Blessed by a stranger

I know I don't post often, I'm terrible at it, and often when I do, it's about something I'm having issue with or whatever. Well today I just wanted to post because I'm blessed.

Yes, I'm blessed every day, and yes, I usually acknowledge it to myself and God daily, but I don't think I do it publicly enough.

I'm blessed because I am a child of the one true loving God, I have a wonderful husband, terrific kids, great parents, supportive friends, an awesome church family and more than I could ever need or want. I live in a country where I can worship my God freely and know I will be with Him in eternity one day.

But what have I opted to blog about today? Well, certainly ALL those things, but something small and probably insignificant to many of you. Yesterday my hubby and I were with our three youngest children, one with ADHD and two with Down Syndrome at our local Friendly's Restaurant. We were having to wait a while for our table and then our meal. I wasn't paying much attention to the other patrons around us, I was busy making sure my three were present and accounted for and not getting into anything. We were still waiting for our meal when an older woman came up to me and said "I just had to tell you something". Ugh...I had a pit in my stomach wondering what it could be (did my little guy slobber on her, grab her, or did she get a spitball between the eyes?, one can never be too sure). She then said "You and your husband have the most well behaved children, you should be very proud." I WAS! I'd had a tough week with almost everyone in the house being sick and me feeling like I was stretched to my limit, that was why we went out to eat after church, my dh knew I was just too tired to cook.

That lady may never know just how much those few words meant, but to a tired Momma who felt like she hadn't made a dent in things all week, it was like a soothing balm. That's one thing I try to do, give positive feedback to people, even strangers, but I think I lost sight of that this past week, maybe even longer. So, I'd like to say "thank you" to that nameless lady in Friendly's for the kind words, and to my God, who knew just what I needed to hear.

May we always remember that we can be a blessing to others with a few kind words, all for God's glory. I'm so thankful that God thought of me in that small way and put it on a strangers heart to say those few words. May we also think of others.

Five years old

I have to trick Pasquale into looking at the camera too, he's as bad as Anah. His wife Marissa, our special guest on Christmas, "L", Anah and Jonathan.

Amanda opening her robe. Goofy kid wanted to try it out.

He's got the right idea, just the wrong spot.

Bob opening our waffle iron...yummy.

That's what goes under your chin...Mommy in one of her rare photos...ugh.

Haha, caught ya lookin'

Never smiles for a pic, won't look up at you either, so you have to just snap them, that's why she never looks happy, lol.

Don't know what she had been eating, but it looks more like it ate her ;o)

His favorite present? Tissue paper....sigh.

My big 13 year old.

Doesn't it just look like he wants to get into mischief? Well believe me, he usually does!

I can't believe it...my baby is five years old now!!! Where did the time go? He came home to us at 22mos. and just turned five on Thursday. Jonathan definitely doesn't look five, more like 2 1/2 or 3, just grew into 3T clothes finally, but five he is. I must admit to being sad for a couple days, you see, he is almost certainly our last child. I know, at my age (50 this year) I'd be crazy to think about having more, especially with my health issues of late, but I can't help it...I LOVE babies, especially those with that little something extra!

And since Jonathan turned five we have to make plans for the next school year, starting in Sept. We are applying for him to go to Anah's private school, but there will only be 4 openings in the entire school and well over 50 applications for admission. I'm almost certain other children will have greater need d/t age, unwillingness of school districts to provide therapy etc., but I don't want to have to start a whole new group of therapists/agency for a year and then have him start school when he's six. I think that is the way it will have to go, since we have no intention of putting him in any other school for one year and then transferring him. Jonathan would not do well with all that change and we are finally seeing some improvement in his head banging and that much change would certainly put him in overload. The change of therapists coming to our home will be overload enough!

I did want to brag a bit today though, he fed himself breakfast and dinner, as well as went pee pee on the potty!!! I know some of you are probably thinking "big deal, I should hope so by age five!", but believe me, it IS a big deal. Our little guy has had so many sensory issues we couldn't get him to touch food or pick up a spoon for years! Now he will pick up the food with his hand and put it in his mouth. We can still only give him one or two pieces at a time, or he'll cram it all in, but it's huge progress. He is also holding the spoon by himself, without throwing it (which is a constant with him, with anything really) and scooping food out of the bowl and putting it in his mouth! Yippee!! He is even scraping the side of the bowl to get the food in one place so he can scoop it easier. This all has happened almost literally over night. I guess he just decided he was sick of waiting on us feeding him and figured he'd do it himself so he didn't have to wait, lol. He also isn't throwing his drink cup, all huge progress.

Then since we were on a roll, I thought I'd try him on the potty...sure enough, our big boy went pee pee, he wanted to celebrate by playing in his pee, but Mommy wouldn't let him ;o) (aren't I mean?). As sad as I have been the past couple days, today I am rejoicing in all Jonathan's achievements. He has come so far and is doing so well. He is signing and trying to communicate more, usually in response to a question asked by us, but still, we're moving forward. He is beautiful and perfect just the way God made him.

Speaking of beautiful and perfect, Anah is also doing well. Her verbal communication has not progressed much, but she is almost always making eye contact, will point to things, will shake her head yes now instead of exclusively no and will even say yes or no (when she wants to). She will say "hi Dad" or "bye Dad", the rest of us are not so privileged. We had decided to get some kind of communication device after the holidays, since her speech did not "take off" when she started school, apparently her speech therapist at school felt the same way. Anah will be getting a Dynavox to trial for a month, if it works well and she seems to like it/use it, we will purchase it, insurance should pay for most of it. I'm anxious to see if this will spur her on to decide she wants to talk, she does have the physical ability, she just needs to be motivated and so far she hasn't been.

Anah is a peanut also, she is 13 and is just getting into a size 8 slim and still wears a size 13 shoe. She does, however, have a 13 yo attitude! Apparently THAT isn't delayed! She has always been a spitfire, now she is even more so and has learned to roll her eyes!! I wonder where she could have learned that from....Joey???

Joey is doing well. His homeschooling is progressing well, he's started to take on more responsibility in regards to Jonathan and the dog. His 13 yo attitude is also very strong, but he does seem to be working on curbing it a bit more, which I'm very thankful for. He was just at a christian teen snow camp this past weekend, he had a blast! He went tubing and sledding, had times of devotion and worship, played games, ate and fellowshipped with his fellow teens, many from our church, what teen could ask for more?

I know I'm a terrible blogger and if I can figure out how to download pics with my new camera, I'll post some so you can see just how grown up my three littles are getting.

My three bigs are all doing well, the usual young adult stuff, I'll take the three littles ANY day, but I love them all dearly and am one blessed Momma (and wife)!

On My Heart

Grab This!

A friend of mine, that I only know through the Internet, has great need for prayer for her son. They are frequently on my heart and I pray for them whenever they come to mind. But for some reason today, they are weighing heavily on my heart, so I am asking for prayer for the family, especially Jeremiah, there two year old son.

Jeremiah was born in Taiwan, like his brother Noah, but unlike Noah, Jeremiah has a host of medical issues. The main one being, that he has severe brain damage and is not expected to have much of a life expectancy. Tami and Bobby knew Jeremiah had brain damage and cerebral palsy before they adopted him, they did not know the extent, but God did.

Please pray with me for Jeremiah, lift him up to the Lord and ask for His complete healing. Tami and Bobby stepped out in faith and brought Jeremiah home, let's pray for the witness he can be through a complete healing. But let us also pray that God's perfect will be done and all glory and honor are His. Claiming healing for Jeremiah in Jesus name!

Christmas Angel Tree

Christmas Angel Tree TwentyTen

CLICK HERE to Put the Angel Tree Bubble on Your Blog! Thank you! You know these special children are my heart! If I could, I'd adopt everyone of them. The joy that my two children with DS bring me is immeasurable! The simplicity with which they approach life is refreshing and pure. When they are happy there is no doubt, when they are sad it is evident, no hiding or putting on a false face, what you see is what you get, I LOVE that! I pray that if you cannot adopt a child, that you would at least sponsor a family that is in the process of adopting or sponsor a specific child so that they may be adopted. I cannot emphasize how important it is to help these children. If they are not adopted they will spend a life time in a mental institution or worse. PLEASE, I beg of everyone, consider, with an open heart, what God would have you do on behalf of the orphans of the world, especially those with special needs, they live in a throw away society. :o(

Wanna bet?

One of my on line adoptive mom friend's (did you get that?) is betting against her sister regarding football. Now, football, especially college, may not be your thing, not really mine, but adoption is! This little bet between sisters is a way to help Shelley raise funds to be able to bring her new daughter home. Shelley is a great lady who has a heart for orphans, especially those with special needs, Down Syndrome to be precise. For every entry, you get a chance to win an iTouch! So don't delay, get over there and get involved in this loving sisterly rivalry as well as a chance to help bring an orphan home to her family.

From her blog...

Monday, November 15, 2010

football, an iTouch and adoption
If you are not from the state of Alabama, most of this post is going to sound insane to you,
so just humor me and keep reading:


In the state of Alabama, the end of
November means that it is time for one of the biggest events of the year.
I’m not talking about Thanksgiving.
It’s time for the Iron Bowl.....

Anah got a note home...

Yesterday we got a note home from Anah's teacher. She refused to do anything all day, didn't participate and generally gave the teacher and aides a difficult time all day. She is like that all the time and she was wondering if there is anything we do that helps her be more compliant...HA! You've got to be kidding. That's one of the main reasons we sent her to school, she wouldn't do ANYTHING school wise for Mommy. Our hope was that she would be less resistant with school staff.

So today I went in when I dropped Anah off so that I could speak with the teacher. I explained a bit of Anah's past and the results institutionalization can have on a child. I also explained that we sometimes have to "restart" Anah on a task by taking her hand and guiding her. I also suggested that when the children are leaving the room that maybe one of her friends can take her hand and lead her, she's more receptive to other children.

I'm hopeful that some of these "tips" may help my girl adjust to school life and what is expected of her there and at home. If not, we will be considering a one on one aide to keep her motivated and doing the things she needs to do. We didn't want to start with a one on one aide, we wanted to see how she would do on her own and push her to do all that we know she is VERY capable of doing. It's all going to be under consideration and prayer. We just want to do the best for our little girl always.

Jonathan's behavioral specialist was here yesterday to eval. him while his speech therapist was here. He will make up a behavior modification plan that he hopes will help Jonathan not to hit his head so much, but he does it for MANY reasons, so it's not that easy. Let's just say, life is NEVER dull.

Tomorrow I'm going to be volunteering at Anah's school's craft sale. It's the major fund raiser for the school, I'll also get to help Anah pick her gifts that she wants for herself or others (like she'll pick anything, lol). I'll also get all the Christmas ornaments for the family from there, they're special and made in the ceramics area by the kids and adults that go to the school and work in the adult programs.

Failed Miserably

So much for my 31 for 21. Life got in the way, as it so often does. In any case I have a mini Anah update.

Since this is her first year in school she is having a lot of "firsts". We don't participate in Halloween (everyone has their own opinion about it, and I respect them, we however don't). We do however, participate in church Harvest Festivals and the like, where the children can dress up in costumes, just nothing evil, gory or scary. Today is Anah's first year participating in a Halloween event at school. Thankfully, it is really more of a Fall Festival than actually Halloween themed, pumpkins, cider, doughnuts but I guess there are going to be a couple of "not very scary, scary things", whatever that means. I doubt it will bother her, she's not easily scared, I just don't think she'll "get it" at all. Hopefully, she'll just enjoy her time with friends and seeing the costumes. Anah will wear her Princess gown, I made it easy, she just has to take her shirt and skirt off and then put the dress on, tights and shoes don't have to be messed with, neither does hair or anything on her head or face. Easy Peasy.

Next week is the schools annual holiday craft fair. This is their major fund raiser for the year (it's a private school for children with developmental disabilities). I volunteered to work Friday so I can watch/help Anah do her Christmas shopping, I don't know if she'll get that, but she does "get" shopping, so I'm hopeful :o) . I went to help with the craft fair organizing and such (or at least I thought) on Tuesday. Actually, it is a group of ladies (very elderly and OH so dear) that meet every Tuesday throughout the year and make a vast majority of the crafts that get sold at the fair. Only one or two of them every had any children/family attend the school, most just do it out of love and a caring spirit. Needless to say, I found myself recruited...it's only 9-12 on Tuesdays, and I DO have to drop Anah off in the morning anyway....(smile). Now I will have a new group of ladies to enjoy fellowship with and to have as mentors, now who benefits?? ;o)

Anah is talking! Ok, well, that may be a slight stretch, but she is babbling a lot, pointing to things and saying a clear word more often. The other day I was putting on her shoes, I always talk...I know, shocker, and was saying how I was tying her shoes, as clear as day she said "shoes"! I know some people may think...big deal, my two year old can say that, but for a neglected developmentally delayed orphan who didn't verbalize until she was 11, that's huge!! She really is trying to participate in conversations in her Anahese and is enjoying the engagement that takes place in a conversation. That's my Anah update for today.