Faith's Blended Diet and Other Things that Help with Her Digestion

-
Image
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases.  Learn more.   Ever since Faith was born, she has struggled with her digestion. When she was in the NICU, she would spit up after eating even the tiniest amount of formula. Her dad and I were convinced her tummy was too small to handle large volumes of food. Sometimes when she ate, her heart rate would drop really low, which is why she needed to be in the NICU for longer. She just could not get the hang of eating and breathing at the same time!  Faith receiving food through an NG tube in the NICU.  Grandma giving Faith a bottle when she was 2 months old.  After finally bringing her home, eating continued to be an issue as she struggled with severe reflux and constipation. We tried various formulas, but she was never able to drink enough formula to gain a lot of weight. She also had trouble burping, and she...
2 comments

Reflecting on These Past Ten Years

-
As all of the Fourth of July celebrations are coming to a close, I am still thinking about that one Fourth of July that happened ten years ago.

It was around this time back in 2004 that we made the move from our home in Watford City to the Bismarck-Mandan area. I will never forget our first Fourth of July in Mandan. Due to getting moved in to our apartment, we didn't take in any of the celebrations. As we were still putting stuff away late into the night, I opened up the curtains and to my pleasant surprise, saw fireworks going off in the sky. 

“Look!” I exclaimed to Rob, “We can see the fireworks from here!” 

He picked up Faith and lifted her to the window so she could see too. We couldn't have known it then but in our next ten years here, we would be experiencing fireworks of many kinds - some bright and beautiful and others complete duds!

Faith playing in our first apartment

After living in Mandan and driving Faith back and forth into Bismarck for all of her appointments, we found another apartment right on seventh street close to the clinic that she needed to go several times during the week. This made things so much easier for us as Rob could simply walk Faith to all of her appointments, even in the colder weather.

Faith depended on a KidKart for her mobility at that time and it was relatively easy getting her and the Kart up and down the stairs. First, we would take Faith out, bring her upstairs then take apart her Kid Kart and bring up the base and then the seating system, although Rob could get it up and down the stairs in one trip.
Faith in her Kid Kart

When she graduated to her first “real” wheelchair, even though the seat came off the base, it was quite cumbersome to get up and down the stairs. Not to mention, carrying her up and down was getting difficult for me, the more she grew. God provided for us once again and the spring before starting kindergarten, we found an accessible place to live right next door to an elementary school.

In reflecting back on these past ten years, while we have faced many challenges and difficult situations, we have also been abundantly blessed. God has brought so many wonderful people into our lives these past ten years, and it has been these connections that have helped us through some of the storms of life. 

Faith hanging out on the balcony

We will forever be grateful for the prayer warriors at the Healing Rooms, which is also one of the reasons we felt God was making a way for us to move here. A group of ladies I am especially thankful for are the women in JOY who have provided companionship, prayer, encouragement and a wonderful ministry for which to involve myself.

These past couple of years, we have also been extremely thankful for our church family at New Life. What a huge blessing Pastor Marc and his family have been to us along with our wonderful church friends. We have grown especially close to our little group at the Redefinition Cafe Service or the "quiet" service as Faith calls it. We have learned so much about God’s word in just these past couple of years and Faith has grown spiritually as well.

Faith hanging out with some pretty incredible people at a church picnic

Besides the spiritual family we have gained, most of my “real” family now lives in Bismarck too. I would have never thought when we made the move ten years ago, my brother and his wife would follow three years later. And then just a couple of years ago, my sister and her kids and my parents all moved here too!

As the fireworks, the parades, the barbecues and all of the excitement of the Fourth begins to fizzle out, I am grateful for the Lord’s provision and am looking forward to all He has in store the next ten years!

We are so thankful to have this amazing lady in our life who has helped us a lot with Faith. 

Faith and her auntie having fun together this year on the 4th

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Guest Post: Who Needs Sympathy?

-
Image
Guest Post by Stephen Gallup Last week, a columnist for the local newspaper interviewed me in connection with a memoir I wrote that’s being published this year. It was a comfortable, low-key discussion in which he asked about the basic facts regarding my disabled son Joseph and what I’ve learned that might be of value to other families. It was the sort of dialog that required no special preparation in advance. I just sat down with him and talked about the subject closest to my heart. But looking back on it now, one thing bothers me. In concluding the interview, the reporter expressed heartfelt sympathy for everything I’ve endured. He was being more than polite. I mean, he laid the compassion on with a spatula. Startled, and already thinking ahead to what I had to do next that day, I just thanked him and said goodbye. But now that final note troubles me. I don’t want sympathy! First of all, from the point of view of a new author hoping to promote his book, sympathy...
Read more

Our Review of Wheel of Fortune: The New Era

-
Image
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases.  Learn more.   Last year, when I heard the news that Pat Sajak was retiring from Wheel of Fortune , I knew I better prepare Faith. When season 41 began, I told her, "This is Pat's last season. Next year, there will be a new host."  Faith likes Vanna but loves Pat!  Faith and I have faithfully watched Wheel of Fortune every night since she was about 5 years old. It's how she learned that AEIOU were vowels. The show was also a great way to reinforce the rest of the alphabet. Counting was reinforced, too. When Vanna turned the letters, she counted how many T's, N's, or other letters there were.  She also learned some geography skills with the different trips they gave away. Upon winning a trip to Aruba, she would ask, "Where's that?" Sometimes I honestly didn't know and had to loo...
Read more

Faith's Blended Diet and Other Things that Help with Her Digestion

-
Image
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases.  Learn more.   Ever since Faith was born, she has struggled with her digestion. When she was in the NICU, she would spit up after eating even the tiniest amount of formula. Her dad and I were convinced her tummy was too small to handle large volumes of food. Sometimes when she ate, her heart rate would drop really low, which is why she needed to be in the NICU for longer. She just could not get the hang of eating and breathing at the same time!  Faith receiving food through an NG tube in the NICU.  Grandma giving Faith a bottle when she was 2 months old.  After finally bringing her home, eating continued to be an issue as she struggled with severe reflux and constipation. We tried various formulas, but she was never able to drink enough formula to gain a lot of weight. She also had trouble burping, and she...
Read more

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Reflecting On Our Journey So Far

-
Image
Did you know there are 1 million people in the United States who have cerebral palsy? I guess that means Faith truly is one in a million!  Faith was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was six months old. Prior to that, she had been given the diagnosis of Periventricular Leukomalacia  (PVL). During her premature birth, there was a lack of oxygen to her brain, which resulted in damage to the white matter, or inner part of her brain.  I will never forget receiving that news. Faith's Dad and I were told that nobody knew what the long-term effects of PVL would look like for her. All I could do was stare at my tiny daughter lying in her isolette, hooked up to all kinds of tubes and lines, and choose to believe she would be okay.  Faith in the NICU a few days after she was born. After over 70 days in the NICU, we finally took her home to Watford City. There, she would receive regular visits from an Early Intervention team who would assess her and ensure that she met al...
Read more