Sunday, August 11, 2013

Special Times with Special Friends

Over the last week, we have had a chance to see and visit with some very special friends. Our string of visits started last weekend when we traveled to Hazen to visit with some friends that Rob and I have both known since before we were married. While living in Watford City, there was just Tuck, Greta and their son Kaden but since then, their amazing family has expanded to three more boys and a girl.

It was a beautiful drive and it was great seeing the haying season in full swing with lots of golden hay bales dotting the thousands of acres of farmland.

While visiting and seeing their new home (they just moved there from Washburn), we found out that they are now attending church at New Life in Beulah, which means we are all part of the same church family! (The New Life church in Bismarck is an extension of the church in Beulah.) It was great hearing about their Junior Bible Quiz adventures including driving all the way to Texas for the national competition. It was obvious that Aubryn loved having another little girl around as she got out all of her necklaces, bracelets and princess crowns to show Faith.
The Bousfields with the Sago kids
My next visit was seeing some friends I had roomed with in college. Both of them are agricultural education teachers - Keri in Powers Lake and Mary in Bowman. Me and Mary were randomly thrown together as roommates in Dinan Hall at NDSU in 1992. Keri lived just down the hall and in our sophomore years, we all got an apartment together. They have annual ag ed workshops in Bismarck so I get to see them at least once a year!

We had a great supper at Texas Roadhouse then enjoyed the beautiful evening by taking a walk down by the river. We had lots of fun reminiscing about our college years and talking about our current jobs, family life and how much things have changed in the last 20 years!
A great time with college roomies!
Faith with Mary and Keri
We also had a great visit with our friends, Kimberly and Matt who now have a little baby boy! We met Kimberly about six years ago when she did respite care for an agency here in Bismarck. She helped us with Faith for about three years before she got married and they moved to her home state of Kansas.

Faith was quiet all morning before Kimberly and her family came over. She had a lot of mixed emotions - she was so excited to see Kimberly but a little apprehensive about the baby. But as soon as Faith saw Kimberly, she was all smiles and excitedly yelled, "Kimberly!" Faith was so excited she could hardly contain herself, she was literally shaking. 
Look who's visiting from Kansas!
After the initial excitement Faith turned her attention towards the baby. She said she wanted to try to hold the baby but we needed her to calm down a little first. Eventually, I sat on the couch with Faith and Kimberly put the baby on her lap. Gunnar was very curious about Faith and reached up to touch her face - Faith didn't know quite what to think of that or about the baby noises he was making. She really, truly is not used to having a baby around.

The visit went very well and Gunnar even ended up taking a nap in Faith's bed while the rest of us had lunch. We are so thankful that even though Kimberly, Matt and the baby are three states away, we can still keep in touch and see them when they come to North Dakota. Of course someday we would love to visit them in Kansas too!
Faith liked Gunnar but it's obvious she sill loves Kimberly!
We are so blessed with such wonderful friends and are glad for our chance to see each and every one of them when the opportunity arises! 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

A Plethora of Appointments

Upon reflecting about the month of July, I have come to the conclusion that Faith has never had more appointments in one month than she did last month. She had over a dozen chiropractic appointments, eight ABM lessons, two visits from the Easter Seals coordinator, one occupational therapy consult, one optometrist appointment (and a partridge in a pear tree!).

The Easter Seals visits were merely a formality as Faith has a new case worker and we needed to update some paperwork. Her disability case manager came along on one of the visits. Her optometrist appointment was her annual routine eye exam and we are glad to report that Faith's eyes continue to remain the same and she still isn't needing glasses. We are thrilled about this as Faith had glasses at one time and we also had to do patching on her eyes but her vision and her eye muscles continue to function normally! (Praise the Lord!)
Faith getting a chance to relax!
In June, Rob took Faith to see a chiropractor for a consult to see how chiropractic care might be able to help her - especially with her sensory processing. He was confident he could help her and at the end of that month, Rob and I attended an informational seminar given by the chiropractor, Dr. Steve Nagel. Needless to say, we learned A LOT about how chiropractic care could help Faith and about nutrition in general.

Faith had her first chiropractic appointment in July and he did a thorough exam, including a scan called an EMG (electromyography) Amplitude. Technically, an electromyograph detects the electrical potential generated by muscle cells when the cells are electrically or neurologically activated. It gives a total output of energy going through the nervous system. A normal energy rate is 100%. Faith's numbers, at 235%, proved to be much higher. No wonder she is so sensitive to loud, sudden noises and she continues to battle her startle reflex!

Dr. Nagel felt that adjustments to her upper spine, what he calls neural integration, would help decrease the high rate of energy. We are happy to say that the adjustments to her spine are making a difference - her re-evaluation showed her energy rate had gone down to 195%!

In the midst of her chiropractic appointments, Pati was here from Wisconsin for Faith's ABM lessons. With Faith being out of school, we wanted to try to get in as many lessons as possible so we scheduled for eight. It was a lot for Faith and there were times we were wondering if it was too much. At one lesson in particular, Faith seemed to come completely unglued.
Pati working very gently and slowly with Faith
The problem she was having was that at the session prior, before strapping Faith into her chair, Pati allowed Faith to fall to the side without catching her. In doing this, Pati was trying to get Faith to learn what she needed to do in order to get herself back into an upright position in her chair. Faith did not like this because she felt like she was falling. She ended up being mad at Pati and was sure to tell her!

It occurred to me and Rob that Faith has never had the experience most babies have when learning to walk and that it's okay to fall because they quickly learn to get right back up again, completely unscathed. In Faith's case, she has never had this experience and when she falls to the side in her chair, someone is always there to catch her. She has never learned or never had the experience of learning to get back up on her own.

ABM is truly a whole new world for all three of us and we are all learning together. Pati knows this and she didn't mind that Faith was mad at her. She said, "Faith is in the 'Making the Impossible - Possible' phase right now, and this brings up a lot of emotion." We are thankfulf or Pati's patience and her dedication to both the children she works with and with their parents!

Faith also had a visit with the occupational therapist she has been seeing and had a consult for some testing and re-evaluations. Faith really loves her OT, Geri who works at Hope Therapy Center. She graciously allows Pati access to her office to do the ABM lessons. Geri is familiar with ABM and tries to incorporate some of it into her OT sessions with Faith. 
Faith gives Geri her best effort
With all of Faith's latest treatments and lessons, Rob and I are noticing that Faith seems to be understanding and comprehending things better and that she is asking appropriate questions when trying to find the answer to something. It's like her brain is a puzzle and all of the pieces are very slowly coming together.

Her respite care provider is noticing things as well like how Faith is more easily able to pick up food with her hands and bring it to her mouth. Even my dad noticed that her hands seem more relaxed and opened up instead of being in a clenched position. We are truly excited about the progress Faith is making and thank God for bringing some more amazing people into our lives for the next stages of Faith's development. Although she has had a lot of appointments lately, it has definitely been worth it!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Fun with Family

I loved the shocked look on my friend's face on the 4th of July when upon asking, "So did just your dad come down for the 4th?" And I told her, "my parents live in Bismarck now." In March of this year, my dad officially retired from the oilfield after 35 years, most of those years spent driving an 18-wheeler.

Shortly after his retirement, they officially became residents of Bismarck. In fact, their home is just down the road from my younger brother's place. They still have their land and their home in Watford City though so whenever my dad starts missing home, he can always go back to visit! They were blessed to have met some great people to rent their home out to who moved here from California to work in the Bakken.
Welcome to my parent's new place! (I made that sign when I was a freshman in high school!)
My youngest sister, dad and me on Father's Day.
Besides my parents moving here, my youngest sister also moved here from New Town. So now with the exception of an older brother in Montana and a sister in Nebraska, my whole family lives in Bismarck!

This past week, my sister came up from Lincoln, NE and my sister-in-law came out from Baker, Montana. My parents had a family get-together at their home this past weekend where I had a great time visiting with siblings, in-laws and aunts. I didn't see too much of the kids as the youngest four spent most of the time outside and the older ones hung out in the basement.
Family time
Our sister-only evening - supper at the Walrus!
Unfortunately, Faith wasn't up to seeing everyone at once so she and daddy stayed home from the get-together. I found it worked better to just have people come over to our place in smaller groups and to visit with Faith as we sat downstairs on the patio of our apartment complex.

This is our new nightly summer tradition - I come home, we have supper, we watch Wheel of Fortune then gather all of our stuff to spend the rest of the evening outside on the patio. It is practically dark outside before she wants to come back inside! I love this new tradition as it is so relaxing for me after a stressful day at work.
Faith with her cousins from Montana, Sydnee and Kenzie and auntie Amber
Faith with her funny cousins from Nebraska, Donnie and Preston
All in all Faith is having a great summer and we look forward to spending more time with family now that most of them live so close by! 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

It Almost Rained on Our Parade

Every year I am disappointed because neither Faith nor Rob wants to go to the 4th of July Parade in Mandan with me so I end up not going at all. This year was going to be different though. This year I would have a parade date - my dad! Also, I was going to be meeting up with my friend Kristi and her family who sit in the same spot every year. I was so excited to go to the parade!

The night before the big event, Rob and I asked Faith if she wanted to go too. She has only gone to the parade twice and didn't seem to really enjoy it either time. So I was totally expecting her to not want to go again this year. But then she said she did want to go and started asking all sorts of questions about what we were going to see at the parade. Even though she seemed excited, I didn't get my hopes up too high. Sometimes she acts excited about something but when it comes down to actually going through with it, she changes her mind.

Whether she went or not, I was still happy to be going with my dad. Imagine my huge disappointment when this morning while getting ready, I heard what sounded like fireworks outside. It wasn't fireworks though, it was thunder accompanied by lightning and rain. When Faith got up, she had determined she was going to the parade with us but we showed her it was raining outside and told her she probably wouldn't be able to go.

My dad got here around 9:30 and shortly after his arrival, there was a sudden downpour. Me and my dad decided to still chance it but we decided to leave Faith home with her dad. She was very disappointed but at least she could still watch it on TV. As I got ready to say goodbye to her, she looked at me with the saddest face ever and said, "But I want to go too, please mommy." My heart started breaking into a million little pieces and me and Rob decided rain or shine, she was going to the parade.

We quickly got Faith changed into her red, white and blue apparel, gathered our stuff including sweatshirts and an umbrella and hurried down the hallway to the elevator. Then we stepped outside and the clouds miraculously parted and the sun came out. It wasn't going to rain on our parade after all!
Parade goers
My favorite part of the parade - all the pretty horses
Yay for Canada!
What a great message!

One of my favorite floats!
We had so much fun sitting with my friend, Kristi and her family!
Both Grandpa and Faith loved this Kenworth!
Rodeo Clown - The PRCA rodeo is another great event in Mandan over the 4th!

Famous actor James Drury from "The Virginian" waves to the crowd
It wouldn't be a true North Dakota parade without tractors and other farm equipment
Thousands of people lined the streets for the Mandan Parade - a tradition since 1881
 I am so glad Faith came with me and Grandpa to the parade. It was really truly amazing how well she did in the midst of all the noise and people. She only startled when the firetrucks sounded their sirens but then she would laugh and relax again. For some reason she loved the big Kenworth truck - every time it  honked she would scream with excitement at the top of her lungs. She actually seemed disappointed when it ended nearly two hours later. When we got home, she asked, "Can we go to another parade tomorrow?"



Saturday, June 15, 2013

Family Vacation

I knew this would happen. Ever since Rob's parents told us about their plans to fly from Toronto to Winnipeg, we looked so forward to driving there to meet them. And now, after spending five days in Canada, the fun is over much too soon.
Faith gets ready for our drive to Canada
Rob, Faith and I made the 420-mile drive on Monday and Jean and David arrived by plane on Tuesday morning. When we told people we were driving to Winnipeg, they said, "That's kind of a long drive." But after driving over 1,300 miles all the way to Toronto in October 2011, this drive was going to be a breeze! And it was. Faith once again proved to be a great little traveler and was content to listen to her music CDs the whole way.

Of course we didn't make it in 6 hours and 20 minutes like Mapquest said we would. With stops to eat, gas up, get Faith changed and get her feedings started, it took us more like 8 1/2 hours. Practically the whole way there, Faith asked, "Are we in Winnipeg yet?" "Where's our hotel?" She was especially anxious to get to our hotel to go swimming.
We found out the wading pool was actually perfect for us!
It was so wonderful being reunited with David and Jean. It had been nearly two years since we last saw them. On Tuesday afternoon, we did what we promised Faith - we took her down to the pool to go swimming. She seemed to think that after seeing her grandparents and going swimming, our vacation was over and it was time to go home.

The next couple of days were a little rough for her and she ended up getting constipated. On Wednesday, she was not her normal cheery self and was really missing home. Thankfully though, after getting a lot of water and miralax in her system through her feeding tube, she was able to "get the lead out." She felt much better after that and was up for a trip to the zoo the next day. The highlight of the zoo was seeing the polar bear, Hudson who actually came to Winnipeg from Toronto.
All five of us at the Assiniboine Park Zoo
Hudson the polar bear
For the most part, we didn't do a lot of sight-seeing or going places - except for Rob who made three or four trips a day to Tim Hortons (every Canadian's favorite coffee shop). But we did have some quality visiting time. Rob had fun watching the first hockey game of the Stanley Cup Finals with his parents. Faith was not into the hockey game so I kept her entertained in our adjoining room. The game went into three overtimes and lasted until midnight - needless to say it was a late night for everyone.
The Bousfields enjoying the Stanley Cup Finals together
Me and Faith hanging out together in our room (ignore date stamp)
There were lots of tears when it was time to say goodbye. None of know for sure the next time we will see one another. Hopefully it won't be nearly two years again! It is hard that Rob's parents live so far away but they are grateful for all the services and quality of care their granddaughter gets here in Bismarck.
Faith gave her grandparents a lot of laughs!

Preparing to leave Winnipeg
Our drive back was pretty uneventful. We stopped in Fargo to eat and do a little bit of shopping. Faith's new favorite is Sid the Science Kid and we found a DVD at Toys R Us. Faith couldn't wait to get home. We finally arrived in Bismarck and when we turned onto Century, I looked back at her and she was just looking out the window with a big smile on her face.

Last night, as I went to sleep in my own bed, I couldn't help but thank the Lord for the good driving conditions, the great weather, our van running without any problems, our safety and for everything working out so well. It was a wonderful family vacation and as my husband keeps saying, "it was the perfect tip."
No place like home!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Full of Life

Not too long ago, someone at church commented to me, "Your daughter is so full of life." I have heard lots of positive comments about Faith throughout the years, but this one brought tears to my eyes. To think that my daughter - a nine-year-old girl bound to a wheelchair was full of life - meant the world to me.

Faith's disability causes her to be different from her peers and others around her. She understands this and although she can get frustrated, she doesn't let it get her down. She has a very positive attitude about life. I give a lot of the credit to those who pray without ceasing for her and to Jesus who helps her on her journey each and every day. I truly praise God that someone who sees my daughter sees that she has a joyful life despite her special needs.
Full of joy
I know too well this isn't always the case. Usually, when someone pictures in their mind a nine-year-old who needs to use a wheelchair for mobility, gets her nutrition from a feeding tube, doesn't know how to read and still wears diapers, they would most likely classify that as having a "poor quality of life."

Unfortunately, this is exactly how our culture describes those who do not seem to contribute anything to society. This is where eugenicists have a hay day. And this is precisely why babies in the womb with known abnormalities are aborted.

I'm thankful there are those who see Faith in a different light. It seems wherever we go, we always find someone with whom to interact. Last weekend it was the mom of a little 14-month old boy who seemed very interested in Faith while waiting in the check-out line. Today at Target as Faith and I walked down an aisle, a lady asked me how old she was. Faith was the one who responded, "Nine!" She then told Faith she was just beautiful. Friends of mine who know Faith well tell me they don't see Faith as someone with a disability, instead they see someone with lots of ability.

Supergirls!
I'm curious. How do you view a child when you see him or her in a wheelchair? Do you wonder what happened to cause them to be that way? Do you feel sorry for the child. If so, I know those feelings are automatic. I was the same way before I had Faith. I was even uncomfortable around people with disabilities.

I know it may be normal to automatically think the child must have a poor quality of life. But  please, I'm asking you to try not to make those assumptions. Instead, maybe try to engage with the parent of the child with obvious special needs. There is fear in the unknown but once you know more and gain understanding, I bet you will no longer have such assumptions. And I can assure you, that the parent of the child you just interacted with will be glad you did.  
Faith scooting through the tunnel

Monday, May 27, 2013

A Jam-Packed Month of May

The month of May is already nearly over - it makes perfect sense why it went by so fast as this month was jam-packed. It's hard to believe that June is just around the corner. I can share in our pastor's sentiment when he said the year is half over but it seems like 2013 has just begun!

On the first Thursday of May, JOY International had its last Java JOY of the season. We had a great get-together as we celebrated moms and discussed the powerful prayers of a mom. We had a wonderful panel of three amazing moms who shared their hearts on praying for their children. We also shared testimonies of answered prayers for ourselves and our children. As Java JOY coordinator, I am relieved to be taking some time off but I already have lots of ideas for our next season which starts up again in September!
Me with our mom panel at Java JOY

Me and Faith on Mother's Day
Me and Faith playing our favorite game - Wheel of Fortune
At the beginning of the month we had another round of Anal Baniel Method (ABM) lessons for Faith. This time she had six lessons as opposed to four the previous time in March. In July, when Pati comes back to Bismarck we are hoping to get Faith in for eight sessions. We won't have to schedule around school so more lessons will be much easier to do.

This last time around, Pati showed us some weight-bearing techniques that do not involve her being tightly strapped in her stander. She also did something with Faith I would have never thought possible - she had Faith in a kneeling position on her knees being supported by the bed. Doing things like kneeling seems like such an easy thing to do but for a child with spastic muscles, these movements can be nearly impossible.
Pati working with Faith during a session in March
Pati said there is so much she wants to do with Faith and wishes she could see her more often. It really is optimal that when kids start having ABM, they have lessons every three weeks. With Pati coming here from Wisconsin, this is just not a reality unless we started taking Faith to see Pati in Minneapolis. There is a ray of hope, however.

One day after Faith and I were leaving from one of her lessons, we ran into one of Faith's former speech therapists. Some of this speech therapist's patients have been doing ABM. She was so impressed with the results, that she is taking lessons to become an ABM practitioner. It would be so wonderful to have someone who could be here in Bismarck full time - not just for us but for the many kids who could benefit from this alternative form of therapy.

Besides ABM, Faith has been super busy in school this month. They try to pack in as many activities as possible before the school year ends. Rob took her to two field trips - one at Bismarck State College for a water festival and one at the University of Mary for fun and safety day. She also went on a class picnic at a nearby park. Faith had a great last week of school and I know she is especially going to miss her teacher who is retiring after 30 years of teaching. 

Ever since Faith was a kindergartner at Centennial, she and this teacher have had a very special relationship. They just sort of took to each other right away and when Faith reached third grade, we were so excited that Faith would have her for her teacher. In fact, during Faith's open house before starting school this year, her teacher told her, "Faith, we've been waiting for this since kindergarten!"
Faith with her very special teacher, Mrs. Ternes
Faith with her teacher and the girls in her class
Faith with some rambunctious-looking boys
Recently this month, I took part in classes at the Healing Rooms. I have taken the classes twice before but this time, the classes were in preparation for becoming part of the Healing Rooms ministry. I have sent in my application and my pastor also sent in a letter for me. This afternoon I have my interview with the directors.

I know they are needing help in the reception area so that is what I hope to do but in the future I would love to be part of their prayer team as well.We have been going to the Healing Rooms for prayer ever since we moved here in 2004 when Faith was just eight months old. By volunteering, I am hoping to be able to give something back to this ministry that has been so instrumental in our lives.

Aunt Audrey on her 85th birthday earlier this year

On a sad note, we lost our precious Aunt Audrey on May 9th. She had been fighting various illnesses and this month, her health continued to deteriorate. It was hard for Rob being so far away as it just wasn't possible for him to travel to Toronto for the funeral.

Aunt Audrey was a very kind, caring and generous person. She only got to see Faith about three times, but Faith was very special to her. She was an avid reader of this blog and loved to keep up-to-do date with Faith and her progress. She will truly be missed by many.

I think that pretty much sums up our busy month of May. We are looking forward to using Faith's time off of school to make some changes in her therapy, her diet and other areas. We are also looking forward to seeing Rob's parents in Winnipeg next month! We only get to see them every couple of years and I know they will be amazed at how much Faith has grown this year.

Happy Summer Everyone!