The Latest News

Fweh!! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated...I've been spending every spare computer minute catching up on work...We are doing very well. Lydia is feeling a TON better!! Yeah!! The antihistamine is really helping with her congestion, and her ear infection must be feeling better too. She has been really happy and content lately....except for at church. We have made a new commitment to go to church as a family every week...it's been tough to take the whole family since Lydia's been born. Everyone seems really happy with our new routine...except Lydia. For the last two weeks, she has spent her only real crying fits...at church. Hopefully, she'll get used to it soon. Today we went to the Blessing of the Sick to have her blessed. Every little bit helps...I think she is on every prayer line from here to 'who knows'...and we are so thankful. Some special friends have even submitted her name to masses of healing and other special prayer lines around the world. She received a rosary this week from Italy...thank you Tammy and Sandy. Our special little angel gets lots of attention...good for her!

The Wait...
Sooo many people have been asking lately about news from Atlanta...none yet. The biopsy was done March 19th, and we were told that it would be about 8-12 weeks...you can do the math; I am trying my best not to. I don't like to clutter my brain with anxiety. With God's help, I've done a pretty good job of keeping it out of my mind. Your help with that would be good too...just trust that I will update as soon as we get that information to share. The more you help me not to think about it, the better. I prefer to just enjoy my sweet little smiley girl! We have been so proud of her lately! Martin and I noticed within the last week that she is paying more attention to toys and actually reaching her hands out to touch them. I told Martin that it brings so much joy to my heart to see her do that. He laughed and said, "It makes me feel glad....that's the difference between a male and female response about that." Though we both express our feelings differently, I think we both have the same pride. It is amazing how much pride I feel for each new thing that she accomplishes...for some reason when children are delayed with the things that they accomplish...it makes it that much sweeter when they do it. When I realized that she was actually reaching her hands up high to touch a toy the other night...I stopped in my tracks and just watched...I felt my eyes water up and flip-flops in heart! What joy!

PT last week wasn't quite as successful. She slept through the whole session. Susan just did some passive stretching with her, since she couldn't get her awake long enough to participate in any active movements. I think she was still not feeling well then. We actually skipped OT last week because of her sickness...that was probably for the best.

Lydia "Cultured"
I just found the prayer name card that someone gave to Lydia for her baptism...this is what it reads:
And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee, fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8
How fitting....and faith-growing, not a coincidence that it fits Lydia perfectly. He will be with her...He will not fail her or forsake her....do not fear or be discouraged. How could we be afraid or discouraged when we know that God's healing and loving hand are upon her always..?

Sensitivity to words....
It's funny how your outlook on certain things changes as life brings new circumstances. I've never thought much about the connotation of certain terms used with children with special needs...until now. For some reason, the word "wrong" as in "What's wrong with her?" suddenly rubs me the "wrong" way...no pun intended. :) How could anything be wrong with Lydia or anyone else created special by God? As I've said before and we all know, God doesn't make mistakes...so there is absolutely nothing "wrong" with her...in fact all of the things that are "right" with her are so fully appreciated and celebrated. Also...."normal" is one that has a hidden meaning...of course she's normal. She is just exactly who she was intended to be...whatever circumstances that brings to her....for some reason, "typical" seems to rest better with me. Lydia does not develop the same as typical children her age, but that doesn't mean that she is not normal. "Issues" for some reason seems to also be a better word than "problems" though I sometimes catch myself using some of these words too. I know it's kind of crazy, and I never dreamed that something so trivial would bother me at all...but, I guess you never know.

Our big girls are doing well too! Healthy and happy! Audrey and I had an emotional moment last week. She had a field trip, and she cried because I was not going with her...of course after she left, I cried too. I always thought that when I decided to be a stay-at-home mom, I would be able to attend everything like that. I imagined myself as one of those moms who volunteers for everything and is always there...not the case. When I called Martin in tears, he pointed out the obvious...he said, "I know you realize that we have 3 kids, right? You're not going to be able to be everywhere at once." This is true...and she and I did both get over it. She had another field trip the following day, and she did not cry at all that I wasn't going to that one.

Elise is doing well too....she's been on her usual tear...we have laughed and nicknamed her El Nino because she is good at creating havoc in our house. She's gotten some sympathy from friends lately for that...but it's all in fun. Sometimes we walk into a room and we can tell that "El Nino" has passed through. Elise's speech has been a little stagnant lately. She is stuck in some of the same routines as far as repeating things over and over. I also see that when I don't understand something that she is trying to tell me, she reverts to a word that she knows I understand...and basically changes what she is trying to say. Suzanne saw some improvements last week...trying to put together two syllable words...and adding -ing to verbs. I'll be looking out for those different accomplishments. I also have been planning to put together a "guide to understanding Elise's speech" for relatives and friends who are with her often. I'll try to get to that soon...there are definite rules for the way that she pronounces words, and it helps to know what those rules are. Suzanne was not in favor of the communication board that we discussed at the EBR meeting...she thinks it might detract Elise from her progress right now. We'll continue to be open to it, but we value Suzanne's opinion...she has done such a phenomenal job with Elise...I'll try to invite her to be here for the eval for the communication board so that she can help us to decide if it will be worthwhile. This week is Elise's last week of therapy at LSU until fall. She'll continue with Suzanne and BR Speech and Hearing for the summer.