Faith's Mom's Blog

 Faith's 21st birthday was on Friday the 25th and it ended up being an all-day celebration! She didn't sleep well the night before, so I was a little concerned she would run out of steam, but she just kept going! It ended up being a beautiful fall day, so I didn't even need to put a jacket on her, which is rare for the end of October.  Faith in her new birthday shirt!  This year, she was able to bring cupcakes to HIT. Last year, due to the dietary restrictions of her peers, she didn't bring any treats. This year, however, she is a new room, where they truly love their snacks! After I dropped her off, I raced around like a maniac getting her ballons, presents, and everything else ready for the surprise party we would be having at the end of the day.  Faith with some of her staff making a cupcake delivery.  When I picked her up from her day program, I informed her that some friends of mine that I worked with wanted to give her a special birthday treat. So, we made...

Earlier this year I decided it would be fun to do something extra special for Faith's 21st birthday. Ever since I went to Bon Jovi a couple of years ago with my sisters, Faith has been telling me she wants to attend a concert, too.  When she was younger, I knew she could not have handled all the noise, and that a concert would be way too overstimulating for her. I did, however, take her to a NDSU Bison game a couple of years ago and she handled that like a champ! Because of how well she did with that, I began searching for concerts coming to the area.  The only one that I thought Faith might be remotely interested in was the Zach Williams Revival Nights Tour . The best part was that it was going to be held in Fargo just a few weeks before her birthday! The tour also featured Matt Mahar and CAIN, who both did songs that we sing in church.  First time ever at Scheels Arena in Fargo!  To make it even more exciting for her, I asked her dad if he could meet us in F...

Last week on the 25th, Faith celebrated her 20th birthday, which means she is no longer a teenager! That morning as we drove to her day program, she asked, "Mom how did I get to be 20 so fast?" In some ways, the time has crawled by, but in other ways, it has gone so incredibly fast.  Faith turns 20!  When it came to planning something for her birthday, she told me she didn't want a party. I knew though, that as soon as I didn't plan one, she would change her mind. And that's exactly what happened! A few days before her birthday she was asking me who is coming to her party. I was like, "What party?"  I had decided to just have a small gathering at our apartment. I'm glad I didn't opt for a bigger one at a larger venue, mainly because of the weather. Up until last Wednesday, we had been having the most beautiful fall ever. The colorful leaves were still on the trees and the grass was still green. We had gone to the pumpkin patch on October 19th and...

Yes, it's true that Faith has been celebrating her birthday ever since last week! I mean, a girl only turns 19 once, right? And this is the last official year of her being a teenager! Last Tuesday when she woke up she said, "I can't believe I'm 19 already!" She was super excited because not only was it her birthday but it was Tie-Dye Tuesday at her day program and she was bringing cupcakes to all her friends there!  During the drive to Mandan, she asked if she was going to get any flowers for her birthday. I kept telling her I really didn't know. (She is still upset with me for throwing out the flowers that her cousins had gotten her in May for her graduation.)  I wasn't planning on getting her flowers, but I was pretty sure she would get at least one bouquet. She had a blast at her day program and on the way home she said she couldn't wait to see the apartment (she knew I was going to put up decorations for her.)  She was so excited to come through th...

Oh. My. Goodness. What a month! It's certainly been challenging, but thankfully there were a few bright spots to help us through. At the very end of September, both Faith and I came down with colds. They would not go away!  Faith was really stuffed up and seemed pretty miserable. I thought she might have a sinus infection, so I took her to the walk-in clinic. Although I didn't think we had COVID, I asked to be tested just to give me a peace of mind.  They only had the nose swab available. I was nervous about it being traumatizing for Faith. As we waited for the nurse to come back in the examination room with the test, I prayed for Faith that she wouldn't have a tough time. I should have remembered to pray for myself!  I told Faith I would go first so she would know what to expect. When they stuck the swab way up my nose, I nearly started crying. It gave me flashbacks to when the breathing tubes got pulled out of my nose following open heart surgery. It was sort of the sam...

As I'm writing this blog post, it is currently 25 degrees outside. With the windchill, it feels more like 12 degrees. That's cold for October. Even in North Dakota! Winter definitely seems like it's here.  Earlier this month we had a historic blizzard that dumped 13 inches of snow on Bismarck and over 2 feet of the white stuff in other parts of the state. As a result, the public schools had their first official snow day. I was ready to give Faith the day off from her lessons at home, but she still wanted to do them! First major snowfall of the year - in October! (Thanks Mom for the pic!) It could have been a snow day for Faith, but she still wanted to do school! It did warm up soon after and all the snow melted but the October blizzard created quite a mess for farmers and ranchers who still had crops in the field and cows in the pasture. I was very grateful that we didn't have to go anywhere - for school or for work. I am still freelance writing from home. R...

In February 1974 when my mom took me home from the hospital, she thought she had a perfectly healthy baby. But when her mom came for a visit five weeks later to see her granddaughter, she asked why my lips looked discolored. Grandma Dorothy also noticed I slept a lot, even for a newborn. Mom assured Grandma she would ask the doctor about it during my six-week checkup. Mom took me to the same clinic in Wolf Point, Montana, where I had been born. She and Dad were living in a tiny town called Lustre, where Dad worked as a ranch hand. My regular pediatrician was unavailable. Instead, a young doctor, fresh out of medical school examined me.  Dr. Mattley quickly agreed the bluish tint to my lips was disconcerting and because of it, dubbed me a "blue baby." He told Mom that my body wasn't getting enough oxygen, which is why I was cyanotic.  He also detected a heart murmur. An X-ray confirmed a possible heart defect. Following the exam, Dr. Mattley called a clinic in Great Falls,...