Faith's Mom's Blog

It was 35 days ago that our calendars told us it was the first day of spring. In North Dakota, we usually can't depend on the calendar to determine when spring actually comes. We know this, but every year, we still wait expectantly for spring to come - for the weather to turn warmer, for all the snow to finally be gone, and for the grass to start turning green again.  We also look forward to putting away all of our winter garb and donning our spring jackets. None of that has happened so far. Thirty-five days later, we are still waiting. Faith isn't thrilled about still having to wear her winter coat and mittens Just last week Bismarck broke their one-day snow fall record when we got over 17 inches of fresh white stuff. Church services were canceled on Sunday and on Monday the whole city shut down. Faith got a snow day from school, and I did as well from work. Thanks to a few days that the temperatures climbed above freezing, most of the snow has melted, but there are still...

Our church service (along with many other services throughout the area) was canceled today because of our spring blizzard. So, while I didn't get to go to church, I was still thinking about it! The photos from this post were actually taken from last week's church service.  Finding “the perfect” church is not an easy thing to do. Especially when you are trying to find one that works well for each member of the family, one of which has special needs. For me the perfect service consists of charismatic praise and worship, an inspiring, truthful message followed by fellowship with other church attendees.  For Rob it is different though. He could give or take the praise and worship and get right down to the sermon – the more intellectual the better. Rob likes to take a message he hears and chew on it for days thinking, pondering and mulling it over. And then there is Faith. She does not like loud and she does not like microphones, sudden clapping or spontaneous "Ame...

The state of North Dakota has been making a lot of headlines lately. In 2012 we became the second top oil-producing state in the nation and this year we were dubbed "the freest state in the nation." At one time, North Dakota was known for its desolation, its frigid winters and low population. Most people probably had a hard time finding North Dakota on a map. I don't think that's quite the case anymore. People are flocking to North Dakota for jobs. Our state has one of the soundest economies in the country. But even before all of our new-found popularity, I was a proud North Dakotan when it wasn't cool to be one. Faith enjoying the sights of the Missouri River in Bismarck, North Dakota And now, in light of recent events in our legislature, I am even more proud to be from this great state! The senate and house passed some of the most pro-life bills ever and Governor Jack Dalrymple signed them into law! You might wonder why I'm talking about this on ...

To someone who might not know Faith well, or to the stranger observing Faith, her movements probably seem pretty abnormal. Her tone kicks in and her muscles tighten, not allowing her to move or relax.  Every once in a while, she throws her arms up in the air for no apparent reason. When she's tired, her head hangs to the side and she can barely keep it up, even while sitting supported in her chair. But to me, this is Faith, and this is how she has moved for most of her life. She has spastic motions that are anything but graceful. While sitting with me, her hand will shoot up and slap me in the face. There is no reason - no purpose for some of her movements - that is all she and her parents have known. We are in a constant battle with her high muscle tone. Sometimes she tightens up so stiffly we can barely pick her up. This is how it has been for her nine years of life. This is normal for us. This week I learned life does not have to be this way. This week I've seen Faith mo...

Did you know that this week is Brain Awareness Week? I find it interesting that this is the week Faith will be introduced to an Anat Baniel practitioner and taking her first Anat Baniel Method (ABM) lessons during this week in particular. The ABM practitioner we are seeing is coming here from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rob met her in January during a workshop about ABM.  Through another mom of a little boy with cerebral palsy, we learned the practitioner is coming back to Bismarck, so we decided to schedule Faith for some lessons (they call them lessons, not therapy sessions).  The mom I talked to recommended the book, "Kids Beyond Limits" by Anat Baniel . I purchased and read the book before the lessons started, and I'm glad I did!  Through working with Moshe Feldenkrais , Anat Baniel has developed her own method of working with kids with special needs. For the past thirty years, she has worked with kids who have cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, undiagnosed developmental d...