try not to go as long without a blog post....the grandmas in my life don't like that long of a hiatus!

Our Christmas Card Photo

Brother's Family, Mom & Grandma at Thanksgiving

My favorite Christmas Decoration of 2012

Crazy pretty picture from Pleasant Oaks in Brunswick County. Andrew took the LL Bean folks out there to scout for a photo shoot for their fall catalogue.  Amazing place! 

Our Christmas Card Letter:

“Never doubt in the darkness what you once believed in the light. When hardship settles in to stay, dark and brooding skepticism surges over us in a tide of doubt and fear. The only sure dike against a flood of feelings is memory. We must recall sunnier times when we drove deep the pilings of God’s goodness and felt our moorings of trust hold ground. Times when we lived on his blessings, knew his favor, were grateful for his gifts, and felt the flesh and blood of his everlasting arms underneath us. This is what all 45 verses of Psalm 105 are about...” -Joni Eareckson Tada (When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to God)

  As of February, Oliver’s brain surgery (from Aug/Sept 2011) was “officially” deemed unsuccessful due to continued seizures. Then in September, (as one of the few remaining options to treat his epilepsy) we tried having a Vagus Nerve Stimulator implant for him. This device is like a pacemaker for the brain, in that it helps regulate electrical activity. Unfortunately, the device got infected at the incision site, which led to a (very expensive) emergency trip to Mass General in Boston to have it removed. Dr. Pasternack from Harvard Medical School told us, “A VNS getting infected and having to be removed is as likely as winning the lottery.” It was a crushing defeat in our fight against the seizures. We are still trying to make sense of such a significant loss, and can’t help wondering what might have been...

   Now for sunnier news...If 2011 was Oliver's year of dancing, 2012 has been his year of singing. He sang full blast with a medley of ABCs, Old Macdonald, Jesus Loves Me, etc at all hours of the day and night. This year was busy for our little man; he tried ABA therapy, changed schools, (briefly) tried potty training, got an adaptive stroller, and had over 200 therapy sessions between school and home! We are very grateful to report that this year (after 3 tries!) Oliver was finally accepted in the CAP-C federally funded program for “medically fragile” children. This was life changing for us, as we got access to CNAs and supplemental insurance (Medicaid) to add onto our BC/BS coverage. Our CNAs have been an absolute blessing to our family; we have no idea how we did it before their help! The most rewarding thing for us continues to be the joy that radiates from Oliver. There is a simple wonder as he explores the world, and it is refreshing for us even on the darkest days. His accomplishments are so hard won that we can’t help but savor and truly celebrate each milestone.

      As for Andrew, any hours not spent on real estate were spent on set this year;  the bulk of which was spent on Iron Man 3. It was by far the biggest production he has worked on, and just a tiny bit exciting! He even got a chance to put his CDL to work driving around some big boy toys like bulldozers, lulls and other heavy equipment. This year Stephanie made the transition from stay at home mom to full time Realtor, resulting in less time for blogging. In May, we sold the property management portion of Scout Properties and changed our name to “The Lanier Property Group”. Now our sole focus is on residential real estate in the Wilmington area. Our boutique real estate firm is built on a new tech-savvy, mobile (and mostly paperless) model for the digital age, and we are working on exciting things for the new year. For those of you who have allowed us to handle your real estate transactions this past year, it was an honor and pleasure. Thank you! We wake up each morning thrilled to come to work at our new commercial space at Co-Worx in Barclay Commons, for which we are so thankful.

             May your Christmas be merry and full of light. Best wishes for a healthy and joyous New Year!

                                    Andrew, Stephanie & Oliver