Sometimes it's just the little things...

This past week has been one full of reflection and thanksgiving. Last Friday marked the 1 year anniversary post surgery. It really got me thinking; this year has gone by so fast and we have really been able to see some amazing progress in Karter.

This past 12 months has been full of new things for Karter. Moments that are all worth celebrating in a major way. Each thing leaving our hearts full of such hope and faith. Yes, our road may have been long and it continues to stretch before us, but with every milestone come an overwhelming assurance that we will get there. Although it may not be fast, slow and steady is just fine with me.

You know, although each little detail of Karter's progress may not seem like a lot to some, to us, the little things are huge leaps forward. Last week he drank from three different sippy cups; all without any major fuss. We have been using the same silicon sippy/bottle cup for almost three years. Karter would cry uncontrollably if I tired anything else. This past week, Paige was playing with him and she went to the cupboard and pulled out a cup that I had bought over a year ago. She filled it with water and fed it to him. I was out, but when I returned she had told me she gave Karter water because he was thirsty. When she showed me the cup, I said to her "Oh but Karter won't drink out of that cup" to which she told me "yes Mom, he can". I did not really think he did, so I thought I would try. Sure enough, he drank the entire cup of milk with no complaint. WOW! The next day, just for fun, I tried a different cup...no fuss with that one either. WOW! One major step forward.

Karter has a visit from the Occupational Therapist this past week. If I am honest with you, I used to dread those visits. When Karter first started seeing her about 18 months ago, it felt like everything she had to say was so negative and gloomy. He was not able to process food very well, he was at danger of aspirating, he had bad gargly sounds...on and on...it was pretty discouraging. The past two visits has been so much more encouraging.

Karter is chewing on harder foods that dissolve. He is also moving them from the centre of his mouth to his molars (although the process is slow) which is the first stage of chewing and swallowing. She sat there and told me how 'amazed' she was. How Karter continues to impress her and how very well he is doing. No more doom and gloom, only encouragement in his progress. We are currently working towards self feeding. Something in her opinion he will do one day. Yes, the process needs a lot of repetition and teaching from us, but one day, Karter will no longer need us for his feeding! What a great goal to work towards!

Other great things Karter is working on right now is bearing weight on his legs and pushing backwards in his walker. He works very hard at preschool, with Kelly, on this. When he is not in his walker, he will stand up, bearing weight on his legs with our help. We are so proud of him!

By far, the greatest thing that we notice in Karter is his ability to concentrate and participate in life. His smile radiates his face and those around him. His giggle...well infectious is an understatement. Karter's personality has shone through and we are loving getting to know who he is. What a precious gift and an amazing blessing.

Karter has gone from having 5 seizures a day, pre-surgery, to having an odd seizure while he sleeps from time to time. This change is an obvious contributor to his progress. I look forward to seeing what is in store for the coming months. We are so thankful and grateful for all the things we see each day. We continue to trust that God has our best at heart and that He is good in all things. We wait in expectancy to see how He will unfold Karter's future and rest in the assurance that good things are in store.

Preschool Fine Arts

At the end of each month, Karter's preschool does a small showing of what they have learned each month. They sing some songs and put on a performance for the parents, in the last 15 minutes of class.

Here are a couple of pictures of Karter with his class.

Fall is flying by

I feel like I start every post by commenting on how fast the time is going. But truly, I am in awe of how quickly the weeks and months go by.

I always love September for its new schedules and new activities. This September was no different. Karter settled into preschool really well. He has a new one to one support named Kelly, who is simply amazing.

We set Karter's goals for preschool in our summer meetings. So as soon as classes finally started in full swing, everything was in place. Karter spends the first part of every class practicing in his walker. After meeting with the physiotherapist half way through September, it was determined that we would work on the skill of pushing backwards rather than moving forwards. This is the natural progression of skill for a typical child when learning to move and walk in a walker. Karter is doing VERY well. He is now independently moving about 8 feet backwards. It takes time and it is tiring, but he is doing amazing; we are so proud of him.

Socially, Karter is fitting in very well with the kids in the class. They are all so loving and inclusive of Karter. There are children that are constantly helping him with his artwork or bringing toys to his tray to play with. One part of the class, Kelly lets Karter lay on his back while she reads him a book. The other children all join in because they think this is so fun. It is actually pretty cute, Karter and Kelly cross their leg over their knee and all the other children have joined in to do it as well. And then Kelly will make Karter cross the other leg over and all the kids will switch too!



In addition to preschool three mornings a week, Karter is riding again this year. In the Spring session, Karter cried for the full 30 minutes every time we went. This session, he has done so well. There have been very few complaints. He is even riding without the pillow support around him. They have started him on a bareback saddle and he seems to do really well. He especially loves it when they ride outside the arena. Sandy, his physiotherapist, has even said there have been smiles and the giggles at times. Here are a couple of pics of him riding.





We are so excited for this year. Karter has shown us that he can continue to overcome adverse situations and move towards great things. One of the things I pray each day before he goes to preschool or riding, is that his infectious joy is what people see and notice in him. His amazing giggle and smile that we see at home all the time; the one that warms you right to the core of your soul. At our meeting last week with all his therapists and support team a comment was made that he is much more happy this year. That they noticed how many more smiles he was having and how much laughter they heard. That touched me so much.

I am always reminded that it is not how fast you get there but rather that you arrive. Time never concerns me. I just live in the promise that we will get there someday!

I am going to leave you with a couple of the great pics we had taken at our family photo shoot a month ago.

I think I might have to get this book...

Just happened to catch part of this as I was getting the kids ready this morning.

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Time For Walking....

Today Karter's walker arrived! We had it fitted this morning and Karter spent some time in it then and after lunch. There were far less tears this time as there were when we first tried it out two months ago. We have had a demo model on loan for the past two months and Karter has been using it almost daily since.

Although he is not booting around the house on his own YET, we are really proud of his accomplishments. Right now, we are focusing on standing and weight baring, of which he is doing very well. Generally, I put on his favorite show and lock the walker in position so that he can bare weight on his feet and through his hips. He has worked his way up to about 15 minutes before he gets upset.

When the walker is not locked, he will push himself backwards with his feet. This has improved greatly since his orthotics arrived. They allow him to not drag his feet or turn them under when standing - they have made a world of difference.

Karter will be taking his walker to preschool with him. This will allow him to participate in activities such as the water table, standing in circle time and outdoor play. We are really excited about that for him.

Ever since the first day of preschool, I told his teacher that our goal was for him to walk across the stage at graduation. That is what we are working towards. Assisted, unassisted, backwards or forwards, we are working on that special walk at the end of the year.

I wanted to share something with you. This morning I had a dream. We were somewhere very public. The entire family was there as was his Supported Childcare team (physio therapist, Childcare consultant and various others on his team) At one point Karter was in his walker. We were trying to get him to stand and he was doing well. For some reason, I had left him for a moment with his team. I came back and he was standing on his own. I left again and came back and they were looking for him - he had decided that he was going to walk. He got up and that was it, he had made the decision and was walking. I remember thinking "I knew it was only a matter of time". I woke up smiling and thinking that it was no coincidence that I dreamt that the morning I knew his walker was arriving. I am always thankful for the little reminders that "it is only a matter of time". How much, we are not to question but the assurance is there that it WILL happen.

Karter's 4th Birthday

We celebrated Karter's birthday 'Mickey-style'. It was a beautiful warm afternoon and we were so blessed to have our closest friends and family join us to celebrate Karter. This year has been one worth celebrating!

The menu for the kids included Mickey shaped chicken nuggets, fries, veggies and for dessert Mickey cupcakes and for the adults chicken and various salads. The kids played in the bouncy castle (care of J & K) ran through the sprinkler, enjoyed water guns and of course the Mickey pinata. It was a hit for all the kids and we were thrilled to spend time together with everyone.

Here are a few pictures of the festivities

 

 

 

To my precious Karter:

As I say to you all the time, you are such an inspiration. Your ability to overcome adverse situations is commendable. You go with the flow and you smile all the way through it. Your infectious laugh brings us to tears and your courage is something not many people have. You are an over comer and this year has been a big one to overcome. You faced neuro-surgery for the second time and astounded us with how well you did. We have deemed this year one of 'celebration and expectation' and little man, you blow our minds daily with what you have accomplished.

The favor that rests on you is something that can only be explained as God given. Although you have never spoke one word, just who you are has spoken louder than a 1000 words. You are so loved by so many and you are in the prayers of people all over the world. As your parents we could not be more proud to call you our son. We love you so much and we look forward to the next year ahead.

Our prayer is that we see you accomplish things far beyond the realm of normal! You have been equipped by the Lord with all you need to succeed and we are excited to sit on the sidelines supporting you and cheering you on as you accomplish great things. I love you Karter James. Thank you for coming into our lives 4 years ago and making us into the people we are today. You are one in a million!

Depending

I found this article this week and it was such a nice reminder for me.

Prov 16:3 Dependence upon God yields Success.
Prov 16:3 (KJV) Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
Prov 16:3 (NIV) Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Prov 16:3 (NCV) Depend on the LORD in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

"Commit" (16:3) literally means "roll." It calls the reader to roll his burdens onto the Lord's shoulders; they are not too great for him. [New Bible Companion]

Lay the matter before him by prayer. (Matthew Henry's Commentary)

When a man recognizes his own need and turns to the Lord for guidance and help in every act and decision, then the powers of heaven come to his aid and enable him to carry out the decisions reached under the influence of the Holy Spirit. [SDA Commentary]

There are different ways to fail to commit whatever we do to the Lord. Some people commit their work only superficially. They say the project is being done for the Lord, but in reality they are doing it for themselves. Others give God temporary control of their interests, only to take control back the moment things stop going the way they expect.

Still others commit a task fully to the Lord, but put forth no effort themselves, and then they wonder why they do not succeed. We must maintain a delicate balance: trusting God as if everything depended on him, while working as if everything depended on us. Think of a specific effort in which you are involved right now. Have you committed it to the Lord? [Life Application SB]

When we want God's direction, there are no halfway measures. There will be times when we slip back, stumble and sin. These times grow fewer as we seek and gain His direction. Progress comes when we place our full confidence, our will and intellect, in the Lord. Does this mean God wants us to stop thinking, stop being individuals, become a robot? God forbid! He doesn't expect us to short circuit our own mind. He just tells us not to go to that understanding with the wrong assumptions. It is simple. Place your confidence in God, wholly, on a matter. (To do so, you will have to pray and search His word to find out what it has to say on that matter.) This is putting our thoughts before the Lord and His Word. As we do this, He will give us the direction we need. Decide today to pay due respect to God in all that is done. He will direct decisions, judgments, and actions. And we can count on growing in our walk with Him. [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]

Dependence is something that does not come naturally to me but it is something that I am learning. In the past years, we have had to depend on God for many things. When it comes to Karter, we have been able to look back and see how there has never been lack for anything that he has ever needed. We depend solidly that God will provide. Not just for Karter’s health needs but also for the equipment and other things that he requires. Not only has Karter never gone without what he has needed, but more than, the best has always been provided for him.

We have been praying about how to acquire the extra money to pay for the walker that we had selected for Karter. It is a substantial amount of money, far above what we could “just cover” out of pocket. Believing that Karter would have that walker that we chose for him, we continued to pray and look for ways to find the extra funds.

This week, someone contacted me to tell me that they were sending the money we needed to cover to amount for Karter’s walker. As they shared with me, I went to tears. I had no words to express my gratefulness, I was absolutely floored. As the day went on I was so humbled by the fact that once again provision was made for the things that Karter needed. He does not live in lack but in blessing. God knew when he gave Karter to us that provision would be made for him and He proves that time and again. So we continue to depend and He continues to provide and show success for our plans. I will leave you with the last part of the article:

Dear Child,

I watch you labouring and fretting and anxiously striving to achieve things for me and my kingdom. Hear me. Your work is not my primary concern. Your work is now, has always been, and always will be secondary to your relationship with me. What you do will flow out of your relationship with me as irrigation streams flow out of a deep, clear, powerful river. The river (the relationship) will set your motives and supply your strength. Then your work will flow forth to honor me. Any time you allow your work to come ahead of your relationship with me, you risk working against me and my purposes.

Draw near to me and rest. Seek my will at every small turn. Listen for my voice. Be filled with my Spirit. Then work with joy and abandon!

The Source of your power, God