How can this be....

Today was another big day in the Giosa household. Today was the day we signed my Aiden- "my big boy" (but in my eyes he'll always be my baby) up for Kindergarten. I thought it would be a bit easier to do because he's on the older end of the spectrum, but I still got a little teary eyed...a little sad....a little vaclempted.

The sign up process was easy in itself. But being a Mom of a kid with a peanut/tree allergy, I also had the pleasure of talking to the school nurse. The school he will be going to (Exton Elementry) is very cute and everyone there seems so nice. I feel comfortable leaving my kid in their care...although it doesn't make the thought of this any easier!

Aiden goes to the school in June for an assessment- where they see how he has progress and how well he'll do in Kindergarten. They will also decided then if he'll need some extra time (ie full day kindergarten) learning. We find out in July or August if he's in morning or afternoon kindergarten (our district does it based on where you live). While I secretly pray for morning because I think he'll do better, I hear our area is afternoon.

It so weird to know he'll "officially" start school next year, but we are thankful that he loves PreK and learning, so we know it won't be an issue. Now to start preparing him that his PreK friends won't be in his class next year, especially his cousin Rob.

All in all, I know he'll do amazing next year and the years to follow, but the thought of this kid growing up…learning more each day…being a "big boy" has this Mom feeling overwhelmed and sad that her baby is no more. A part of parenting? Sure…A part of parenting this Momma is ready for? Not just yet- this kid gets a little more independent each day.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jon Paul!

This past weekend, our sweet little baby boy turned 2 (on Feb 23rd) and this Momma is having a hard time with it. Where have the last 2 years gone? Wasn't he just born? Wasn't I just worrying about his surgery?

In a blink of an eye, this sweet face is growing up. Not only grown up, but gone through so much for a 2 year old, more then what most teens or even adults have gone through. He has turned into our little own superman.

Jon Paul had a great 2nd birthday weekend- he got to celebrate with his family (grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins) this past Saturday. They all came to celebrate our "hero". And while JP took a while to get into the grove, he loved playing with his cousins and was all about everyone celebrating him.

After his "party", JP got to celebrate his actual birthday with his Mommy and brother, we went to the Delaware Children's Museum for a fun day, while waiting for Daddy to come from work to celebrate the end of his special day with some presents, cake and ice cream!

All in all, it's amazing for us to celebrate this little life…this life that seem so unsure a few years ago. This life that had so many complications and uncertainly. But our sweet JP has told us there is no reason to worry, he's "superman" and we just need to get thru the hard times to enjoy the milestones, the successful times, the amazing life he'll have.

Did we make the right choice?

We're are a part of a support group on Facebook for Jonathan's birth defect...actual we're a part of a couple. There is a group called Fibular Hemimelia and limb lengthening (this was the first group we found shortly after JPs diagnosis and fell in love with the group and people here- such a source of info from the parent perspective) and one called Fibular Hemimelia and amputation awareness (I'm not part of this group, but can see people from the other groups post) and lastly one called Fibular Hemimelia support (a group that talks and has people of both options- legthening and amputation).

Initally we were face with do we legthening or amputate, a hard decision for a parent to have to choice for their young child. For us it was extremely hard, JP falls on the moderate to severe range of Fibular hememila (FH), so many would suggest amputation for a "normal" life. But we met with 3 somewhat local  hospitals and 3 different surgeons who all said legthening was a possibility...we could have met with with a 4 local hospital/ doctor, but we heard they favored amputation and after talking to the other 3, we knew that wasn't a journey we wanted to take at this time.

We had thought that after deciding legthening our choices were done, but they weren't. Now it was time to choice the doctor to do it. There were so many factors that weighed in- being close to home (not only JP, but so we could see Aiden during surgery/ recovery/treatment), what will our insurance cover, and most importantly how familiar are the docs with Jonathan's birth defect and the legthening procedures.

We easily narrowed it down to two- the "experts" and the doc who was more local who studied FH with the expert and trying to make herself known in the FH world.  I personally struggled for months with this decision.  I had no reason not to trust each doctor, both we're caring, kind, and loving to my son; both explained exactly what would take place Jonathan's first yr or so and first surgery.

In the end we chose the doctor at DuPont, trained by the best. From day one she showed us compassion, told us to what to expect, but yet focused on the here and now. As we moved into surgery we never saw this change. She was always a text message, email, or Facebook message/post away to answer any questions we had/have during that time.

Our FB group lately has had an emphasis on pioneer doctors and I quickly realized that I was initially shy to say we chose JPs doctor who wasn't an "expert".  I was worrying about judgement on our choice of doctor. No, after going through the first surgery,  I realize it's about confidence in your doctor.  Maybe they're not as experience, but they have an interest in their condition, keep up to date on new technology/ treatment etc., trying to make their mark- and I have decided to speak out. I realize everyone has to start somewhere -even the pioneer doctors. I'm so glad we choose JPs doctor and who knows maybe he'll be her poster child someday.

The discussion going on in our group was an eye opener- it told me not to judge- not to judge lengthening or those who choose amputation. Everyone is doing the best they can based on their own family and resources.

2013- a year of changes and reflection

I can't believe we're closing in on the end of 2013! It's been a wild ride for the Giosas- we have had our  fair share of challenges this year- some expected and some not.

We had a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of celebration. Mid December- Alison's brother and sister in law came to visit and celebrate and the kids loved spending times with their Aunt and Uncle from the south.

 Aiden got to be a part of the story of Christmas through his preschool play. He was Joseph while his cousin was the donkey during their school pageant.

On Christmas Eve we got enjoy time with Keith's parents, brother and sister in law and our niece and nephews. Aiden loved celebrating and giving gifts to his cousins, and Mommy still likes the excitement of watching Natalie and Marc and now Matthew open their gifts! And we always enjoy surprising Nonni and Poppi.

On Christmas Day, we got to enjoy joy the gifts of Santa- Aiden ripped though all his gifts in 5 mins, but JP (who had a nasty cold) took his time and preserved each gift. After Santa's gifts, we had a nice family breakfast before celebrating with Grammy and Pop and Aunt Stacey and her new fiancée Bob.

For dinner we went to Alison's Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bills and celebrated with the rest of our cousins! Always a good time and a bit hectic with so many boys.  And then later that week, we got to celebrate with the entire Giosa family which was so fun even with so many (13) cousins and then their kids!

2013 has been an interesting year- we faced many challenges, some we were prepared for and some we weren't. It was the first major surgery JP went thru and while it was a struggle, we now see what an amazing blessing  it was and the beginnings of the possibilities for Jonathan. Surgery hasn't slowed him down and has showed us nothing will stop him. While there are a handful of surgeries to come, getting through the first one seems like a major milestone.

We also watched loved ones pass away and other love ones struggle with major health complications.

Going in 2014, we have mixed emotions. We hope our friends and family heal- heal from death of losing someone special, heal from major illness, heal from pain, etc. For us- we get to enjoy the amazing advancement that science has given to our son. While we are faced with the question- do we move forward with the next (major) surgery or take a year off, we know no matter what our decision is we will give JP a wonderful life on his own two feet.

No matter what, we hope 2014 brings a  lot of happiness, love, and healing to all our love ones and proves to be the best year ever!