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

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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...
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A Cold but Fun October

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As I'm writing this blog post, it is currently 25 degrees outside. With the windchill, it feels more like 12 degrees. That's cold for October. Even in North Dakota! Winter definitely seems like it's here. 

Earlier this month we had a historic blizzard that dumped 13 inches of snow on Bismarck and over 2 feet of the white stuff in other parts of the state. As a result, the public schools had their first official snow day. I was ready to give Faith the day off from her lessons at home, but she still wanted to do them!
First major snowfall of the year - in October! (Thanks Mom for the pic!)
It could have been a snow day for Faith, but she still wanted to do school!

It did warm up soon after and all the snow melted but the October blizzard created quite a mess for farmers and ranchers who still had crops in the field and cows in the pasture.

I was very grateful that we didn't have to go anywhere - for school or for work. I am still freelance writing from home. Recently, I began doing some freelance work for a local company called the National Day Calendar. I currently write their articles for the international days that get observed around the world. It's been a fun change of pace and much more exciting than writing about septic systems, roofing, and other mundane subjects!

Besides homeschooling and freelance writing, Faith finally started Inspire Collective again. It's her most favorite activity in the world. She has made some of her best friends through this faith-based homeschooling group.

Faith's class learning about plant cell walls in science.

One activity was making racecars out of LEGO. Faith's car ended up being the 5th fastest out of 12 cars! I was really thinking her dad should have been there for this event, but Faith and I actually did pretty good!

Along with enjoying science and STEM, Faith also likes her history class. They are learning about one of my favorite time periods, which is the mid to late 1800's. I am thankful that she watches Little House on the Prairie, which helps with her comprehension of the subject matter. 

This past weekend, we had a momentous occasion in our household as Faith turned 16! We ended up having a party in the lobby of our building with some of her friends and neighbors. Because we had to limit the number of people, my mom came up with the idea of having a 2nd party for just the family, which will be next month.

Despite the fact we already had plenty of people on our guest list, Faith continued to invite people in our building. One day we were sitting in the lobby and a lady who had recently moved in went to check her mail. Faith said hello to her, so she came over to where we were sitting. She told us she is a nursing student. (Faith always makes connections with the caregiver types!). 

Faith ended up inviting her to her party. Not only did Faith's new friend show up, she gave Faith a very nice card with money inside. It was so incredibly sweet. Everyone who came to celebrate with Faith was so kind and generous. She received clothes, nail polish, art activity kits, gift cards, and even homemade cookies! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and neighbors.

 A few of Faith's neighbors even brought their dogs!
One of Faith's favorite families!
Chris and Faith with her beautiful birthday bouquet.
Faith blowing out her birthday candles.
She did it!!! Happy Sweet 16 Faith!

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