A 4 Year Old!

Hannah turned 4 a few days ago. 

A couple days before her birthday we had her evaluated at a center for developmental disabilities. 

Not the best thing to do right before a birthday. 

Overall Hannah did most of what she was asked, but it was hard. It was hard seeing her get frustrated because she didn’t want to be there and couldn’t verbally explain that. It was hard seeing some therapists at a loss for how to help her. It was hard leaving and not feeling like we had any next steps. 

Looking back I can explain all of her actions away. Such as the room was very boring, there were no toys, four adults were trying to engage her, only one of which she knew. Yes, this may be hard for any 4 year old, but it was my kid being analyzed and studied that day. 

As Hannah gets older her delays are more clearly seen. Especially in the company of peers. We pray that one day things will click with communication and somehow that may solve a large amount of her frustration, but it may not. 

I don’t have to figure all these things out today, but I do have to remember where my hope lies. In a God who created and knew Hannah’s life before she was known to us. That her days, like all of ours, are numbered and planned out before one of them came to be. 

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:16

Knowing this truth helps me as time continues to pass quickly. 

Even though we see her progression as baby steps she is doing well and growing/maturing in her own time. 

On her birthday I brought cupcakes to school which she loved. Her class and teachers have been such an encouragement to our family. Hannah feels at home there and is thriving. So it was fun to celebrate with her friends. 

The next day she started therapeutic riding and was immediately in love. 

She has loved horses for a while now, but this was the first time she every rode a large horse. So fun!

We hope to start doing this once a week. Beyond her just loving horses it has many therapeutic benefits. 

It helps to strengthen Hannah’s core muscles, which are still rather weak, it helps with her walking and her gait, as her gait aligns with the gait of the horse as she rides. We are thankful for this resource, be it pricey, and that she loves going. This is huge!

I am thankful that the Lord shows me joy in the little things and that He knows the next steps. Please continue to be in prayer for our family. 

Suzi turns ONE!

We love you Suzi Faith,

 

When you come into the room you are smiling   

 

You love your sister and your brother. 

 

You had our first family birthday party that was entirely outside! (I finally got a summer baby!)

You were crying when you first got in your high chair, unimpressed by all of the attention.  

But everything changed when you saw (and tasted) the cake!

  

So fun to celebrate with friends who have watched you grow this past year. 

And fun to be silly as a family!

 

 

 

And you had lots of help opening your presents. 

 

Suzi Faith,

You fill our family to the top and we are so thankful to celebrate the first year of your life! 

You are beautiful, thoughtful and so much more that we don't even know yet. 

I pray every day that you and Hannah will be close friends and you will have wisdom beyond your years. 

The Lord created you special and for a purpose and I am so thankful to be along on the journey. 

❤️ you!

Celebrating

Hannah, 

Today you turned two!

It was fun to see how you got excited about this birthday. About the balloons and the people and the cake. 

How you waited in anticipation as we sang "Happy Birthday".

How, just like last year, we had to give you a bath after you finished your cake. 

How you wanted to play with and explore every gift you got, not just play with the paper. 

You are growing up my sweet girl. It is so fun to see your personality come out more and more but still know how much you need your mama. I pray you never lose the God given JOY you have for life. It sometimes scares me to think about you growing up in a hard world, but I know there is someone who will always help you even more than your Dad and I. The Lord will be your helper and your guide, may you know Him early in life and love Him with your whole heart. 

I love you Hannah Joy

You are sweet, special and so beautiful!

She's Two!

Our sweet Hannah is TWO!

It's hard to believe all she's been through in her 2 short years, but through God's grace, she has come through like a champ. 

I've never been one to put all my children's milestones out there for everyone to see, and since Hannah is delayed I had to fight hard not to compare her to other kiddos, but she's walking now and we are so excited. 

I just can't get enough of it!

Another awesome birthday present is her surgery was approved and is scheduled for November 7th!! 

I've been on the phone all day scheduling and rescheduling everything that comes with her cochlear implant surgery, but it will be worth it because my baby is going to hear!  

I'm sure as the date gets closer I will learn more about all the ins and outs of CIs and have more specific requests, but today, right now, would you pray that Hannah would be healthy on November 7th and able to have the surgery? If she even has a runny nose that could delay it and we really want it done before the holidays and the end of the year. 

Thanks so much for loving us and our little girl. It means more than you know that so many people pray for her and cheer her on. We are very blessed!

I'll post more later on her birthday celebration. 🎂

Leap Year Baby

When I went into labor 4 years ago today I was nervous for obvious reasons, worried that he was 4 weeks early and frustrated at the fact that my child would be born on a day that only occurs every 4 years. 

I called my Mom and cried that it was February 29th. (In case you were wondering, my water broke at 11:30pm on the 28th so there was no "holding him in" until March 1st). She assured me that he would be special and unique and it is fun to have that type of birthday. Really, what else could she say to a lady in labor?  

Of course, over the past 4 years we have made each birthday special and at his young age he really has no idea what date his birthday actually falls on. 

But, this year it was different. 

He has a birthday that's actually on the calendar so we celebrated, big time. 

It started Sunday morning with a big breakfast and a friend party at a local bounce house. This was Eli's first friend party and it was fun to see him soak in all the attention and know the party was all about him. He ran until he no longer could and ate so many sweets. 

Today we went to the movies to see Kung fu Panda 3. (Something we have been talking about for at least a month). Eli loves the other 2 movies so it worked out perfect that it was still in the theatre a month after release. He had never experienced the movie theatre before, so it was fun to see his face as the movie began. 

We were pleasantly surprised to have the entire theatre to ourselves. Keith told Eli that's probably his first and last private viewing, but it was great. It even allowed us to dance in front of the screen during the credits. 

We ended the day with Chinese food (Eli's favorite & the theme of the weekend) and family presents. 

While it was so fun to celebrate our big boy, it is sad to Keith and I ,as parents, that this day only comes once every 4 years. 

I pray that Eli will always know how special he is with or without the date on the calendar. And, as Keith said when he was born, maybe it will save us $$ in the long run 😀. 

Eli,

Happy Birthday BIG boy. You are so loved and it was amazing to celebrate you today. I look forward to seeing how you being a leap year baby will shape your character and define you in the years to come. We promise to celebrate your birthday every year and make every 4th year extra special. 

I love you so much,

Mama

Hannah at 6 months

Hannah is doing so well with her therapy. It may just be her age, or the fact that we are working with her intentionally, but she is starting to do so much more.

She is behind with her gross motor skills, but we kind of expected that. She cannot quite sit up, but she's trying hard. 

She's also found her voice. Whether her hearing aids are in or not she makes herself heard. I wish I had a video to post of just how loud she can be. Maybe next week. Here's a picture of her yelling so you can probably imagine. 

Oh sweet Hannah. We love you so and are so privileged to be your parents. You continue to amaze us everyday. 

We have noticed tightening on her left side. Please pray she will gain complete use of her left hand and left side. Right now the only thing we can know about is her hand because she's so young. 

Thank you everyone out there for praying for our girl and us. As a friend told me when we got the diagnosis "you will have high, highs and low, lows", that is certainly true. We must cling to truth and ultimately Christ. 

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

2 Corinthians 4:17

He's 3!

My baby is growing up!

From this...

To this...

We had a great weekend celebrating Eli. His spunk, determination, love, independence and head-strong-ness make him the boy I'm proud to call my son. 

Because of his love for all things cars I tried my hand at cupcake decorating. Thank goodness my mom was in town because I would have never been able to do these without an extra set of hands to help with the kids. 

My inspiration. 

The result. 

Not too bad for my first attempt. I wish I had captured Eli's expression when he first saw them, but I did get a few pics of him enjoying them. 

Eli,

Your love for life is contagious. You make everyone you come in contact with smile. I especially love seeing you with Hannah. How you encourage her to "flip" over and you join in with your Dad and I as we help her during physical therapy. It brings tears to my eyes. I know you are the brother God designed for Hannah and I look forward to watching your relationship grow. May the Lord continue to draw you close to Him so you will know Him as your personal Lord and savior early in life. 

We love you,

Mama

"Children are a gift from the LORD; 

they are a reward from him."

Psalm 127:3