Baby Sophia (Luca's Cousin) has arrived!

We are so glad that Luca's new cousin, Baby Sophia, has finally arrived. After being a week and 1/2 late and a 20 hour labor she is here. 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21 inches long. I can't wait to meet her at the end of Feb!

New Soccer Shirt

The greatest thing about shopping at Good will is you never know what you will find for 50 cents. Last week I found this Brazilian soccer shirt. I love it. Here is Luca with fia (named after Luca's soon to be cousin) and with his train book.

Walking

Walking....is something we can't wait for Luca to be able to do. There is a phrase we hear a lot around here, "I want walking...I want walking...I want walking." I am sure you can guess who says it. Luca still needs a lot of help walking. Our backs hurt, we are tired and wondering how much longer until Luca can walk on his own? How much longer can we wait? We are gripping Luca's hands or arms as firm as we can, he is leaning back on us, unstable, and unbalanced, wobbly, yet the most motivated Walker you will ever find. As bad as I want him to walk, he wants it even more. He is willing to do whatever it takes to learn. And just when I think, oh, maybe Luca will want a break he shouts, "I want running." This kid is something else and I can't wait for the day when I get to see him walk and run all by himself!

We are also thankful for the extra set of hands that are helping us during this time, a huge thanks to my dad, our friends and family, and PT.

Running

Running has been big a part of my life for last 15 years. It has been my outlet, and my reset button. So, I am thankful 1/2 Marathon Training has begun! I managed to run 4 times this week. Mari Becker and I have a 1/2 marathon date set, May 15, Olympia Wa, Capital City 1/2 marathon. I am out of shape but it feels good to be training again.

I officially began training this last Friday by doing a run at Lincoln Park. I was about 1/2 way through my run feeling pumped up about training for the 1/2 so I decided to sprint up a very steep hill. I had my ipod on and felt invincible. I proceeded to attack the hill only to make it up the first flight of stairs. I stopped, wheezed a lot and started laughing, "Who do I think I am?". I also reminded myself that I have run only twice a month for the last 2 years and am in no condition to sprint up a huge hill. I regained my breath and managed to walk up the rest of the hill. Laughing most of the way.

This week, I feel I have regained the drug I have missed these last two years. I also have a new motto, "I run because I can". I know it sounds corny but because all I have learned from Luca and others, I am deeply thankful for my body, muscles, joints, health. Two years ago I took so much for granted. I also realize it might not be something I can always do. So today I am going to run, because I can!

New work hours

Better Work hours are coming soon for John! He is currently working 2-2:30 am but starting near the end of Feb. he is going to be working from 11 am-11:30 pm. Much better work times and no more working 6 days in a rows, but 4 on, 2 off, 2 on, 6 off and the pattern repeats! Yes, a pattern. We are both thrilled.

Luca riding the Duck

Luca Riding the Duck:
Luca loves to ride on this duck at the nursery at church! It is fun to see him ride it all by himself.
We are so lucky, there is a gal at church who is an OT and starting to work with Luca every other week during the 4 pm service today... so I get to go to church and Luca gets therepy! How awesome is that! Thank you, Katie Horn (the OT)

New videos

New Videos...I am excited that I got a two new videos posted tonight. Luca is talking and moving around so much so I wanted you all to see him in action. I was filming alone so I couldn't show you how he is walking (with help) but that is what we do a lot of the day. Luca is always saying, "I want walking" (and sometimes says the location like walking to room, or kitchen, or daddy and also who he wants helping him walk) He is going to be so happy when he can walk on his own and so are we!!! Luca is also talking up a storm. He can repeat any word you ask him to and he comes up with words and sentences on his own. It is fantastic and I am very grateful that he is able to communicate so well. He also has a great sense of humor already.

Luca on the move

Luca and I reading a book together

Scarlett turns 1

Scarlett's First Birthday-
Luca had a lot of fun at Scarlett's party. He and Layna found Scarlett's christmas present- the wonderful monkey and had fun playing with it. I think they might even have shared it for a moment:) Scarlett ate her cake in her own wonderful way, she ate the entire large cupcake, steadily in about 10 mins. She seems to feel no need to rush or smash it all over her face. I can't believe she is one!!!

First trip to the ER

Title: First trip to the ER
We got to have a family night down at Children's ER yesterday (Saturday) evening. John is such a good nurse and dad and noticed a small yet real skin infection on Luca's leg on Friday (it looked a like a small hard pimple). John said, "I am going to take Luca in to get antibiotics for this so that it doesn't not turn into an abbess and need to be drained etc and go to the ER this weekend." He sees quite a few of these where he works) anyway, the Dr. said "no, it is just an in-grown hair and will go away on its own. Well by last evening (after Scarlett's big one year birthday party) the bump on this thigh had doubled in size and Luca had a fever of 101. 2. I called a friend that works in the ER at Children's and she told me there wasn't a long wait and let them know Luca was coming in. We had a great dr. who did an ultrasound on the bump and said that the bump had not become organized or collected fluid that needed to be drained but Luca did need to go on antibiotics right away to help the infection to go away. The whole thing took just under an hour (which is amazing) and it was truly to most positive ER experience we could have had. (It actually too less time and hassle than the dr. appointment on Friday that amounted to nothing). Anyway, we were home by 8 pm and Luca went right to bed and slept till 8:30 am this morning. I feel grateful once again for friends, children's hospital, and financial assistance at Children's. (even the antibiotics at their pharmacy is paid for. Truly amazing and God's provision for us and Luca)

sledding

We went sledding a few weeks ago about 45 East of Seattle with Jess, Kimi, Layna, Monica, and Lily, and my parents. It was pretty cold and windy but really pretty. I think it is something Luca will grow into (hopefully). You can see from the picture he wasn't very happy most of the time. The adults had a great time, just like old times, I love sledding!

Weather stripping the front door and Great Goodwill find

Luca and Popeye were weathering the front door last night. Luca had a great time helping!


I am so excited. I found a super warm winter coat for Luca on Monday for $2 at Goodwill. I love that place!!! Here is a picture of Luca wearing it yesterday right before we went on a little walk in the snow.

New Year

I definitely feel like it is a new year....and I am excited about 2011. As I think back to the start of 2010 I want to highlight a few things that happened last year which will in turn make 2011 a potentially good year:

2010
The house project began and got (pretty much) completed....2011 We get to enjoy living in our house

Luca had around 16 sets of casts and foot surgery................Luca will hopefully learn to walk

Luca is learning to talk...........................................................Luca can communicate with us

On-going PT, OT visits with Boyer therapists.......................Luca continues to become more indep.

Strengthened friendships, getting to know neighbors..............Stronger community

New ER job for John................................................................. Greater work satisfaction

Priority on marriage..................................................................Stronger relationship

Desire to run more (Katie).......................................................Motivation to train for 1/2 marathon

I don't want to be overly optimistic the 2011 is going to be the "perfect" year because life is just not perfect, the challenges, grief and joys come all mixed together but I can see some great areas of progress in our lives and am grateful for the areas of growth this past year.

Zoo

We went to the zoo the other day. It was clear and COLD and unlike the MN Zoo it is not indoors except for one small part where we saw the sleeping crocodile. Which was Luca favorite part. Chris took off for MI yesterday. We miss him already!

Two Years Ago...

Exactly two years ago we had our first ultrasound of Luca. We emailed many of you this:

Today we had our baby boy's first ultrasound. What we thought would be
one of the greatest days of our lives had turned out to be very
difficult. The ultrasound showed a low level of amniotic fluid and
abnormalities with the baby's extremities. Please pray with us for
emotional strength and difficult decisions we will face. It
maybe some type of chromosomal abnormality. We don't know too many
other details. Love, john and Katie

I wanted to thank you for your many encouraging emails you sent us that day.

Dear Katie and John,

We sincerely ache with you. Mom and I just prayed for you, for the baby, and for ourselves.

We'd like to talk with you, whenever you feel you can talk.

Our sincere love and continued prayers.

Dad and Mom

Hi guys,
Thanks for including us on this email. We've shed some tears for you
and are keeping you and your little baby in our prayers...I am sure
you guys have quite a mix of emotions...we pray for God's provision in
a thousand ways today.

Call us whenever you want.

Love,
Jamie and Andy

We love you. We're praying,

Mom

Oh Katie and John,

Our hearts are heavy as we read this news. Eric and I prayed for all three of you - we love you so deeply and ask God to protect this special baby boy that He has created for you to take care of. All I would want today is to be with you, hug you, pray with you, cry with you and encourage you.
I pray that the Lord would take captive your anxious and worried thoughts.

I will try to call you later just to talk, not to ask questions, but if you don't feel like talking, I totally understand.

I love you dear sister more than myself. And I love this baby with my whole heart.

Our love and prayers,

Betsy and Eric

Katie and John,

Meagan and I are so sorry to hear this news. We are praying for you, and wish we lived close by so we could give you a hug and help with the move, especially in light of this new information...We will be praying for a miracle.

Love you,

Josh and Meg

Dearest John & Katie~

This is very hard news. I am crying with you and will be praying for you and your baby. Katie I just left you a message too but if you want I'd love to come over and give you a hug before I leave for anacortes (I'm picking Nora up at 4 at my house). At any rate, know that you are all definitely surrounded by prayers and I'm hoping for an amazing dose of strength for you as you move this weekend and adjust to this development. We [all who love you] will get through this hard time together.

Love

Mari

Oh Katie and John,

Please know that we are praying for much grace, wisdom and strength for you both.

in Jesus,

Love, Janet

Hi John and Katie,

Thanks for writing and letting us know about the ultrasound. I'm sure it's a lot to process. We will be praying for you and for your baby boy. (I would have been more surprised if you wrote that it was a girl). We will pray for wisdom and God's grace. We love you and already love the little boy He is growing in Katie.

Love,

Heather and Moises

THANKS 2 Tons for calling....we love you dearly and you now that we will pray and pray and pray for your little guy and for you Katie and John...The Lord will not give us more than we can handle...but the load can get heavy. We will be on our knees as we lift you all up to our Lord.

XXOO times 3,

Dad

Hi Katie and John - my heart is breaking for you. Uncertainty is a terrible place to be. We are praying for all three of you. If you need to talk or need help or just want company at any time LET ME KNOW!

love,

Tavia (and Caleb and Magdalene)

Hi John and Katie,

I just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you and praying for you. We can't imagine how difficult this time is for you. Briant and I spent a while praying for the 3 of you yesterday. I would have called but didn't think you would want to talk to anyone yet. We love you!

Harmony

Hi Katie,

I love you, first of all! Second of all, I am praying for you and John. You must be worried and uncertain, but know that God doesn't make mistakes and your boy is perfect in His eyes! I hope this doesn't sound like I am minimizing anything. I would be just as nervous and concerned as you. I pray that He will give you courage, strength, and a peace that surpasses all understanding. I wish that I could be there to hug you and talk. Do you have skype? We could talk tonight or tomorrow night if you want!

Love you very much!

Brooke

Video of Luca getting his bike for Christmas

Pictures from Jessica

There are several months old but I just saw them on Jess's computer and had to share them. I love his blue shirt and this is before his big hair cut.

Christmas!

Luca's new bike and my new puffy coat also from Grandpa Walker and Nana Walker
John's new drill from his parents

Opening a gift

Merry Christmas!

Hello, wanting to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We aren't organied enough to get Christmas cards out. Thank you for your cards and packages! Can't wait to open them tomorrow. Here is Luca opening his new Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve. John and I will have about an hour together tomorrow before he heads into work at 1:30 pm. We will get to have a little brunch and open gifts together. (There is also a picture of Luca and Scarlett at the Christmas Eve service.)

The Mountains

The other day we had a clear day (which is about one in a million right now in rainy Seattle). Here are a few pictures I took of the mts. from near our house. The zoom was on. The mountains are so beautiful and since it isn't clear often it, we are all awed by the beauty whenever we seen them even though we live here.

Cozy

Nana has defined the word cozy for Luca or maybe Luca for all of us. Reading with a soft blanket on the couch with Nana Nancy will forever be cozy.

Two Peas in a Pod

Two peas in a pod.


Layna came over this morning. They went "sledding" around the living room in Luca's new sled (which he will get for Christmas) and then both wanted to go night-night in Luca's bed. Jess and I are curious if they would actually fall asleep and stay asleep if giving the opporutnity but I don't think we are curious enough to actually try it:) (Maybe if we had a video monitor:) They are

New AFO's

Luca got new AFO's last Friday. We all call them his "boots". They are the same pattern as the last ones (just a little bit bigger since he has grown.) We are back to the three times a day stretching the feet and taking the AFO's on and off. (Which I don't like that much) Luca often asks for his boots off but then when you take them off he might ask for his boots on. I think he enjoys learning the concept of on and off right now:) My (Katie's) parents and brother Chris are here for Christmas. The arrived last week.

Some of the highlights so far have been:
John, Chris, and Kimi going skiing
Family dinners
Watching Despicable me together (the best cartoon of all time)
Luca requesting to be cozy with Nana on the couch, with a big soft blanket and reading book after book with her
running at Lincoln park
Luca getting to take lots of baths:)
Luca loving all the attention and every time someone leaves the room he asks, where that person went. (ie daddy go?, nana go?)
Katie got to sleep over at her old house with Mari and Beth!

I am sure we will do a lot of other things together this week. Chris and my parents are here until Jan. 3rd. Yay! Can't wait to see Luca open his presents. Will put up pictures soon!

Honesty

There is a lot to be said for being honest, honest with others, and with yourself. I spent some time and tears reading through a blog tonight called Team Ewan. Ewan, mom, Kristen shares her heart and story of her dear son, who lived only a short time. She shares honestly about her faith, pain, hurt, struggle, fears, joy, and life. http://www.team-ewan.com
I know there are a lot of different people who follow Luca's blog and I write to this unknown audience, wanting to make sure I don't step on anyone's toes. So I write mostly about all the good stuff, the light stuff, the things that are easy to celebrate (and with Luca there are A LOT) of those. But I also shield my blog and readers from some of the hard stuff. I decided a while ago that I want everyone to enjoy reading it but I realize that you wouldn't truly know Luca's story (or ours) if you didn't know the pain too. John said it well the other day, "you don't truly know joy until you know pain"
I am going to try to be more open and well rounded. I don' t want to give a false image of rose colored classes, that raising a child with special needs is just easy and delightful all the time. There are huge joys and lots of obstacles. So I am going to try to put my people pleasing ways behind me and write from the heart. If you don't like it, that is ok, there will still be cute picture of Luca on it for you to enjoy:)

Early Christmas Present

I couldn't wait to give Luca his new train set from IKEA. I have wanted to get him a train for a long time because he loves the ones at Barnes and Noble but I just never go to IKEA and that is the only place they are $8 so anyway, I got a set, I pulled it out today. Luca loves it. He needs a little help but tries to do as much as he can himself. He says "self" because he always wants to try it (a few times) before asking for "help please". So sweet.
When we left for Layna's birthday party Luca said "bye-bye train" many times and was eager to play with it right away when he got home.

On the go

Luca is a moving and much faster with these little casts. He scooted two blocks yesterday...which took quite a while but still pretty impressive. I think Luca's middle name is outside which suits me just fine. He was so happy to be outside, I could not get him to look at the camera.