Where did the time go?

Wow I can't believe I have so many posts detailing the girls' milestones and little anecdotes from daily life on here!

I honestly haven't been on here in many years. I started postng to FB around 2009.

How about some recent updates?

JoEllle is now 15 and Alexa is 12!!

JoElle is finishing up her first year of high school! She has all A's and we are very proud of her! Her favorite subject is biology, so she came to me recently as I slept on the couch (Covid-19 has me crashing on the couch after Tim's kicks me out of our room so he can work!)

She was talking so fast and I was so groggy."Mommy, I want to change my track to science!"

"What in the world are you talking about," I muttered.

JoElle kept talking faster than I could comprehend, plus I couldn't see her holding the paper she was trying to ask me to review since I am blind without contacts!  I finally woke up enough to let her know I needed to put my contacts in and please give me a few minutes to wake up!!

JoElle explained that she wants to change her high school track from Computer Science to Science.
At first I didn't really think that was a smart move since she wants to be an engineer. But when she showed me she will take physics and two sciences her senior year, including AP Biology, I was sold!

She will still take some technology coursed and she already completed year one of Computer Science. JoElle has been teaching me what she is learning in 9th grade biology, and they are learning concepts and details I have never even heard of and I took AP Biology in High School! But to be fair, I wasn't interested in science like my brother and sister, so I honestly only studied what I needed to make an A in the class, and I didn't commit it to my long term memory.  The way JoElle explains these biology concepts is very interesting. So, I have learned some things from her recently!

JoElle loves to watch Korean dramas during her spare time. She also likes listening to K-Pop like BTS and Blank Pink.  JoElle is learning Chinese for fun! I am excited she want to learn a third language. She is finishing up her second year of Spanish.

JoElle is now on week one, round 2 of physical therapy from a major hip fracture along the growth plate.  She injured it Dec 20, 2019 while doing a front aerial on floor at gym.  She practiced gymnastics on it three times before I realized we had a real problem.  Tim and I thought it was muscular so I took her to Airrosti chiropractor because they manipulate muscles to relive pain and then give PT type workouts for home.  The dr was concerned that it was still hurting so bad a few weeks later, so she sent us for an xray.

The x-ray showed a fracture so the dr immedietly informed us we needed to see an orthopedist.
It had been a while since she went to a sports med dr, so I asked Texas Dreams, where she does gymnastics, and was given a few names.  I called around an the first one that called me back and got us in in just a couple days.  The orthopedist ordered and MRI right away.

It took a few days for results, but Tim had prepared JoElle for the worst; that she might not compete this season again. She was unable to compete last year for Level 9. That's a long story for another day...

Dr. Muller, her orthopedist, informed me that it was a major hip fracture along the growth plate. He advised that it should take 4-6 weeks to heal, since she had injured it two weeks before she saw him.

JoElle was still going to practice every morning and doing arms and abs. Pain really wasn't getting much better. Feb 17th she starter PT, but her pain was an 8 our of 10. She told her dr and he decided she could start PT.  Week one was fine.  Week two was not.  Her pain had gotten a little better with the first week of PT and then she was back to an 8 after only two weeks.

I decided to take her back to the orthopedist.  The PA we saw decided to repeat the MRI.
The results took the whole week; dr had to wait for the hard copy of the MRI in the mail.
Dr. Muller called me and told me her hip looks much better and take off another 4 weeks.  She had already been off two weeks per her dr.

So now it has been over 12 weeks and she started that first week last Friday. So far her pain is very low or not at all! Finally!! She is eager to get back into shape.  Her gym is closed due to Covid-19,  and she confided in me that it's a relief that she will not be the only one who needs to get back into shape!  USAG had cancelled all meets through summer, which included state, regionals, national.  The Olympic trial were cancelled and the 2020 Olympics has been delayed until 2021.

First night of no sleeping meds!

JoElle fell asleep so easily tonight for the first time in 6 months without 1 full Trazadone and for the first time in over 3 years without Benadryl.

I am so excited! But, do not expect this to be every night. Yet. I know she will get to that point, most likely when school starts and she is practicing gymnastics 3 times per week, 1.5 hours each time.

Tonight was gymnastics, her coach was tough on them and JoElle learned to pull herself up on the high bar, flip underneath, hold it at the top, then flip back over, lowering herself s-l-o-w-l-y. Very impressive as tonight was the first night for her to practice this.

JoElle's coach read my mind tonight, was going to ask her if she would be adding a day of practice anytime soon, before I could ask, she told me they would add another day so the girls will practice 3 days per week- JoElle was driving me crazy early in the week, begging to go to gymnastics- she told her coach she wants to go every day, and she means it!

Her coach also told me and Tim to keep her in gymnastics and let her practice as much as possible b/c gymnastics is JoElle's "thing", and it is, I know I am her mom, but the girl is is gifted in the arena.

If only I worked out and ate like her, would have a great body, she is very lean, muscular, and she can pick up 2-3 times her body weight, not to mention the back kickovers, handstands and flips she is doing on the bar, pretty amazing! She has been at this gym and with her coach for almost a year now, I can't help but just wonder, what if she had started even earlier? She would have some crazy mad skills, flipping across the floor and on the bar I am sure :)

She is close to a back handspring/flip- you know with no hands down- I don't know the terminology until JoElle, sighing, tells me, "Mommy, that is a cast, not XYZ..don't you know?" Then I gently reminder her that, no I do not know until SHE teaches me, as I have never done gymnastics before myself.......

Has anybody written a book Gymnastics for Dummies b/c I could sure use it. I never did gymnastics, or anything else for that matter as a child, just ask my mom, I was stubborn and or scared or both..... no wonder where Alexa gets it...