Faith's Mom's Blog

It's Saturday morning and after a busy, somewhat stressful work week, I can finally take a moment to enjoy a nice cup of coffee while doing some writing. Sitting here, I am reflecting on the wonderful news we received on Wednesday. Faith's left hip has not pulled out any further from its socket! Daddy helping Faith take some steps down the hallway On Tuesday, Rob took Faith to get her x-rays and then on Wednesday he took her to see the physiotherapist. Upon reviewing Faith's x-rays of her hips, the doctor could not quite believe what he was seeing.  The hip looked like it was in the same position as it was five months ago. He was in such disbelief that he sent Rob and Faith back downstairs for another round of x-rays. Faith had to stay on the table in case the doctor wanted more shots taken. She laid there as patiently as she could for about 30 minutes before the doctor finally called them back upstairs. Even though her hips have remained stable, the doctor pointed out...

It seems that the month of February always goes by so quickly. Maybe it is because January is usually the coldest month of the year and the month just crawls; then when February finally comes, spring doesn't seem so far away.  This year, with the milder weather, January wasn't so bad, and February is going by even faster than usual. Another factor to a fast-flying February, at least for our family, is that both mine and Rob's birthdays are in February. It is also the month Faith gets to celebrate one of her favorite holidays - Valentines Day. Another fun time for Faith this month was having her 2nd grade program at school. She had so much fun singing along to all the songs and jingling her bell (all the kids got to take turns playing an instrument and hers was the bell) that she wanted to have another program!  It was so good to see her truly relaxed and not having a tough time with startling when people clapped. And although she herself didn't have any lines, she wa...

What is curling you might ask? The only thing I really knew about curling was that in the Olympics, it was the sport where they use a broom to furiously brush the ice in order to make that round thing go in a certain direction.  Then one day Faith brought a flier home from school that her physical therapist sent along announcing wheelchair curling at the Capital Curling Club (I had no idea Bismarck had their own curling club). Faith on Ice! Honestly, I wasn't too sure about it, but Faith seemed like she really wanted to try it. She was mostly excited that she would get to go on the ice (must be the Canadian in her!) I, however, was not excited to get on the ice and was glad there were going to be volunteers to help Faith. I'm not sure of all the terms (although my sister-in-law tried to explain it to me the night before we went) but basically one volunteer helped Faith hold a stick thing which they clamped on to a "rock" and then pushed her chair to help her m...

I am so very proud of both Rob and Faith. I only wish I could have been there with them. Today was a new experience as Faith's medical providers used conscious sedation while administering her Botox shots. I was pretty bummed that I couldn't be there. January marks our busiest month at work so taking time off is limited. I already have to take time off on Monday for an appointment. So, there I was this morning at work wanting to be with Faith and praying that all would go well. Rob and Faith had to be at the hospital at 8:30. Faith's pediatrician was there, along with a few other of Faith's favorite medical providers. She was especially happy to see PBS playing on the television. Seeing something familiar helped to keep her calm. Rob and I have struggled in the past wondering if conscious sedation was the right thing to do for Faith. It just didn't seem like giving her sedation drugs every time she got Botox was very good for her. In the past during her Botox ...

Last month, we had a sad surprise - that Brittnee, a respite care worker who has been with us for a year and a half, was leaving. Once again, it was time to say goodbye to someone who had become like a part of the family.  It's hard when these respite care girls leave, although it is completely understandable. More often than not, they are college-aged and in serious relationships which lead to engagement and then marriage. There have been three wonderful girls we have gotten the privilege of knowing through respite care services. And I am continually impressed with their maturity, professionalism and most of all, their great care-taking skills with Faith. While it is hard for us to see them go, it is great that there is e-mail, Facebook and even Skype so we can keep in touch. With all of today's technology it makes the goodbye seem not so final. So, to our amazing young ladies who we are blessed to know through respite care - we wish you the best in al...