.JPG)
Noah is still having a great week. He's now just really taking one nap a day - a power nap of up to three hours at a time. Often waking to re-snuggle, or take some more of his bottle then goes back to sleep. He's also decided that he's tired of staying up until 11pm, which is fine by Chris and I, we are all for an earlier bedtime. And we have no idea what the time change will do to his day.
We've also tried other food lines this week. Not because we're unhappy with the Sprouts line, but to give Noah more variety with different food combinations. We've found three more excellent baby food lines that work excellent for his needs. Ella's Kitchen, Peter Rabbit Organics, and Revolution Foods Organic Mashups. Of course finding them has proven to be a bit challenging. I'm going to try to ask our local grocery stores to carry them, but I don't know how successful I'll be. But all of them have good textures and consistencies that Noah can handle.
Noah has also done some amazing movements this week. He now has learned to roll from his back to his tummy on his own. Of course the first time he did it I didn't get to see it, my back was turned putting laundry in, and didn't realize he had done it until I heard him squeal for assistance. I immediately had to call his grandma at work, to tell her the good news. She is Noah's number one fan, and believes in him more than another person on earth - well next to us. He's also becoming more vocal, still no words, but he's cleary trying to formulate his own sentences. His toes no longer curl under and his feet are completely flat, his legs are so lose now that he can sit in a pretzel position and diapering and clothing is very easy. Now we're trying to work on loosing up those tight back and arm muscles so that he can get things to his mouth.
Noah and I have gotten out more again this week. Although retail therapy is always great, I find myself trying harder and harder to only window shop - sometimes unsuccessfully. The urge to buy adorable things that seem to have Noah's name written all over them often gets the better of me. I notice so many different people on our daily trip adventures. I notice more people that face challenges, notice more even of the people that don't. Parents screaming to their children to "shut up" in stores, Mothers pulling their clingy children away from their legs, telling their children not to skip. I wish they really knew how much of a gift they had. Parents of normal developing children have such built in treasures they don't know it. They wish and long for things I can only dream about.
Noah and I have gotten out more again this week. Although retail therapy is always great, I find myself trying harder and harder to only window shop - sometimes unsuccessfully. The urge to buy adorable things that seem to have Noah's name written all over them often gets the better of me. I notice so many different people on our daily trip adventures. I notice more people that face challenges, notice more even of the people that don't. Parents screaming to their children to "shut up" in stores, Mothers pulling their clingy children away from their legs, telling their children not to skip. I wish they really knew how much of a gift they had. Parents of normal developing children have such built in treasures they don't know it. They wish and long for things I can only dream about.
We all have those moments where we think the grass is greener on the other side. So I always try to think maybe the other grass isn't so green. Maybe the other side is filled with dead spots and infested with chronic bugs - something my grass doesn't have. Maybe the other grass has suffered a bad winter, maybe crab grass is creeping in. Maybe my grass is okay - it just needs longer for the seeds to grow into beautiful tall blades.
I just finished reading another book, titled How We Roll, By Tim Wambach. It is a good book and worth exploring. It is a book about friendship filled with honesty and love, and overcoming all those challenges that lay ahead to "Keep on Keeping On." There is a line in the book that states: "You see, Tim, Mike isn't the only one with CP. We all have cerebral palsy." That is all too true. The whole family takes on this diagnosis, it changes our entire dynamic, our entire daily lives.
Our family has been and continues to be, so blessed with people that genuinely care about us, that come into our lives for a reason. They say that people are often a season, a reason or a lifetime in your life. And Chris and I are so thankful for each and every person that has come to lift us up. March is cerebral palsy awareness month. I think it's so very important to remember those that have such challenges. Please take a moment to view these two videos:
To be an abled body person is a tremendous gift. Not everyone is so fortunate to have a body that works so easy. I, like most, always took it for granted that I had my health. A body that had no limitations; the ability to physically walk down a street - to run in fear, to skip in delight, to throw a snowball at a sibling, or paint with a brush. Cherish what you have, remember it is a gift - a gift that others only dream of.
With love,
Stacy, Chris & Noah
.jpg)
.JPG){kind=link}