Recent Visit to Shriner's

We've been busy doing a lot of playing around here. Since I haven't posted much lately, I promise to have one a day the rest of the week!!!

We recently were back in Tampa for a follow up visit at Shriner's. Drew and Ellie were given new braces. 

I am always amazed at how God loves on my children through so many other people. We are blessed to have family to stay with when we are in Tampa. Zeke's new patient was a gift from my cousin Betty. He asked her if he could have it. She said, "Yes." He was happy!!!!

While we waited, Dr. Zeke was checking on his new patient.

Not to be outdone, Ellie and Drew found it necessary to give medical treatment to one of their friends.

Drew came home with totally cool dinosaur braces or AFO's. (ankle foot orthotics) Ever slightly fearful, Mom was worried he may not like wearing his new braces. I think, however, they were somewhat comforting to him since he also wore AFO's in China. And, they had dinosaurs!!!

Best of all, he took of running down the hallway. Without his foot dropping, he was able to run like lightning down the hall way. No stumbling over his own foot! He was beaming.

They were loved on again by a staff member of Shriner's who just stopped in to say, "Hello" to the Mattox kids!

Ellie came home with one Cheetah AFO....She was only having her other brace...fitted and adjusted. Hers have cheetah print! While she has sometimes been resistant to wearing her braces, she is in love with the idea of cheetah print. We are planning to purchase some other items to make her feel like she is styling and profiling.

This brace is called an HK...hip, knee, I suppose...and she also has the AFO on the bottom. She will wear it following her surgery on August 29th. She'll be cheetah from hip to ankle....If you find any awesome cheetah accessories at yard sales, etc....send them her way! We want to keep her feeling like the princess she is, rather than self-conscious of all of the hardware she'll be wearing.

Daddy's Birthday Dresses

Aren't they beautiful?


How could a daddy not have a happy birthday, seeing two princesses come out of the dressing room looking this beautiful?

But, serioulsy, yesterday was Stan's 46th birthday. We took a Dolphin Boat tour. (I highly recommend it. Click here it you'd like to learn more.) We got out on the boat before I realized my camera battery was dead, so I am sad to report I don't have photos.

After seeing the dolphins, we went out to eat, and since we were in Brunswick, we did a little shopping.

It is such fun to dress little girls. (I am, sometimes, a material girl, but click here to be reminded I am sometimes a spiritual girl, too.) And, for Josie-Tatum, we have such fun looking for shoes. She enjoys spending her own money on shoes, and has LOADS of flip flops. She enjoyed trying on lots of shoes yesterday, and happily brought home this pair.



But, when you wear AFO's, it is difficult to find shoes that fit, and rare that you find "cute" shoes that fit. It breaks my heart when Ellie comments that Josie-Tatum has pretty shoes, and she doesn't. So, when Josie-Tatum tried on these shoes, and we realized Ellie's braces would fit into a pair of those shoes, too, we had to buy them.


Ellie was so excited. We actually found 2 pair of shoes that fit her well with her AFO's yesterday..at Target, of all places. On his birthday, Daddy waited patiently as we tried on about 10 different styles. And, much to our surprise, we brought home 2 styles. The loafers that we found were such a good fit, I went ahead and bought pair of that exact same style, so we have a new pair when school starts next fall.

And, one more photo just to make you smile.


Thank you, LORD, for your blessings!
Robbie

He CAN do more!!!!

We've just returned home from a visit to Shriner's for both Ellie and Drew. Both of them had their AFO's adjusted. I was excited to learn that they didn't need new ones....or we would have needed to return to Tampa in 2 weeks to pick them up.

But, the best news!

Some of you already know....but I must praise the LORD again and again.

Last summer, we scoliosis had progressed significantly. The curve of her spine was at 61 degrees. I looked at her initial x-ray from 2008 compared with that x-ray and literally felt weak. We waited several months before we saw the surgeon. I did research and knew surgery was likely in her future.

He did not recommend surgery last August, but a brace, a TLSO. He explained that our hope would be it would keep the scoliosis from progressing any furthers, possibly causing damage to her internal organs. Surgery may be necessary at a later date. Ellie was to wear it 23 hours a day, only taking it off to bathe or play sports.

Our sweet school nurse affectionately refers to it as a torture device.

Ellie wore it most days without much complaint. She has grown quite weary of it, almost a year later. It makes her sweat profusely. Then, it makes her itch. Some days she cries. Others she wears it without being reminded.

Last Tuesday, I prepared myself for bad news. We have encountered some new development nearly every doctor's visit.

Oh, was I suprised!

The PA pulled up the x-ray and beside it showed me last summer's x-ray. The curve was 45 degrees!!!

The brace is doing for Ellie more than we had hoped, more than we imagined. It is not only keeping her scoliosis from progressing, it has helped to improve her scoliosis. That is more than her medical caregivers expected, too!! I have since told two medical professionals who politely tried to discount the progress.

"That's not what the brace is expected to do," I've been told.

"How long was she out of the brace?" I was asked. "It could be that the muscles were still in place from wearing the brace." She was out of the brace for a while, not only through examination, but long enough to walk the corridor from the examination room to the x-ray department.

That is not what medical professionals may have expected.....but...

That is my God,

my Ephesians 3:20 King of Kings,

my Miracle of More Jesus!

Praise the KING who created her fearfully and wonderfully.

Praise the LORD who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we ask or think!

Calling All Prayer Warriors

Ellie needs your prayers. (Her mama needs some, too.)

She started running a high temp yesterday, with no other symptoms.
Since she has spina bifida, and a neurogenic bladder, with a history of bladder infections, her doctor did a urinalysis today.

The urinalysis revealed little bacteria....but something else....she had sugar and ketones in her urine.

She is scheduled for blood work at 8:00 a.m. in the morning.

Please pray. Please pray that her sugar levels are normal. She has undergone so much in her life. Aside from being in 3 different foster homes the first 2 1/2 years of her life, she's had hip surgery, been in a spica cast for 7 weeks, and a brace for 3 months. She wears AFO's everyday to make her ankels more stable, and is often disappointed that she is NOT like her sister.

She uses a catheter 4-5 times daily, and takes medication to calm her bladder.

I just want to come again diabetes, to rebuke it in the name of Jesus. I don't want her to have one more thing to deal with everyday.

Some of you may have followed her surgery for hip dysplasia. You might remember that her blood sugar went crazy following her 8 hour surgery.

I'm praying that the abnormal sugars and keytones in her urine are just her body's way of handling stress.

Please join me in prayer for her, for good results from this blood work tomorrow.

And, please, if you didn't yet read the Memorial Box post below, go check it out. God is faithful!!!!

Busy Blessings and Snaggle Times Two

We had a busy weekend, but such a blessed one.

All of my children were home. I hardly saw the big kids, but I enjoyed the little bit of time I had with them.

We went to the homecoming game Friday night. On Saturday morning, the girls and I went to a friend's birhtday party. Brandon was an offical at a recreation soccer tournament.

After lunch, the little girls and I attended a wedding. Whitney chaperoned a high school band competition. The boys spent the day fishing with high school friends.

Saturday for supper, Stan, the little girls, and I visited the Stretch family. We are so blessed to have them here in our little home town. Our children have such a good time playing together. And, I love chatting with my friend Joli.

Snaggle Times Two

How cool is this:
Joli and I were waiting moms together. Josie-Tatum was the first child adopted from China in our hometown. Elisabeth was the second. Their adoptions were four months apart. And, now, they both are missing their front teeth at the same time!


And tomorrow, it's off the Tampa for Ellie to get new AFO's. Then, we're going window shopping at Downtown Disney.

March Blessings

March has been a busy month. The boys playing tennis and soccer, Easter, Easter egg hunts, Brandon's birthday, and a visit to Shriner's! Many pictures are in this post.

I must praise the LORD for our visit to Shriner's. I've been so uneasy about Ellie's orthopedic care, but the staff at Shriner's was so thorough. We came home with a new walker that improves Ellie's posture and will help to strenghten her leg muscles. She was "fitted" for new AFO's that will give her more support. We're planning to have her hip surgery this summer, after vacations and swim time at Grandma's.

Ellie also came home with countless stickers, 2 necklaces, a bubble toy, a Dora toy, and TWO porcelain dolls. She charmed everyone she met. My daddy and I drove 5 hours to Tampa, Florida, and Ellie entertained herself and us the entire way there. She kept her good humor through the many visits from the Shriner's staff, and she entertained again the 5 hours home. The day was so blessed.

I was thoroughly encouraged, when a nurse was taking a urine sample, and Ellie felt the cath! Praise the LORD! Her knee jerked twice! I don't know exactly what that means, but she didn't seem to feel it all when we were at Nemour's. I can't describe my joy.

And, on the way home, I felt God smile again when WHitney called so Josie-Tatum could talk to me. Josie-Tatum asked, "Did you get good news from the doctor today?" like such a little grown up. Then, she asked to talk to Ellie. When Ellie had the phone, she got excited and shouted, "Mama, thisa MY sister." It was as if I heard God say, "These two were meant to be sisters. This was all my plan." And, as I pondered our day, Ellie brought smiles to so many faces. People can't help but smile when she is smiling and singing walking around with her walker. She brings such joy to so many. Thank you, Jesus!

Brandon and his girl friend, Hannah, on his birthday.

Okay, so I tried to get Brandon blowing out his candles, but you know how digital cameras work. It was little late, but, hey, you see the smoke!

Here's my girls coloring at the church EAster party.

Somehow, I missed taking pictures of full Easter egg baskets and Easter bunnies, but I did take pictures out our church's Easter egg hunt. This is Ellie when the "surprise" guest showed up. It was not the Easter bunny, but Jesus. Well, actually, it was Mr. Rick Allmon, a member our church, who arrived to tell the Easter story. Ellie was mesmerized.

I have to post this picture. Josie-Tatum was trying to help me get Ellie to smile. Have you determined she was behind me making faces that included her hands as bunny rabbit ears behind me head. Well, we got Ellie to smile, with bunny ears, too!

Josie-Tatum is always ready to smile!

My Five Blessings this Easter! Can you believe I got them all smiling AND looking at the camera after only the second try. I decided to quite while I was ahead.

The Birthday Boys and Their Girlfriends

Today was an absolutely beautiful day. Well, it was a little cold for beach going, but we had already made these plans. Ellie was far to busy to let me put her jacket on. The boys' birthdays are just 3 weeks apart, so we chose this day between their birthdays to celebrate the whole day. We took them, the girls, and their girl friends out to eat. (See the picture above.) Then, we spent a couple of hours at the beach.

Ellie loves dirt. She will stop anytime she sees dirt to dig a little, and today she found heaven! She was so excited to see water everywhere first. Then she noticed SAND! SAND! and more SAND! She couldn't let us set up, because she stopped at the first bit of sand and started digging. I couldn't get her to look at the camera. She had sand everywhere, and she was so happy! Much unlike Josie-Tatum, who, the first time we took her to the beach, wouldn't let us put her down.

And, finally, with all of the teenagers yelling behing me, I got her to look away from her "work" and smile at her mama.