Sunday, February 26, 2012
Carter
Please join with me in prayer for a precious little boy named Carter. He is having a BIG surgery tomorrow. His mom's blog is www.littlegiftcarter.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sweet, sweet sounds...
(Sorry it's sideways!!!) Here are some sweet sounds from my (very sleepy) sweet girl the other day. She says "Happy Valentines Day" in there...can't you hear it??!! :)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
"That the works of God might be displayed in him"
This past Sunday, our pastor preached on the subject "When You're Left Hanging," from Exodus 5-6. Here is the link (go to Feb 5). As always, it left me reflecting on the time in my life when I was pregnant with Grace after we received her diagnoses. I've got to say, I never really felt like I was left hanging by God. I honestly felt His presence in my life more strongly than I ever had. I knew He was with me and had not left me in any way. That's not to say I didn't question Him or His purpose. I felt confident that He could handle my questions, and I knew that they helped to grow and strengthen me in Him and in my faith.
Back to the message from our pastor. One of his (three---ha) points was "we must realize that the presence of problems doesn't negate the purpose of God." He stated that following the plan of God ensures that we will encounter set backs. He quoted scripture from John 9:1-3:
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."
I LOVE that Jesus answered with the reason and purpose this man was born blind was so that His works might be displayed in him. I feel like a lot of what we have experienced with Grace is God's works displayed in her, and this has always been my prayer.
I am also asking you to join with me in prayer for a special little boy, Carter, that God's works will continue to be displayed in him. Here is a link to his mom's (Meagan) blog. He will be medically transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital soon, and he needs our prayers!
Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think...
Back to the message from our pastor. One of his (three---ha) points was "we must realize that the presence of problems doesn't negate the purpose of God." He stated that following the plan of God ensures that we will encounter set backs. He quoted scripture from John 9:1-3:
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."
I LOVE that Jesus answered with the reason and purpose this man was born blind was so that His works might be displayed in him. I feel like a lot of what we have experienced with Grace is God's works displayed in her, and this has always been my prayer.
I am also asking you to join with me in prayer for a special little boy, Carter, that God's works will continue to be displayed in him. Here is a link to his mom's (Meagan) blog. He will be medically transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital soon, and he needs our prayers!
Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think...
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
PT Update
We had PT this morning, and for the first time EVER, Grace didn't cry the entire time! Thank you for your prayers about this, because this morning was evidence of answered prayers! Tears were shed, but nothing too major of a meltdown happened! :) Our therapist (KC) said she worries more about the kids that don't cry/get upset because they are too laid back about therapy. She is so happy with how well Grace is doing! Not to brag (too much!), but she said I get the mom of the year award because of how hard we have worked and how well Grace is doing! Made me SO happy to hear those words! I am so thankful for our therapists and your prayers! Way to go, baby girl!!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
11 Months
Wow, time really does fly! I cannot believe we are one month away from celebrating a certain little princess's birthday!! I am SO thankful to God for blessing our lives with our precious little girl! I am so thankful He chose us to be Grace's parents...what an honor! He has truly blessed us.
*On a side note, I am planning a rainbow themed birthday party! I am so excited!! One of my friend's moms is making her birthday outfit! I think you read the blog, Ms. Cindy, and I am so excited about and thankful for you making such a special outfit! Also, I think we will really celebrate Saint Patrick's Day this year (I've never really been into celebrating this holiday), because Grace came home from the NICU on Saint Patrick's Day. I think we should make that a tradition!
Ok, onto what our 11 month old is up to...
Well, it seems her growing is definitely slowing, although she is definitely still a chunky monkey! She is still in size 4 diapers and size 12-18 month (and some 24 month) clothes.
I am transitioning her to eating 3 "meals" a day, which consist of baby food (mainly stage 2). She will eat very little table food. Her eating has been a source of stress for me because I know at one year, she should be transitioned to table food and feeding herself and drinking liquids other than formula, and using a sippy cup. All of these things are a fail right now for us. :( She is very sensitive to new foods and textures, so she pretty much refuses anything new (although she does love puffs and melts). She doesn't have the coordination to feed herself. She refuses water and juice (she only likes formula). And she totally refuses every sippy cup I've tried. She also cannot hold her own bottle. Ugh...this is a very stressful subject for me, but we are certainly working on things in OT, and recently I requested a referral for speech therapy (ST), so hopefully we can get on top of these issues soon. To be honest, I'm really at a loss regarding what to do. But I trust that God will give me the wisdom I need, and that Grace will progress with OT and ST in these areas.
Speaking of OT, Grace is progressing so well! Our new main focuses are: getting her to hold objects for longer and getting her to be able to pick up and hold smaller objects. Both of these goals are moving us toward her being able to feed herself. And as far as PT goes, she really is doing good. She hates (I mean HATES) PT. She literally screams nearly the entire time we are there (we go once a week). It is very hard to watch her be so upset, but I know that she is really fine, she is just mad. I pretty much pray the entire time that I can be calm so that she doesn't feel my stress. Our therapist is really pleased with how well she is doing despite how she acts in therapy. We are working on balance, getting into a sitting position, and getting into a crawl position. Our therapist says she has really done better and done everything faster than she thought she would. Our hard work at home is paying off!! We are STILL waiting on vision therapy. And like I said earlier, we should start ST soon.
A big new focus of mine is socialization for Grace. She is very sensitive in new situations, so I am trying to be more purposeful in placing her in new situations (for example, playing with other children).
Grace has recently said "momma" and "dadda," although she hasn't said them much since, and she certainly won't say them on command! ha She just grins at me when I say them to her because she knows she can say them. This is such her personality! She loves "patty cake" and will smile/laugh every time you sing it to her. She has recently really found our dog, Maddy. Her vision has really improved, and she is just discovering the world around her. She LOVES her mobile above her crib (I think she just recently really saw it), and she has started watching TV.
Ok, that's about all I can think of for now!! I know I've left some things out, but maybe they aren't too important! Enjoy the pictures below of our almost one year old!! Aaahhh!!!!!!
*On a side note, I am planning a rainbow themed birthday party! I am so excited!! One of my friend's moms is making her birthday outfit! I think you read the blog, Ms. Cindy, and I am so excited about and thankful for you making such a special outfit! Also, I think we will really celebrate Saint Patrick's Day this year (I've never really been into celebrating this holiday), because Grace came home from the NICU on Saint Patrick's Day. I think we should make that a tradition!
Ok, onto what our 11 month old is up to...
Well, it seems her growing is definitely slowing, although she is definitely still a chunky monkey! She is still in size 4 diapers and size 12-18 month (and some 24 month) clothes.
I am transitioning her to eating 3 "meals" a day, which consist of baby food (mainly stage 2). She will eat very little table food. Her eating has been a source of stress for me because I know at one year, she should be transitioned to table food and feeding herself and drinking liquids other than formula, and using a sippy cup. All of these things are a fail right now for us. :( She is very sensitive to new foods and textures, so she pretty much refuses anything new (although she does love puffs and melts). She doesn't have the coordination to feed herself. She refuses water and juice (she only likes formula). And she totally refuses every sippy cup I've tried. She also cannot hold her own bottle. Ugh...this is a very stressful subject for me, but we are certainly working on things in OT, and recently I requested a referral for speech therapy (ST), so hopefully we can get on top of these issues soon. To be honest, I'm really at a loss regarding what to do. But I trust that God will give me the wisdom I need, and that Grace will progress with OT and ST in these areas.
Speaking of OT, Grace is progressing so well! Our new main focuses are: getting her to hold objects for longer and getting her to be able to pick up and hold smaller objects. Both of these goals are moving us toward her being able to feed herself. And as far as PT goes, she really is doing good. She hates (I mean HATES) PT. She literally screams nearly the entire time we are there (we go once a week). It is very hard to watch her be so upset, but I know that she is really fine, she is just mad. I pretty much pray the entire time that I can be calm so that she doesn't feel my stress. Our therapist is really pleased with how well she is doing despite how she acts in therapy. We are working on balance, getting into a sitting position, and getting into a crawl position. Our therapist says she has really done better and done everything faster than she thought she would. Our hard work at home is paying off!! We are STILL waiting on vision therapy. And like I said earlier, we should start ST soon.
A big new focus of mine is socialization for Grace. She is very sensitive in new situations, so I am trying to be more purposeful in placing her in new situations (for example, playing with other children).
Grace has recently said "momma" and "dadda," although she hasn't said them much since, and she certainly won't say them on command! ha She just grins at me when I say them to her because she knows she can say them. This is such her personality! She loves "patty cake" and will smile/laugh every time you sing it to her. She has recently really found our dog, Maddy. Her vision has really improved, and she is just discovering the world around her. She LOVES her mobile above her crib (I think she just recently really saw it), and she has started watching TV.
Ok, that's about all I can think of for now!! I know I've left some things out, but maybe they aren't too important! Enjoy the pictures below of our almost one year old!! Aaahhh!!!!!!
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