Faith's Mom's Blog

When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way, especially since my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit.  Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home.  Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay.  On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her da...

 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...

Previously, I wrote about how we have had some challenges this year with Faith's health. Those challenges persisted as she came down with influenza B, which turned into RSV. As a result, she missed two wheelchair dance practices and the performance. She was very sad about it, but I was proud of her for how well she handled her disappointment. She had fun watching the video and said she was "imagining herself being a part of the performance!" Along with missing that, she missed two weeks of therapy and 6 days of her day program.  At the Belle Mehus for "Snow White" (photo by Millie Hyatt)  Last week, she finally got back to somewhat of a normal schedule, going to therapy and half-days at her day program. Thankfully, she had fully recovered so she didn't have to miss going to "Snow White," the spring performance put on by Northern Plains Dance .  She's always so happy to go to these shows, not just for the entertainment factor, but to see her bal...

Some people start their Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving. Not us! We actually wait until about the second week of December, when we go to the Nutcracker, put on by Northern Plains Dance . (Plus, this year, both of us were still recovering from covid in November!) Every year, Faith loves to see her friends perform onstage and visit with them afterward. We have been going to this performance since 2017, and it never ceases to amaze us! It's been so fun to watch the growth of her ballet friends as they take on more challenging parts each year.  Enjoying the Nutcracker for the 6th year in a row!  One new thing that I was able to do this year was go to the Lorie Line Christmas Concert. She has been coming to Bismarck for 30 years and I have always wanted to go, but it has never worked out. This year I was going to try to go with my parents, but then decided not to, as by the time I was going to get tickets, it looked nearly sold out. But then a friend of mine asked if I ...