Announcement

Wow-- this post is LONG overdue.  Life has a way of flying along and my blog has been neglected!

One MAJOR reason I haven't felt up to updating my blog lately is because of some exciting news at our house.  That's right, we are pregnant!

Mark and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting baby #4 in early July.  We thank God for the gift of new life. I have been feeling okay, tired and queasy, but okay. Mark has been a trooper in picking up the slack and letting me sleep more than usual. I'm in the middle of week 13 so hopefully the yucky feeling is gone soon.

Another piece of news…we are also making plans to build a house for our family. Hopefully late this spring we will break ground on a handicap accessible house. We are very excited to have a space that will meet Ruby's needs.

Between the house plans, the holidays and pregnancy my blog has fallen by the wayside. I hope that will not continue to be the case in 2014.

Happy New Year everyone!

ABR Trip

About every six months, Mark and I take Ruby for more ABR (Advanced Bio-mechanical Rehabilitation).  We usually go to Montreal, but this time we decided to try the ABR satellite in Pennsylvania.  

Ruby was an angel in the car. Even so, she was glad to stretch out on the hotel bed for a 

few minutes before her evaluation.  

The photo session and evaluation went well.  We are always encouraged to see the positive changes her body has made.  Again, we feel strongly that this is exactly the therapy Ruby's body needs to heal. ABR is helping her body to "re-build"; it strengthens her fascia, segments her joints, creates space between her vertebrae and stabilizes her skeletal structure.  If any of you reading this are ever interested in ABR, please ask me and check out the link above.  

Specifically, here are the improvements Ruby's body has made in the last six months according 

to the evaluation we had tonight:

- Spine connection between the thoracic/lumber and the lumber/sacrum has been strengthened

-Improvements in head counterbalance (if she gets tipped to the side, her head doesn't 

completely flop anymore) and some improvements in head control. They assure us more head control is coming and we are very excited for that!

-Increased stability of the shoulder girdle (shoulder blade) which will allow for 

weight bearing on her elbows.

These things may seem small, but they are completely necessary for her body to function more normally. We are rebuilding her body one muscle, one ligament, one joint, one vertebrae at a time. This all takes time, but these changes are permanent and will continue to give Ruby more function. 

Tomorrow we have two sessions where our trainer, Fehim, will explain the 

new exercises we need to work on for the next six months.  I am eager to hear what changes in her body we can expect next.  

Thanks for your support and prayers. Thanks also to those of you who donated to Ruby's fund with the Thirty-One fundraiser. This trip is possible because of that fundraiser! 

We praise God for the community of believers that surround us.

Respite

Tonight a wonderful woman, who knows kiddos like Ruby very well, sat at our house and cuddled Ruby while Mark and I took the other two kids to the park.  It was a blessing to run around with friends in beautiful weather, knowing that Ruby was content at home getting snuggles and getting to bed on time.

After a good meal, meaningful conversation, a walk by the lake, a kid's dance party in the park (literally) and a lot of toddler giggles I feel blessed.

At the end of the evening we treated Tabatha and Charlie to frozen yogurt with candy toppings, even though it was past their bedtime. Every good night finishes with ice cream, right? :)

Tonight was a gift.

Tough Day

Most days, I feel peace from God about our situation with Ruby.

Once in awhile though, fear, frustration and anxiety about the future slip in and rear their ugly heads. Today was one of those days.

Ruby started off the morning with a seizure. Yuck. You all know how I feel about seizures; I HATE them.  When they happen, my poor baby's body is being tortured and I get a front row seat. We used to be able to protect Tabatha and Charlie from seeing these, but this morning they were both fully aware of what was happening.  As soon as it was done, Charlie asked, "Is it better? Are you better, Ruby?" So sweet, but a four year old shouldn't have to witness this.

A few hours later, Ruby vomited her whole feeding. She is tube fed because she doesn't handle liquid well. You can imagine what a whole bottle does to her system when it comes back up. She was panicked and she couldn't swallow or breath. We ripped her out of her chair and Mark started pounding on her back while I tried to suction her out with a bulb syringe.  I thought I was going to have to call 911. Thankfully, soon she started crying. It was such a sad cry, but at least the crying meant she was breathing again.  Aspiration is such a real threat to Ruby; today just reminded me of that reality. 

The rest of the day she was tired, but okay. Mark stayed home from the Pumpkin Festival parade to sit with Ruby.  It's frustrating when our family has to split up; I would love to always do those fun family things together. 

Today the frustrations of our reality set in. Like grief, it kind of hits when you least expect it. It's good to vent, pray, cry, be quiet and then move forward again. 

God is still faithful; God is still good. God is still in control.

We continue to pray God will give us the feet to walk the path He has in store for us.  

Pictures--Wisconsin Dells

The fall routine is in full swing at the TenHakens. I am in my third week of being back at school. Ruby started school again last week and Charlie has his first full day of preschool tomorrow. 

Much to her disappointment, Tabatha will be at home still this year. She wants to go to preschool but I want to keep her as a toddler at home for much longer :)

My blog has fallen by the wayside this last month as we make the transition back to school.  Here is an attempt to catch up.....

A month ago, we spent a weekend with Mark's parents at the Wisconsin Dells. The kids had been begging to see Grandpa and Grandma from Minnesota and since the Dells is almost exactly half to their house, we decided that would be a great place to meet.  

Mark and I decided it would be best to leave Ruby home with her wonderful babysitter,

 Emily. This was a hard decision to make; it feels weird to go on a family vacation without the whole family, but I think we made the right choice.  It was a blessing to have Ruby stay at home in her routine and be able to give focused attention to Charlie and Tabatha. 

Charlie and Tabatha had a BLAST at the water park. It was a blessing to see them having so much fun.  Here are a few photos from our weekend:

Charlie got this helmet as a souvenir from Grandpa and Grandma. 

He didn't take it off for days after we got home.  :)

Thanks!

Whew! August has been a whirlwind month. I have lots of pictures to post but I first wanted to say a HUGE thank you to many of you for being involved in the Thirty-One fundraiser for Ruby.  Enough money was raised to cover her next therapy trip to Montreal! This is such a blessing to us. We are humbled to be part of a community of believers that has shown love and support to our family over and over again. We continued to be renewed and refreshed by you all.  The Holy Spirit uses your encouragement to give us a lot of peace about Ruby.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thank you also to Deb Gritter for coming up with this fundraiser idea and doing all the work for it. It was so thoughtful for her to do this for our family.  Thanks Deb!

Wisconsin Dells- Here We Come!

We are off to the Wisconsin Dells tomorrow with only four of us. We are meeting Mark's parents for the weekend and we decided to leave Ruby with Emily (our fabulous babysitter). This is always a hard decision for me; it doesn't seem right to have a family vacation without the entire family. Yet, I know that a loud water park is not a great place for Ruby. She would enjoy the water, but she would get cold quickly and overstimulated by the new sounds.  We decided it was better if she stayed with Emily, finished her last week of summer school and got some therapy done.

I will miss Ruby, but I have to admit I am excited to spend a weekend playing with Charlie and Tabatha. So often my attention is diverted and I am looking forward to giving them my undivided attention for two and a half days.  Water park here we come!

Ruby at School

Ruby goes to an incredible school called the Ottawa Area Center; it is a great place for kids with needs like Ruby's. We love her teachers as they have shown us they know and love Ruby.  There are specific goals written just for Ruby that challenge her to grow and make progress, but at her pace.

Every week Ruby gets to enjoy things at school that she couldn't do at home. She swims, rides bikes, practices weight bearing in the walker and stander, swings, enjoys music therapy, rides horses...the list could go on.  

We are incredibly thankful for the OAC and all they do for Ruby!

Last week I had the opportunity to swim with Ruby at school. I know she loves the water, but since we don't have a pool at home, I don't get to see her in it very often.  It was such a blessing to see her joy! She kicked, giggled and hollered (a good thing :) the whole time we were in the pool.  

Getting ready to go in...

Giggle and kicks in the water

Swimming with a little buddy from her class

Last week Ruby got to ride a bike from the organization called "Cody's Ride". Her teacher's sent me this short video so we could see how she did. It was so fun to see her moving like this!

Last week Ruby's teachers gave the girls in her class a spa day. She came home with hot pink toenails; her big toes even had little white daises on them. This picture of Ruby getting a pedicure is so precious to me. She is LOVING the water on her feet and I love how her teachers are serving her in this way. This touches my heart.  

Thanks OAC for loving my daughter. She can't say it verbally, but I know she loves school and appreciate all of you.  

Ruby's Thirty-One Fundraiser

Written by my sweet friend, Deb Gritter:

Dear Friends of the TenHakens, 

Thank you for your continued love and support of Mark, Kelli, Ruby, Charlie and Tabatha! I am thankful for their friendship and know they are special and dear to many of you. As you know, they are committed to a very valuable training called ABR to help Ruby's functioning. They have also come across a few more things (like diapers!) that continue to require additional financial resources than some kids without special needs. To read more about their recent trip to Montreal where they continued the ABR training, go to http://kelliandmarktenhaken.blogspot.com/2013/06/montreal.html. 

I am hosting a Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser at www.mythirtyone.com/debgritter (click on "my parties" to find Ruby's Fundraiser) where 25% of the orders between August 1 - 10 will be donated to the family and used at their wise discretion. You may also donate directly to the family by clicking on the "donate" button on the side bar.  

Please help support Ruby's therapy and family by spreading the word and sharing this information with those around you. There is a Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/536069656440248/ to conveniently share with friends and family. God is faithful and continues to provide; thank you for your support and prayers for Ruby and her family! 

***Additional details about the Thirty-One fundraiser***

*) If you live in West Michigan, when you order, please have your items "shipped to the hostess" to save on a separate shipping charge. I will then make sure you get your items in person.  

*) Many items can be personalized and make great gifts. If it asks you about personalization and you don't want any, be sure to simply choose "none" then "done personalizing". 

*) Please place your orders before 5 PM on Saturday August 10. 

*) Take advantage of the August customer special! For every $35 you spend in August, save 50% on any purse, including seven new styles!! www.mythirtyone.com/debgritter

*) You may e-mail me at debgritter at gmail dot com with any questions!

Photos

We recently had family pictures taken (which doesn't happen very often) and I am thrilled with how they turned out. Julie Hoffman took the pictures and she captured my kids so well! Check out youbyjulie.com/blog if you want to check out her work. She is great to work with and very affordable!

Here are the pictures I chose...

Happy Birthday Tabatha

My baby turned two today! We celebrated Tabatha's birthday with family on Sunday.  

Tabatha views life as a party. She loves to sing, dance and do somersaults.  She is always trying to "help" (often it is not helpful, but I have to appreciate the sentiment :). 

She adores her siblings and always makes sure Ruby is included in whatever we are doing.  

Tabatha is energetic, busy and into everything.  She has opinions about a lot of things. 

She keeps me hopping, but I love her passion for life!

I appreciate her soft heart and her sweet spirit.

What a joy this little girl has been!  

Here is an example of where Tabby's "helping" is not helpful at all. Ruby doesn't chew so I am pretty sure it would not be a good idea to stuff a granola bar in her mouth.  I have to appreciate Tabatha's  sharing though.

Our goofball

She is obsessed with swinging!

Curious about life

Concerned for others

MN Vacation

A couple weeks ago we packed up the van and headed to Worthington, Minnesota to spend several days with Mark's family.  I was a little nervous traveling with this bunch, but they did really well in the car.  Thank goodness for DVDs! 

A lunch stop at Culver's

Mark's parents live on a lake which is a HUGE hit with the kids. 

They loved riding on the boat and tubing.

We hit several parks while we were there. 

Story time with Grandma

Several of the parks in Worthington had special needs swings for Ruby. It was great being able to let her enjoy the park too! She loves to swing; we need to get this swing for our backyard someday.

I think Charlie was having a good time, despite the look on his face :) 

He did get stung by a wasp at this park.

Tabatha's birthday is on July 15 so she got to open her present from Grandpa and Grandma.

She got a set of wooden blocks! She has crashed many towers already :)

Tabatha tried the tube out; I think she was scared, but too tough to admit it :)

Visiting the fire station was a highlight for Charlie. Lyle (Mark's Dad) graciously called the fire chief and had him open the station just for Charlie. He was so excited. 

Here he is trying to be patient while he waits to go check out the trucks.  

 Climbing in the ladder truck

Charlie got to try on the gear

Charlie and Tabatha got fire station hats, t-shirts and coloring packs to take home.  

Charlie will talk about this for a long time! 

Tabby and her cousin Nora

Hanging out by the dock

A break from the drive on the way home. It ended with a surprise down pour.

We had a great time in MN; we always love spending time with family.  

Charlie asks me everyday if we can go back.  Dad and Mom--Thanks for putting up with the chaos we bring! It was a blessing to see you again!