First Time Bowling and A Milestone Reached

-
I've been wanting to get this post up since Friday night when Faith reached an exciting milestone. Unfortunately, however, Faith ended up getting sick. Besides being busy taking care of her, I have also been sleep-deprived as neither of us has slept well all weekend. This morning, I kept Faith home from school, and we are both exhausted. I decided to try and post this anyway. So, if it doesn't make sense, you'll know why!

Friday was a busy day for us. I went with Faith to school so that we could meet her new instructional aide who will be working with her during summer school. We showed her Faith's feeding pump and how she would be connecting and disconnecting Faith's feeding tube to her Mic-Key button. We also showed her how to lift Faith and get her in and out of her chair properly.

After being at the school for a couple of hours, I went home for lunch then went back to get her so that she could go bowling with all of the other kindergartners. Faith's teammates were very good about helping us get the ball and scooting the ramp to the lane for us. It was great and Faith had lots of fun, as did all of the other kids.

Faith really liked bowling! 

After getting home from bowling, Faith had her hour-long feeding and when her tummy was full, she proceeded to try and have a bowel movement. This caused her to gag and almost throw up, so I rushed her into the bathroom and attached a tube with a syringe to her button and tried to get some of the food back out of her tummy. 

In doing so, I was hoping to prevent a throw up. This time, it didn't work. I threw a towel over her, and she threw up. She took all of this in stride as it isn't the first time this has ever happened. I was calm until I noticed blood coming from her mouth. But then I noticed it - she had a little space in the bottom of her mouth where a baby tooth had once been. FAITH HAD JUST LOST HER FIRST TOOTH!!

I figured she had swallowed her tooth, but I looked for it anyway. After a few minutes of searching, there it was! Right in the middle of her puke on her chest strap! I was so happy I had found it that I forgot my daughter was sitting there miserably covered in throw up. After realizing this, I promptly got her out of her chair and into the tub.

Faith and I were lying on the living room floor when her daddy came home from work. As soon as he walked in the door, she yelled, "Daddy, I lost my tooth!" Rob quickly came over and gave her lots of hugs and told her how cute she looked with her new little gap.

Faith is missing a tooth on the bottom!

 When Faith was a baby and a toddler, she never reached many of the milestones that children those ages reach. No sitting up at six months, no crawling or walking. You learn to grieve those losses and move on. But when a milestone occurs when it should it almost seems like a miracle. And that's why we're doubly excited about Faith losing her first tooth - right on time!

Comments

  1. ToniMay 24, 2010 at 2:05 PM

    I know you already shared this with me Cari but just reading it again on your blog brought tears of joy. Thanks for sharing this exciting milestone with us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cari JeanMay 24, 2010 at 8:39 PM

    Thanks, Toni - that is so sweet! So glad we saw each other over the weekend. We can't let so much time pass before we get together again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Apraxia MomMay 24, 2010 at 9:02 PM

    Way to go! Take lots of pictures of that toothless grin!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cari JeanMay 25, 2010 at 11:00 AM

    Apraxia Mom - I tried to take a few photos the other day but couldn't quite get that little gap. I'll keep trying!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jane DeSouzaMay 25, 2010 at 2:17 PM

    Wonderful Blog, Cari. I enjoy seeing photos of your beautiful daughter and reading about your life experiences.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Some Thoughts on World Prematurity Day

-
Image
November 17 marks World Prematurity Day . One might wonder why awareness needs to be raised about premature births. Well, I can tell 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. 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 great resource that o
Read more

My Little Vacay to Nebraska

-
Image
When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way, especially since my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit.  Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home.  Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay.  On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her day prog
Read more

Faith Turns 21!

-
Image
 Faith's 21st birthday was on Friday the 25th and it ended up being an all-day celebration! She didn't sleep well the night before, so I was a little concerned she would run out of steam, but she just kept going! It ended up being a beautiful fall day, so I didn't even need to put a jacket on her, which is rare for the end of October.  Faith in her new birthday shirt!  This year, she was able to bring cupcakes to HIT. Last year, due to the dietary restrictions of her peers, she didn't bring any treats. This year, however, she is a new room, where they truly love their snacks! After I dropped her off, I raced around like a maniac getting her ballons, presents, and everything else ready for the surprise party we would be having at the end of the day.  Faith with some of her staff making a cupcake delivery.  When I picked her up from her day program, I informed her that some friends of mine that I worked with wanted to give her a special birthday treat. So, we made our way
Read more

Goodbye to Our Special Tomato Adaptive Car Seat

-
Image
Today we said goodbye to our Special Tomato adaptive car seat. And special it was. It helped Faith stay safe and secure in our Hyundai driving her back and forth to therapy appointments, shopping excursions, and many other activities. It also helped us through our time of not being able to afford an accessible van. Like all adaptive equipment , the special car seat was expensive and although it is the law that a child is secured in a car seat while traveling in a vehicle, neither health insurance nor Medicaid would pay for it.  Thankfully, we were able to receive funds from the fundraiser, the Great American Bike Race ( GABR ) which helps families pay for services and equipment that insurance doesn't cover for kids with cerebral palsy and related disabilities.  After doing research on the Internet and talking to Faith's physical and occupational therapists, we decided to go for the Special Tomato adaptive car seat. You would think something with that name would be
Read more