1.21.14 Daily Miraculous

We so often pray for the miracle that we ignore the daily occurrences, which are simply miraculous themselves. A taste of divine is as pure, as unexpected, as gloriously undeserved as a bowlful.

I've shared with you some of the ways we have been blessed recently, but there is daily more to share. Aimee's appointments have gone well this past few months and we have made great progress in her health. It is a delight to see her relaxed and smiling so often again!

This week we began the process of rewriting Aimee's IEP for her upcoming 5th birthday. Originally I would dread these meetings. It felt as if all the focus was on Aimee's inabilities. Setting new goals only reminded me of what Aimee was missing. Now I find this process to be one of the most encouraging parts of the year.

On Wednesday, Aimee's teacher and I sat on the floor of my living room and reviewed this past year. Each tiny skill that a child can do is highlighted on the page. Even though we are marking skills that are even far in the past for baby Elliot, it is very satisfying to see progress. If her teacher merely asked me what Aimee has learned this year, I would have a difficult time seeing improvement. Instead, as we had in front of us the gross motor skills from last year with only two highlighted skills, we were able to add five more that Aimee has acquired since then. She can now bring her hands together to midline. When an object or person is in that sweet spot right in front of her chest, she can reach out with both hands and grasp it/them. She is able to hold onto some objects, like a tube or hand, for multiple seconds. In her vision therapy we have also seen her excel. She is even beginning to look to her right side.

Sweet cousin Lily playing with Aimee and her vision therapy light box.

Aimee loves the snowman!

Even Caleb gives it a thumbs up!

I am thankful that three or four years ago I did not know what type of goals we would now be setting. Around her first birthday the goals we set were hopeful and desperate. We wished that she would be able to move about the house. We hoped that she would be able to sit up on her own. We worried that she would not be able to walk by her next birthday. How silly it all sounds now. Our goals for this past year were that she would be able to reach out and touch someone else, that she would begin to build relationship with peers, and that she would broaden her range of expressed emotions. Even these may have been only met in a minute way, yet progress, movement towards wholeness is still miraculous. We can still feel the glimpse of Aimee inside moving towards outer expression.

Another miracle this past week came as an unexpected gift from Aimee's dear Nana and Papa DeVoe. As I have detailed many times, Aimee has had an increasingly difficult time sleeping. We find that she will sleep when we hold her or bring her into our own bed, but I was getting very little sleep and Aimee wasn't able to use her bipap. We heard about weighted blankets for individuals with disorders ranging from sensory processing, autism, dementia, anxiety, ect. It seemed like the deep pressure stimulation might mimic the effect of being held and provide Aimee with that secure feeling that allows her to sleep. Not knowing for sure and seeing the cost of the blankets, we added it to the 'someday for Aimee' list and her Christmas wish list. What an exciting surprise to receive one in the mail for her this last week! Aimee had been crying when she wasn't held for nearly 6 hours up until bedtime that day. A true test for the new blanket. Almost immediately after laying her bed, covering her with the weighted blanket, and bundling her with the warm shearling blanket from her Grandma Starla, Aimee fell into a deep sleep and did not wake up all night long. We were shocked. Since that night, she has only woken up a few times during the night, been awake through one night, and only cried to be held twice. She seems well rested most mornings, although quite stiff from laying still for so long.

Aimee's new blankie

We are really excited and hopeful that this blanket combined with her new bed, her bundling blanket, her bipap, and the melatonin will keep her warm, secure, and asleep through the night for many nights going forward!

Wait! There's more! :)

Another miracle this week came from my dear sister Jen and brother Isaac. Our incredibly generous church family gave money and supplies for making food for Aimee and for us. Jen and Isaac then tripled the value of these gifts by making an enormous number of meals. Really enormous. Take the amount you picture and then look at this:

For real.

It isn't even all of it. When we realized how many completely made meals we getting we had no idea how to store it all. To top off the over-the-top blessing, we were given this freezer from an amazing family in our church. This whole freezer is full of food for Aimee and for us. And yet, truly, there is more of it in the house freezer. Serious. This is one of the biggest blessings we have ever been given.

It would be impossible for me to describe the tension that been lifted from our shoulders and the depression that has decreased in my heart this past week. We have been loved and blessed and encouraged beyond what we even could have asked. A beautiful taste of heaven in our home!

Every day is miraculous.