Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts

Sunday, October 29, 2023

No Longer a Teenager

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 it was 70 degrees!

Having fun at the pumpkin patch the week before! 

Faith makes a new friend.

Her dad came to visit her on the 21st and he had remarked what a beautiful drive it had been. But on Wednesday, fall had come to a sudden halt. The temperature dropped into the 40s and it began to rain. The next day, that rain turned to snow. We had squeaked in her birthday party just in time! 

Along with the party, she celebrated by taking her birthday balloons with her to her day program. Due to some of the dietary restrictions of some of her peers, she couldn't take cupcakes. Instead, she handed out glo-stick bracelets to some of her friends. She saved the cupcakes for her friends at therapy the next day. Some of her friends sent birthday greetings in the form of video messages and voicemails, which she loved! She also had a lovely visit over the phone from her grandparents in Canada.

Ready to party! 
Birthday cake! 

Thankful for the helpers! 

Fun with family! 

I'm so glad she had such a great day! 

She had a great time at her party, eating cake, singing songs, and having lots of laughs. One of my favorite parts was just sitting back and relaxing while one guest read her birthday cards, another helped her open presents, and another folded all the tissue paper and neatly put her presents in a pile. Faith had also designated a cake cutter, so I didn't have to do that either! 

I continue to be so grateful for those who blessed her with wonderful gifts like clothes, money, wall hangings, flowers, games, a squishmallow, and other fun things. I'm so glad her 20th birthday was such a success, not to mention safe from the winter weather! 

Getting ready for bed after a fun but exhausting day! 
We ended up getting 8.5 inches of snow and sadly it will stick around as it's supposed to stay cold for a while. I swear we just had winter! 


Monday, May 30, 2022

Faith's "Best Party Ever!"

When I had asked Faith a while back what she wanted to do for a graduation party, she told me, "a day at the park." 

I knew it was a little risky planning an outdoor event in North Dakota (even in May). It wasn't all that long ago we still had snow on the ground. Also, it had snowed a tiny bit and the temperatures hovered around freezing just the weekend before. 

I planned for the park anyway and prayed for perfect weather. I figured if it was cold or rainy we could move the event indoors somewhere. I am so glad we didn't have to do that, though, because the park was a great place to have Faith's graduation open house. I wasn't anticipating, however, just how perfect it was going to be. 

The weather was absolutely perfect without any humidity or more importantly, without any wind. Even when it did rain for a brief spell, it came straight down and we stayed dry underneath the shelter. The cake was the perfect size and was all eaten up (along with the extra dozen cupcakes I had bought). We also had the perfect amount of food. But it was all the guests that had made Faith's day even more perfect. 

Everyone knows how social Faith is, and so she had a blast socializing with everyone. I think she also had fun anticipating who was going to show up next. Some of her friends took her for walks, which is really loved as well. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of everyone, but here are just some of the people who came to share her special day with her.

Thankful for the family members that were able to attend!

Faith with me, my sisters and one of her "little" cousins!

Faith with some wonderful friends of ours!

Faith's ballet-dancing/Inspire friends!

Faith with another wonderful family from Inspire!

Faith with some of our church family!

A few of my cousins joined us, and yes, Brett really did ride his bike!


The first respite care provider Faith ever had even showed up!

And one of her present respite care providers - who I am forever grateful for!

Faith and a good friend with more family in the background.

Super happy to see one of our former case managers!

Everyone was thrilled to see my college roomie and some of her family!!!

So glad everyone had such a nice time eating and visiting! 

 

Thankful my sister was able to fly in from Nebraska!

My great nephew having fun with balloons!

As Faith said, it was "the best party ever!" I am so grateful for all the love and support she received. People truly blessed her with their presence, cards, and gifts. She also received several cards from those who couldn't make it, as well as some beautiful flowers from my brother and his family in South Dakota who couldn't be there. It really was the perfect day! 



Sunday, November 1, 2020

October: A Memorable Month and Birthday

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 help 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 same icky, awful feeling.

Next, it was Faith's turn. The nurse was fully expecting Faith to fight the swab going up her nose. She held Faith's hands while I held her head in place. The lab technician put the swab up Faith's first nostril and I counted to 10. The lab technician did the other nostril, and I counted to 10 again. She didn't try to fight it or anything. She was so brave and didn't even cry! I was very proud of her! I told everyone afterward that she had done better than me. 

My brave girl!

It took four days for the test results to come back, both of which were negative. Faith did have a sinus infection so she began a round of antibiotics. It took her about six days of being on the meds before she finally started feeling better. 

A couple of weeks after she was finally better, I had to take her in to get the Mic-key button for her feeding tube replaced. When we had tried to put in a new button at home, we found out it was defective. Thankfully we had a second one, but that one was defective as well! We ended up having to put her old one back in. Because of this, the skin around her stoma became very red and sore. When I took her to the surgeon, she told me it wasn't infected, but there was granulation tissue that was beginning to form. She replaced it without any problem and prescribed an ointment for her skin.

During all of this, I was busy trying to finish raising funds for our new van. I really wanted to raise enough so we could get it for Faith's birthday. Amazingly, we ended up raising about $25,000!!! I am also applying for funds to help cover the conversion cost of the van. I will do a separate post about the van, but long story short, my brother Todd found one for us at Cummings Mobility and had it delivered to our front door 2 days before Faith's birthday!

Thanks to all the donations, New Wheels for Faith became a reality!

While preparing for the van delivery and Faith's birthday, I found out Bismarck was supposed to get our first major snow storm. I was concerned the snow was going to deter our birthday plans. Thank goodness we only ended up getting about an inch of snow but it did dip down to about 14 degrees F.

Even though the weather cooperated, the elevator in our building did not. Two days after I had taken Faith to get her button replaced, the elevator went out. Needless to say, I was pretty devastated. Without a working elevator we would not be able to get Faith downstairs to see her new van when it arrived. We also wouldn't be driving around to see her family and friends on her birthday. (A pandemic-friendly birthday plan I had come up with).

The van was still delivered, but instead of being able to get inside, Faith could only watch out the window when it arrived in the parking lot. We tried to make the best of things and had a tiny party in our apartment with cake and ice cream. For her birthday weekend, she did video chats and phone calls with some of her best friends and other family members. 

Happy 17th Birthday!

Faith with Grandma and Grandpa 



Faith's cousin and favorite dog even came to the party!


Faith's beautiful birthday flowers!

We went through the rest of the week with no elevator, and it is not supposed to be fixed until Monday or Tuesday. I have been in contact with our building manager and even the regional property manager. I think they are finally beginning to realize that we are in need of a new elevator! 

Despite some of the challenges and disappointments, my heart is filled with gratitude. I am so thankful for our van. I promise to do another blog post as soon as Faith is able to get downstairs and we go for a spin! I'm also thankful to the friends and family who have supported us during this challenging month and also for the many prayers. 

If nothing else, Faith's 17th birthday was definitely a very memorable one!

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Our Shining Star

I know I have said this many times before, but I can't reiterate how thankful we are for the Inspire homeschooling group that Faith joined. Not only has she made some wonderful friends, her social skills have improved, she has more confidence, and she has learned a lot in science and history.

Besides all of that, she has gotten to take part in their annual Christmas program, which she absolutely loves. Last year, she played the part of an angel and had a few lines to say. This year, she played the one and only bright shining star. Not only did she get a narration part, for which she had to memorize and say an entire paragraph worth of words, but she got to say the best line of the play, "SO MANY STARS!"

This year's program, Starry Night, Noisy Night, told the birth of Jesus from the perspective of the animals that were present in the stable that night. There were sheep, chickens, cows, and of course a donkey. There were also shepherds, wise men, and angels. Mary and Joseph were there, too. And so was the star.

During practice one day, Julie, the music teacher at Inspire, had Faith say the lines, "and so many stars." (The two previous lines are, "So many sights! So many sounds!"). From that moment, Faith wanted that part. Even though the script called for other characters to say it, Julie generously gave her the part. Faith practiced every day - she knew all the songs, not to mention everyone else's lines. I kept telling her she could only say her lines during the program. I also told her that when there was a duet or solo, she couldn't sing their parts, even though she really wanted to.

At home, she sang the songs beautifully, but during Inspire, she only sang her favorites. At home, she recited all her favorite lines, but at Inspire, she did her best to restrain herself and let the other kids say their parts. I had no idea what would happen during the actual program.

Besides helping her, I had to come up with a star costume for her. One day while out shopping, I managed to find the perfect star outfit - a midnight blue dress with gold and silver stars, complete with a little gold jacket. I also grabbed a black pair of leggings with gold and silver stars because I honestly didn't think Faith would go for the dress. When it comes to clothes, she usually opts for comfort over style.

I also grabbed a ton of arts and crafts items in the hopes I would somehow be able to create a star to mount on her chair. I had no idea how to do it. Pinterest was of no help whatsoever. Apparently turning a wheelchair into a star is not really a thing that people do.  I bought some tag board, a string of gold garland, lots of glitter, a roll of gold wrapping paper, two strings of LED battery-operated lights, and some really cool sparkly gold duct tape.

When I got home and told Faith she could either wear the dress or the leggings (with a black shirt that I was somehow going to glue some stars on to), she surprised me by yelling, "The dress!" Little did she know that she had just made my life a little easier. Now, I wouldn't have to worry about the shirt. She wanted to try the dress on right away and we discovered that it fit her perfectly. We also discovered the black leggings looked great underneath, despite the fact they were black and not midnight blue. She wore her outfit to Inspire the Tuesday before the program. I had also strung some lights through the bottom of her chair. Everyone loved her star look. So far so good.

Faith on stage with the shepherds, angels, and animals
The next day we got to work on the actual star. One of my friends had posted a picture of some Star of David cookies she had made for Hanukkah and I noticed the star was basically two triangles. I figured I would go for it. To my utter dismay, I couldn't make an equilateral triangle. It's harder than it seems! My sister-in-law said I should've used a protractor. Yes, I should have, I told her, while trying to remember what in the heck a protractor is. Math was not my strong suit and I had nearly failed high school geometry.

By this time, Faith was getting quite impatient about this whole star deal. I had to come up with a plan B. I basically used two squares to make the star. The trick was to make sure the star stayed put while resting on the push handle of Faith's chair. Somehow it all came together - the star just had to stay in place during the actual program.

Faith and friends
We had to be at the dress rehearsal at 5:00 p.m. The star looked great, I put lights on the star as well as her chair, and with her star outfit, she looked amazing! The other kids crowded around her telling her how much they loved her star costume. During the rehearsal, she was extremely excited. When it was her turn to be pushed up to the microphone for her narration part, her whole body tightened up, making it hard to enunciate. She said her other line, "So many stars" perfectly.

Faith's star all lit up - along with the candles for Silent Night
By the time the actual program rolled around, she was getting tired. It ended up being a good thing, though, because her body wasn't as tense which enabled her to say her lines loud and clear. She even tried to sing along with her friend, Maddie, with her solo. Maddie just smiled and kept on singing. It ended up being a great program, and even though Faith didn't sing like she did at home, I couldn't have been happier for her. Not only was she our shining star that evening, she is our joyful, sparkly girl all year round!

The entire Inspire group
Faith with her Grandma Deone, baby cousin Marla, and auntie Lisa




Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Faith's Thankful List 2018

In the past when Faith and I have done her annual Thankful List, I would write down the items as she told them to me. This year, I thought it would be fun for Faith to be sitting right next to me so I could show her how to do a blog post.

So here we are again giving Thanks to the Lord for His abundant blessings, which is the whole point of Thanksgiving!

One reason I like this tradition so well is because since Faith has a feeding tube, it's hard for her to get excited about turkey and all other other food that accompanies this special day.

This year, Faith says she is especially THANKFUL for the following people and things in her life:


Good Friends 

Faith has made some wonderful friends at a faith-based homeschooling group she attends once a week called Inspire. 

This year, she invited the girls from her class to the park for her birthday. (It was near miraculous that we had a 60-degree day with no wind at the end of October!) She had such a wonderful time. As her parents, Rob and I are beyond grateful she has found some other kids to connect with and who love and appreciate her. There are 2 girls in particular who have become very special to her and she enjoys hanging out with them.

Faith having fun with her friends on her birthday.
 Her New Pet 

For her birthday this year, Faith got a Betta fish that she named Raymond. He really is a good pet as she says good morning to him when she comes into the living room for breakfast, feeds him whenever she is getting a feeding, and says good night to him after she has read her good night story and is ready for bed. Raymond has even made a bubble nest in his fish bowl, which is a sign that he is happy and healthy. Even though he is just a fish, Raymond has already become very dear to us. 

Raymond and the bubble nest he made in his bowl
Wheel of Fortune 

This show continues to be one of Faith's all-time favorite things to watch. She has probably been watching it faithfully for years. Besides watching it, she loves playing  it on the PlayStation. One thing that is really fun for her is making her own players, based on people she knows in real life. Her goal is always to win the million dollars, which we have managed to do a handful of times. Here is a photo I took of some characters that we made, which included her Uncle Brock, herself and her dad.

Faith loves making her own characters on the Play Station 2 version of WOF
Doing School at Home 

One of the toughest parts Faith had with going to school is battling her startle reflex all day long, coming home completely exhausted, and then having to do it all over again the next day. Even though I was hesitant about homeschooling, I know this was the right decision for her and us as a family.
One thing I love about it is that on nice days we can get her outside and take mini field trips, which is a great way for her to learn and get some fresh air. One of her new hobbies is collecting rocks, so it's fun to look for those with her. Homeschooling has its advantages in the winter, too so that she doesn't have to go outside in the frigid air, which is never fun in North Dakota.

Faith learning about trees out by her uncle's property on a nice fall day
Her Dad 

Faith loves her Dad and I'm so grateful for the special and wonderful relationship that they have. Faith especially enjoys it when her Dad reads her stories and is always making up silly songs and dances to make her laugh. She likes that he takes good care of her and always prays with her, for her, and over her.

Faith's dad in one of his favorite spots celebrating Father's Day at Tim Hortons in Grand Forks

People in our Building - Faith has made some special friends with some of our neighbors (and their family members) in our building and she enjoys getting together with them on a regular basis, including once a month for a potluck and playing games.

Her Grandparents - Faith is blessed to have all four of her Grandparents in her life. Even though we don't see her Canadian grandparents nearly enough, they are only a phone call away! She also enjoys house sitting for her other grandparents and seeing them whenever she can.

Barnes & Noble - this has become one of Faith's favorite places to shop and hang out.

Our Van - Even though it has racked up the miles since getting it in 2011 and the ramp doesn't work as well as it used to, Faith is thankful for a way to get around town!

Doing activities with her mom - As I mentioned earlier, one of Faith's new hobbies is collecting rocks. For her birthday, she received a rock art kit so that she can paint and decorate her own rocks. I love finding these kinds of activities and enjoy doing them with her!
  
Rob and I are very grateful that despite some of the challenges she has faced this past year, Faith is always ready to provide encouragement to those around her. We are truly blessed!





Saturday, September 8, 2018

Summer Highlights

Summer. It sure doesn't last long in North Dakota. And since Faith started school earlier this week, I figured it was a great day to reminisce about the summer we had. In June we took a trip to Fargo and somehow ended up at Tim Horton's in Grand Forks. Faith and I figured it was a great way to celebrate Father's Day a little bit early!



While my brother and his wife were away for a couple of weeks, we went out to their place to check on their dogs for them. Faith loved her new role as dog sitter. She especially enjoyed reading Clifford the Big Red Dog books to them. Besides dog sitting, Faith also enjoyed house sitting her grandparents' house while they were on vacation.



Unfortunately, Faith wasn't feeling the best over the 4th of July so we didn't make it to the parade this year, or any other fun festivities, although she did get to see the fireworks from our parking lot in our building. Later in the week, we made it up to Grandma and Grandpa's so she could see her cousins from Nebraska and South Dakota.


During the summer, Faith was able to get together with a few of her friends from the homeschooling group we go to called Inspire. She loves going to the park with them and having them push her chair around the playground. One day, the weather was even perfect for kite flying. During another adventure, she was able to see her friends perform in a play called "The Girl with the Golden Locks" put on by the Shade Tree Players.


In July I went on the Lewis and Clark Riverboat Cruise to help my Aunt Sharon celebrate her 70th birthday. Then in August, my college roomies came to town for their annual teacher's conference. We always have so much fun catching up with one another!



Between the heat, humidity, and smoke from the wildfires out west, we didn't spend as much time outdoors as we usually do during the summer. Plus, Faith came down with a pretty bad cold in August, which we all three ended up getting.

We did manage to have one last hurrah at my parents' for another family get together. Not only did Faith get to see all of her "big cousins" but her baby cousins, too. Faith even got to see her grandpa's impressive rock collection that he put around their house.



If he ever tried to be cool you might say Daddy rocks, but he definitely brings rocks home from work. Faith started her own rock collection earlier this summer when helping Daddy by the gate on the west side.


We started school the day after Labor Day, which isn't typical in North Dakota but it is kind of nice as the holiday feels like it brings summer to a close. Faith is super excited to see her Inspire friends in less than a month and is already starting to count down the days.



I hope everyone had a great summer! 
We can't wait for fall and all the fun and cooler temperatures that it brings!