Life Adventures and Day Dreams

Hi everyone, there is just too much to write since its been so long...
But I can't go to bed without sharing something amazing...yes its personal in nature, and maybe TMI
but it moved me to tears several times tonight as I reflected on this..

Levi has used a intermittent catheter 4 times a day since he was 6 weeks old...we know that he can pee on his own, but his bladder muscles are not strong enough to contract to get all of it out..this causes a risk of reflux into his kidneys...so this is a big thing in the world of dealing with spina bifida..nerve damage doesnt just stop at the legs but is also internally from the lesion point down. Bowels are also affected and many can be at risk for bowel obstruction with not being able to contract the muscles to allow the stool to pass...again sorry for all of this tmi...
We have already been blown away that since 15 months Levi has gone #2 on the potty, and rarely in his diaper. He now tells me when he needs to go, and although its not "easy", its pretty amazing that he can 1. tell me, 2. hold it in, 3. make it happen.

I have praised God over that so many times, and been in wonder that he can even do that...
Recently I have been noticing that he's been telling me every now and then when he has to go pee though, which is pretty shocking....so I usually do a catheter whenever he tells me, and then he tells me he feels better...but recently its been often....amazing....even waking ne up ib the am bc he has to go potty!! so last night he was sitting on the potty, and he figured out how to make it come out...it was hilarious to him, he thought it was pretty amusing....when I cathed him I only got a little bit out...much less than usual...tonight he wanted to try to go potty again and this time I couldnt get anything out. ANYTHING! I tried 3 caths thinking surely I was doing something wrong but I wasnt! This is wear my tears couldnt stop....I dont know if this is permanent or whats next for him, but I do know that I have had lots of time praying specifically over his body recently asking God for specific things. I have been already rejoicing over so many milestones that have been unexpected, but this one is a pretty big one. Even in the slightest bit of feeling recently, this is a tremendous thing in our world. Don't stop praying for his little body. Thankful for continued blessings and the privilege it has been to see each miracle in his life.

I hope to share more soon...I can't imagine life any busier at the moment, but we are enjoying every minute!

This has been a busy year as you can tell by my mega lack in updates on Levi and our family =) Having two little ones has been amazing and keeps me on my toes! My mom sure made it look easy having 6 kids and I just cant even imagine how all of that looks day to day!

Well I always tend to do this, not really because of the idea of Christmas, and end of the year how people reflect...But since we have boys with birthdays at the end of the year it gives me a great time to reflect on our life and the many blessings around us ( and I start getting sappy this time of year reminiscing ;)

First of all, thank you so much for caring to stay updated with our family..It is so wild to me that you all have stuck with us so long. It means so much to know if we need prayers you are all here, and it just is so amazing to know we are not on this journey alone!!

Levi just celebrated his 3rd birthday, and this was a big deal birthday!! First of all because apparently 3 yr olds love birthdays which is extremely fun! But also it is a graduation of sorts for him! For his first 3 years he has been doing first steps which is a program that does in home physical and occupational therapy and we have had 2 special ladies working with him all this time, 3 times a week. They have made a huge impact on his life and we have been so grateful for their hard work but also how they truly care for Levi! Its just remarkable. So now that he is 3 his therapy has changed...We are thankful to continue seeing his regular physical therapist aside from First Steps hopefully 2 times a week once we get insurance things figured out, but it will no longer be at our house (boo!) but he gets to continue swimming and land therapy.

In addition to that, this little guy started Preschool!?!?! Yes its true =) There is an amazing program at a preschool right down the street from us that is an integrated program which means that they have a normal class room but mix in a few kids with special needs. Levi has 6 kids in his class and 2 teachers and will also be seeing a physical therapist while he is at school. He is there 2 times a week for 3 hrs and has the option of riding the bus to and from, but mommy has a hard time with that for now ;) Their goal is to just have him in this program to teach him how to access his learning environment physically, and he shouldn't need to be in any special programs after this, except for help when needed! It was neat to go through the testing assessments and hear feedback on Levi. Its easy to see all the good things in your child, but means a lot when other see it too. He did a nice job, and the only thing they see he needs help with is his gross motor skills..(physically) and even at that he is doing well. He scored very high on things like speech and social. They decided to put him in an afternoon class that has 4 year olds to challenge him a little more =) So far its going well..he has been quiet at school, until yesterday when he finally seemed to be excited. He has cried a little bit each day which is pretty hard but he says "I'm ok mom, I can just be brave" AHHH that breaks my heart, but I am proud of him for working through it! His teachers are so kind, and really help him. It was a big step, but its important to think about how he can gain independence in life. There are lots of things he has a hard time doing in life physically and I love that they think of ways he can be independent, and its helped me think of ways to modify chores,dressing ect. so that he can feel a part of it.

Levi had a major year of gaining strength and mobility, and i wont go into detail on all of the things, but to name a few he is now Fully independent with his walker, using crutches with assistance, learning to ride a tricycle, pulling up to stand on most surfaces, able to stand with minor support (he should be standing independently shortly) able to stand to brush teeth, cook at the counter, overall gained balance and stability which gave a huge sense of freedom in our lives!!!! Here is the video I posted recently if you missed it that gives a good overview of where he is at physically . He has achieved many major milestones just this year aside from his shunt malfunction in the spring time, has been doing fantastic!

He continues to have a kind heart, and love reading, and art and telling stories...a boy that is full of life and imagination and a pure delight to be around!!

Lennox just celebrated his first birthday!! Time fliessss with a second baby!!! He is so funny...he is a boy with personality and knows what he wants lol. I am thankful for his determination as it helps Levi stay motivated as well. Lennox doesnt have much time to cuddle, he is very busy, but always stays where we are close by him (yes sometimes attached to my leg!) He has started to say some words, one new one being EYYYYEEE! as he pushes our eyes in LOL and lots of animal sounds that are very cute. He has always been a baby that loves to hum and sing and dances every time he hears music!

Lennox looks at something and knows how to do it..its pretty amazing watching what he can do..its been a little hard for Levi to watch at times, but we work on saying "Lennox! Wow that was really hard work, you did a great job!" -This has brought up some questions from Levi like "does Lennox have Spina Bifida too mom?" So that is tricky and we just have to work through unexpected conversations.

Lennox learned to walk recently! He has been very funny using Levi's walker all along as if its his....he will throw himself down actually when Levi needs it, so that is a funny little war we have at our house =) We knew he could do it on his own, but he was pretty speedy with Levi's walker to he just decided he would go for it about a week ago and now he's on to better things like running lol! He walks around the whole house with a proud look on his face. Too cute!! Its actually pretty exciting to have someone walking around the house, because as you can imagine, carrying two babies can be tricky, so looking forward to holding his hand and letting Levi use his walker!! A huge milestone fore us!! Now we gotta get someone out of diapers!

Mike and I are doing great too, we celebrated our 9th anniversary this year! We are working to make 10 years the best year yet, so we have spent lots of intentional time working on growing our marriage recently and have attended some conferences and classes that have just really enhanced our love and strengthened us as a team! We know that its too easy to let parenting AND having a special needs child get between us, and we want to work hard to fight for our marriage and stay in love! God has been so good to us, and encouraged us as we have faced many trials already in our marriage through mikes past deployments in the military and also with Levi.

Mike has been such a delight to have as a husband and is an amazing dad to our boys. He is so dedicated to his family and its a blessing to share life with him!!

He is still enjoying his job at Riverside Manufacturing as a Project Engineer, and we are thankful that there is lots of work thats keeping him busy! Its been a great company for him, and so conducive to his desire to keep family first.

We are praying for Mike's back as he has struggled with bulging discs and lots of pain since we were married and now it is pretty hard for him to carry the boys, so we are looking into some options, but as you can imagine that part is tricky for all of us!!

I love staying home with the boys, they make me laugh every day and keep me growing.. I'm thankful to get to be a parent, and see a whole new perspective on who God is and His love for us. Being a mom has a way of keeping me mentally and physically on my toes. I have become more organized (and have a long way to go) and have been forced to think outside of myself for which I am thankful for!

I have had a little more time recently to do some art work which gets me all excited, I hope to finish a lot of projects that are sitting around half done now that Levi is in school...(we'll see how that goes lol!)

Mike and I have been growing so much with the Lord, and are so thankful for a deeper understanding of who He is and how he loves us. We both have grown in compassion and love this year which is always an act of God as we know pride can usually sneak in so easily.

Thanks again for your prayers for our family! We are daily encouraged by all of you, and blessed by your friendship!!

I got teary eyed as I thought about what this next year will bring. I am excited to see what all could come of one year, and as we have also learned we know there are always tremendous hardships in a year as well...so we will just take one day at a time and trust that God knows whats next, and is already preparing us for the next steps in life!

Merry Christmas-

The Bracht Family

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31