Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated! I just wanted to pop on and say that we are alive and well. We've had a ton going on, but things are great! I'll highlight all of the "big" stuff and try my best to catch everyone up.
House:
Our rental house in Tucson was having problem after problem. We had multiple leaks, found mold in many different areas, had remediation multiple times, and just kept having more and more issues. The issues kept just getting band-aid fixed, and we got tired of having the same issues over and over. We finally decided it was best to move and purchase a house of our own. We moved in May and are loving it! I underestimated how much work it would be to pack up (again), move with 4 kids, homeschool, and settle. The house we moved into also had no storage, not even a pantry (technically there was a pantry, just no shelves), and we downsized from our rental. There were many projects we had to do in order to make it work for us, and we were crazy busy, but it was worth it. We are all settled now and it feels great.
The house we found is in a quiet little neighborhood. The roads are nice and flat, allowing the girls to walks and bike ride safely. It backs up to the riverwalk, giving us miles and miles of paved biking paths to ride on. Our house has three stories, but also has an elevator. The kiddos, of course, think that part is amazing. It's a patio home, so all of the houses are super close together, but we like our neighbors and are enjoying less maintenance and upkeep. There's also a community pool, park, and dog park, so there's plenty to do. It's pretty wonderful!
Puppy:
The day after we moved, our new puppy, Chewbacca, aka Chewie, came home. We were expecting him not to come home for a few more weeks, when he was a little older, but his siblings were all getting picked up and we didn't want him to be alone. Getting a puppy the day after we moved was crazy (and tiring), but he's a great dog and we love him so much! He's a double doodle, so he's a labordoodle/goldendoodle mix. We found a great trainer and are working towards training him to be a service dog. Even though he is only 4 months old, he's doing great. He is such a smart boy, and we can't wait to see everything we are able to teach him. He just got his service-dog-in-training vest and has been going out with us to work on exposing him to as many different places and situations that we can while he's little. We are having a lot of fun with him.
Deena Update:
Deena had dental surgery and it went great. They successfully removed all of the teeth they couldn't save, filled all her cavities, and put in a spacer to maintain the gaps in her mouth. She came home afterward and was back to her normal, spunky self. She's amazing!
Unfortunately Deena had another break. Her left tibia got a stress fracture at therapy on Thursday. Thankfully we already had an appointment that day scheduled with her orthopedic surgeon. They were able to take her early, so we left therapy and went straight for x-rays. The fracture occurred on her last curved bone that wasn't yet rodded. We knew it needed rodding, but were giving her the summer to swim and play before straightening it. It had started bothering her a little here and there, but she was her normal, spunky self. She was still wanting to bear weight on it too. We think that it had started to crack under the pressure, because it was so weak, and Thursday it just gave away. The doctor splinted her and then said we could either push up surgery, or he could heal the bone and we could wait on surgery a bit longer. We decided it would be best to just go ahead and rod her as quickly as possible. This way she can heal from the surgery and the fracture at the same time, getting her back to normal quicker. He also said she would likely fracture again because the bone will be even more curved after this fracture. We want to minimize her breaks as much as we are able to, so this was another big deciding factor. Right now we are aiming for surgery Tuesday, but it will depend on whether or not we can get in a rod from Canada in time. The company said we are able to, but we are waiting on the hospital to approve it all. If Tuesday doesn't work, it will be Friday. She's ready and is excited to see how straight her leg is afterward.
Here's a cute video of Deena and Chewie the morning before the fracture....
Deena was also granted a bike of her own through Athlete's Helping Athletes. It should come in about a week or so and she couldn't be more excited! She has been wanting a bike of her own for so long; it will be such a blessing!!
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The other kiddos are doing great and are loving our new house and neighborhood. The move was hard on Ramya emotionally, but she's settling in now and has been a lot more confident and talkative, which is great to see. We've started homeschooling again and it's nice to be back in a routine. They are all enjoying our new activities, especially the science experiments and art projects. I think that's all the big "stuff" for now. Thanks for checking in, and hopefully it won't be so long before I post again!
