Faith's Mom's Blog

This is my first post of the new year and it is already March - I guess I have some catching up to do! As you can tell by my new blog header, I am ready for spring. It has been a very cold winter here in North Dakota with several days below zero since December. I know though that much of the country has had a tough winter too so I know we are not alone in being anxious for spring and the warmer weather that comes along with it. Faith especially seems to be struggling with the colder temps - it most likely affects her already high tone. It hasn't helped that it is more difficult to transport her since we can't use our van's ramp due to our door needing to be replaced. Rob has had to get her into the other side of our van which entails him sort of lifting her chair up into the van. We are looking forward to finally getting it fixed this week.  Now that I've gotten our weather-related issues out of the way, here is an update on what the rest of this New Year has been

This past year has held many challenges, many changes and some breakthroughs as well. We have met some new people who have helped Faith make forward progress but have been discouraged as certain prayers continue to go unanswered. Through it all though, there is one truth that remains - God has been with us and He has been faithful. He has placed many people in our lives who have kept us encouraged and who continue to inspire us each and every day to to "walk by faith not by sight." As I think about our past year, I can't help but feel hopeful that the New Year will be better than the last! JANUARY - Me and Faith spent the tail-end of last year and the beginning of 2013 recovering from the flu. In fact, she was at the walk-in clinic on New Year's Eve. We recovered just in time to celebrate the NDSU Bison winning their second straight national championship. This year they are once again headed to Frisco, Texas to defend their title as they take on Towson Universi

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and it can easily become a stressful time of the year instead of a joyful one. In our family, we know that Faith does best when her normal routines are kept and the fewer surprises the better. We really tried our best this year to keep everything as low-key as possible and do less for Christmas than we have in the past. This included less shopping, less baking, and less activities in general. Instead of baking Happy Birthday Jesus cupcakes this year for Faith's teachers and caretakers, I found these cute cupcake Christmas tree ornaments and I wrote on the bottom of each one "Happy Birthday Jesus 2013" In the end, all I really wanted for Christmas was for the three of us to go our Christmas Eve service at church and while Faith wasn't willing at first, eventually she relented. The next day since opening Christmas gifts is outside of her normal routine, we had to actually coax her to open the gift

The weather outside is truly frightful, as I write this post, it is a frigid -22 degrees F. out there. That's 22 degrees below zero and that's darn cold! My husband is lamenting this fact, for a few reasons - one because he actually had to go outdoors today and two because it is a balmy 23 degrees back home in Toronto - that's a 45 degree difference! He does always say, "We need to move to Canada where it's warm!" Doing puzzles is a great indoor activity Thankfully, inside it was much more delightful and Faith could not have picked a more perfect day to get out all of her puzzles, board games and Christmas books. We had so much fun playing Candyland (she won, of course), reading some of her favorite Christmas stories and listening to Christmas music . Our mailman also dropped off a Christmas package from Faith's grandparents. I told Faith we were going to hide it from Daddy to see how how long it would take him to find it. But as soon as Rob walked th

As a child who has a feeding tube, Faith doesn't really have reason to look forward to a big Thanksgiving dinner. Throw in the fact that she has not been feeling well this past week and woke up yesterday morning crying and gagging on mucous, she didn't have much of a Thanksgiving. So for her Thanksgiving celebration,  I told her that we could make a list of things she is thankful for and she was happy doing just that. She also had me help her write little letters to her friends and family saying things like, "Thank you for coming to church" or "Thank you for letting me come visit you." It was really sweet and she came up with about 20 people she wanted to write letters for. I think this says a lot - that she is simply thankful for the people in her life. Thankfully, she feels much better today. Here is her list for things she is thankful for:  Faith doesn't miss Wheel even when we'ere on vacation! Mommy and Daddy Wheel of Fortune

November 17 marks World Prematurity Day. One might wonder why awareness needs to be raised about premature births. Well, I can tell you you firsthand that it is a really good thing when more people are aware of the risks and complications, not to mention the emotional toll, of having a baby born too early. Faith and Daddy Having a baby born prematurely is not something most expectant parents think about until it happens to them. Most moms-to-be who first learn they are pregnant automatically think they have seven or eight months to prepare for one of the biggest days of their life. Expectant parents usually have one response when asked if they are hoping for a boy or a girl - "As long as the baby's healthy." But sadly, sometimes that's not always the case - especially if the baby is born too early. I will never forget the book I was reading shortly after finding out I was pregnant with Faith - "What to Expect When You're Expecting." It was a gr