A Not So Fun 4th and Tough Week for Faith

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The other day Faith and I were standing in line at the pharmacy, and someone asked her, "How was your 4th of July?" She responded quite honestly, "Terrible!"  Yes, it was definitely not a very fun 4th. In fact, this whole week has been one challenge after another. The only thing we really did for the 4th was go to Art in the Park in Mandan, which was last Friday. Faith found a new tie-dye t-shirt, and I enjoyed a yummy root beer float.  Art in the Park in Mandan on the 3rd I had actually gone with the goal of getting an Indian taco, but it was so humid, I didn't feel like eating anything hot. Because it was so warm, we only stayed for an hour before heading back to Bismarck. That night, I noticed that Faith seemed uncomfortable in her chair, almost like she was having pain. She told me she needed to get out and lie down. I thought maybe being out in the high humidity had been too much for her or that she was having muscle spasms. After she lay down for a bit...
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Singing Her Heart Out

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I will never forget one of Faith's first programs ever. It was during her preschool days, and she was tense and nervous the whole time, startling every time someone clapped. She really didn't look like she was having much fun. 

Then she began to gag, and I knew if I didn't do something, she would throw up all over the place. I bolted towards her, grabbed her out of the chair and hurried into the bathroom with her. I didn't have her venting tube with me but her aide brought me her feeding tube so I could at least try to get air out of her tummy so that she wouldn't throw up. Thankfully, it worked.

In kindergarten, Faith didn't have any near throw-ups during a program, but she still continued to be stiff and nervous and startled when everyone clapped. It was a little hard to watch and I wondered if sticking her in front of a large audience just to be in a school program was the right thing to do. There were times both me and her dad wanted to run up and rescue her.

With a little help from her music teacher, Faith even said her two lines!

Last night was different. Maybe Faith has gained confidence or maybe she is just much more comfortable doing things with her classmates. Whatever it was, I could not stop smiling as I watched her sing along to the songs. 

Some words she sang so loud that we could hear her voice and when the audience clapped, she barely flinched. It's a wonderful change and I know as she continues to grow and mature, she will continue to amaze us not only at school programs, but in everything she does.

Check out the video below and watch her sing part of "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." 


 


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