Faith's Mom's Blog

Faith turned six years old yesterday. And to celebrate how far she's come in those six years, we decided to have a not-so-little celebration. There were lots of guests, lots of gifts, lots of cupcakes and most of all, lots of love.  We are amazed at how many lives our daughter touches in a special way. She receives so much love and generates it back to those around her. Her smile brightens people's day, her laugh makes people laugh along with her, her joy is contagious. My husband and I are so thankful for the gift of her life - a life that He entrusted us to care for since the day she was born on October 25, 2003. We knew there would be challenges. We knew there would be tears. We knew there would be exhaustion. We didn't know, though, how much joy there would be. And yesterday, seeing Faith surrounded by friends - children and adults alike - family and even a few people in our building who don't know her all that well, brought gladness to our hearts. It was so wond...

When I heard that both Toy Story movies were going to be showing at a theater near us, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Faith to make her movie theater debut. The reason we have not attempted to take her to a movie is because she is very sensitive to loudness and sudden noises cause her to startle.  When she startles, she is not able to contain herself and her muscles tighten, she jumps, and her arms curl up toward her chest. Sometimes when she startles too much she gets upset and starts to cry. I figured, though, that since she has seen Toy Story 1 and 2  endless amounts of times at home, there wouldn't be any surprises to cause her to startle since she would know what was coming next. Faith with some of her toys, including Woody and Buzz. (Photo taken in 2008) We got to the movie theater fairly early thinking it would be a good idea for Faith to get used to her surroundings. When we got into the right show room, there was music playing over the speakers a...

The weather people have been threatening us for days and now as I write this post, there is white stuff swirling and twirling down from the sky. I guess maybe we North Dakotans should have known that we were going to have an early winter, beings our summer was actually more like fall. But still...it is truly sad to see the green leaves falling off of the trees without even having a chance to turn color first. It is also truly sad that parents have had to dig out their kids' winter attire, including mittens and boots. I know it can be difficult getting kids all bundled up to go out in the 20-degree weather, as we are having now. But for parents of kids in wheelchairs, it is not just difficult, it is a chore unto itself. Faith's new chair, while she sits in it so well, is truly a pain when it comes to her winter garb. She has these side lateral things that help her stay in an upright position. You can pop the laterals out which is great for getting her coat on but since she is...

I remember very well the day in April of 2004 when we got the news that Faith had health issues that could lead to cerebral palsy. It was one of the most heartbreaking days of my life. I wondered how this smiley, happy little girl who would lie on her back and move her arms and legs around could possibly end up with CP ? Faith as a baby.  When we returned home to Watford City after seeing Faith's pediatrician in Bismarck, there was one day where I opened up my Bible to Hebrews 11. For some reason, though, I skipped over to Chapter 12 and started reading it aloud to Faith. I couldn't believe my eyes when I came across verses 12 and 13. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Hebrews 12:12-13 I was so excited, I said, "Faith did you hear that?" and I read it again. I really truly believed that the Lord had given me that verse at that particular time for a reason...

I was very proud of Faith yesterday. She was so patient as she was fitted for her new SMO's. SMO stands for Supra-Malleolar Orthosis and are actually a type of AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthosis). These types of orthotics are designed to help the child maintain a vertical heel and support the arches of the foot. They are necessary for her foot because with her hypertonia her feet get pulled at a different angle than what is normal for the foot. It's sort of like trying to re-train the muscles to go in the right direction. It took about an hour and a half for her to get fitted. The hardest part was keeping Faith relaxed so that her physical therapist (PT) could get the best fit for her foot. When Faith gets excited, her legs shoot up and out and her tone is so strong that it's hard to keep everything in place. This is exactly what happened every time someone came into the room to say hi to her. Her PT started off by finding a plastic piece as close to the shape of Faith's foot...