Faith's Mom's Blog

Despite all the great food we had over our nice, relaxing Thanksgiving, Faith and I felt the need today to bake a cake. And since we didn't have any store-bought frosting, I decided it would be so much fun to make our own homemade frosting. I looked on the Internet for a simple recipe and found the perfect one, or so I thought. After Faith and I popped our cake into the oven, we prepared to make the frosting. I asked her what color the frosting should be. "BLUE!" The cream cheese frosting recipe called for three cups of sugar. The problems began when I tried to mix the sugar with the cream cheese, water and vanilla extract the recipe had also called for. No matter how much stirring or mixing I did, it didn't turn creamy like it was supposed to. Instead, it looked like a big lump of mashed potatoes with lots and lots of sugar.   My very first attempt at homemade frosting Faith soon got bored and decided she would like to do something else. I ran to the Inter...

Fifteen below zero - that was the temperature this morning in Bismarck when I walked Faith to school. And you know, without the wind blowing, it didn't seem all that bad!  Nevertheless, I really bundled Faith up so she would stay nice and warm on our 3-minute trek to school. I actually think she enjoys these little adventures! And as long as the sidewalks are clear, I don't mind them either.  Faith all bundled up on her way to school On our way to school Winter Wonderland Hard to believe it's still Fall! 

Despite mine and Faith's major lack of sleep this past couple of days due to her bad cold, which became progressively worse on Wednesday night, we are relieved and happy because of the good news we recently received.  In my last blog, I asked for prayers for Faith as she was going to be getting her hip x-rays taken. Just a day later, we received a phone call saying that there has been "no significant change" in her left hip. Her last x-ray had been taken in May, so in six months the hip has not come any further out of its socket. Thank You Lord, for answering our prayers! Faith has stayed home these past couple of days due to her cold which I think is turning into a sinus infection, so we picked up some antibiotics today. Hopefully she'll recover 100% by Monday so she can make it to school all three days next week. I haven't minded staying indoors as the temperature has gotten steadily colder. I don't think it even hit 20 degrees today. With the onset of w...

I must say, after the long weekend, I am feeling a bit guilty. We didn't have too much going on, so we mainly stayed indoors, and I let Faith watch way too many videos. When Sunday finally rolled around, she was bored and a bit cranky. Before having kids, I always told myself I would not be one of those moms who lets the TV babysit their kids. Things sure turn out differently when you actually have kids! When Faith comes home from school, that is all she feels like doing. She is so tired from her long day, which not only includes classroom time but also working hard with her special education teacher, driving her power chair and any other therapies she might have for the day. By the time she gets home, she is spent.  I don' feel as guilty letting her watch so many videos after school but over the Thanksgiving long weekend, I am going to try hard to limit her video-watching time and find other things for us to do. I don't mind Faith playing on her iPad but it's too eas...

One of Faith's favorite things to do is bake cookies. She really likes to surprise her dad with a plateful of cookies when he is home working in the office, which is exactly what we had fun doing yesterday. Faith mixes up the batter while wearing her new, colorful apron. Who can resist licking the spoon? Yummy cookies!  Let's have one then bring them back to daddy!

Admittedly, it has been tough to find the right church that works for our family. We have tried several in the Bismarck-Mandan area with each of them having their own pros and cons. And a pro for one person in our family can be a con for another. Take the praise and worship time, for instance. The louder and more exciting the better, for me anyways, but not for Faith. With her CP, Faith has something called a "startle reflex." It's something newborns have but they grow out of it. When a newborn baby is startled their whole body reacts with arms flailing and legs going because they can't control those movements yet. For Faith, she has never been able to control those movements. It used to be that when she startled many times in a short period she would get very upset and would start to cry. Another issue she has is if she is somewhere loud and dark with the noise varying at different levels, she is very tense the whole time and her muscles just can't relax. Pla...

Faith is doing so well in school, and I am just so proud of her! When I take her to school in the mornings, she arrives with excitement, practically bursting at the seams to say good morning to both of her aides. Then she'll briefly turn toward me, blow me a kiss and we part our separate ways. I have no worries, no fears, no concerns...I know she'll do great. Then, after the morning and early afternoon has quickly passed, I return to school to get her and she greets me with a big smile, yelling out, "Mommy!" She's had a good day, but she is ready to go home and relax.  As I begin to push her home in her chair, she usually exclaims, "I had such a fun day at school today!" She then proceeds to tell me some of the things she has done which include calendar, reading, math, snack, driving her chair and any other special activities of the day. She also tells me about some of her friends who have helped her throughout the day. When she's done, she'll ...