CDSA

Well we had our first official visit from the CDSA on Monday October 1st.  I have to say I was a bit nervous and also excited about it all. 

When Dr. Jenny and Ms. Dana showed up they got right to interacting with Colton.  They were doing different assessments, games, specific play, and even sneaking in some loving from him.  He enjoyed playing with their new toys all the while not knowing they were actually testing his receptive and expressive language, his overall communication, fine motor, gross motor, and everything else I am forgetting.  :)  

I enjoyed answering their questions and getting to brag about my boy a bit! He did surprisingly very well without going down for a nap and I was impressed.  

Overall Colton did not show he needed any services just yet from CDSA and hopefully he will not ever.  He scored right on target or close to it for every area.  Most areas he scored like any other average 10 month old little boy and a couple areas he scored more like an 11 month old boy! Way to go C!! They did agree his hips are "loose/lax" and the way he stands could be concerning in the future, but she is going to send a copy to our orthopedist who we will see in just a couple of weeks.  So I plan to discuss those concerns with him during that appointment.

We did enroll him in the program just because he automatically qualifies due to having OI and now I have another resource to contact in case we do we feel we want another professional opinion on how he is doing later on.  Yes we have all our Duke doctors to call on but these assessments are free and even if he needed services someday the copay would be cheaper than what we pay right now for private therapy!

I have to say in talking to a friend about it earlier today and sharing our experience,  I told them overall I was so glad we did it.  It was encouraging to focus on some of the amazing things our little man is doing instead of always just worrying about what he MAY not do and what concerns we DO have.  I was encourage to hear how well they think he is doing overall and just to have a couple of hours focused on him and to see him SHINE! 

Here's to you little guy! We love you lots and are so proud of you!

4 hours...

Do you ever feel like you move through your day without actually seeing the people around you? 

There are days I feel like I have such a long list of things I want to accomplish that I just move through the day without really noticing the people I interact with at Target, the gym, the people in the grocery lines, the random person walking down our street...

Yesterday was kind of one of those days.  We have an incredibly busy next couple of weeks and so my list is long! I dropped our two older boys off at preschool and let me state, I did acknowledge their teachers and and talked to Joye as we walked in.  :)  But after that Colton and I were in GO mode... I had a list and I intended to accomplish it during the 4 hours I had while the boys were gone to preschool!

Post office - check
Target to buy random things on my list - check
Party City to check out things for B's birthday - check
ATM to deposit money - check
Lunch at Moe's with my sweet Colton - check

and the list went on...

Did I accomplish all that was on my to-do list that morning? Well yes we just about did.  I interacted with Colton and sang to him while we shopped.  I practiced waving bye bye with him and giving him "fives".  But I am not really sure I made eye contact with anyone else while I was living life during those 4 hours!

When I stop and think about it...it is not what Jesus would do.  I know Jesus would have stopped and acknowledge the people around him even if they were complete strangers and His list was long.  He would have had intentional conversations and made eye contact with them.  Everyone has a story that you come into contact with everyday and we are called to love them like Christ would love them.  Was I nasty to anyone?  NO! But did I intentionally show them love? NO! 

With God's help... I am going to work on slowing down a bit when conquering my LIST to stop and breath in the world around me.  I want to acknowledge in a deeper way the complete strangers I come into contact with on a daily basis.  I want to call people by name more than I do and recognize their presence. 

Here's to showing God's love in a more intentional way!

October

October is one of my favorite months of the year and always has been! The leaves start to turn colors, the air gets crisp, the windows are open more..and there are pumpkins, bright colors, and beautiful sunshine that fill my days.  I feel we always make more trips to the farmer's market, decorate the house for fall, and just enjoy being outside in NC!  We attend State football games, visit the pumpkin patch, finish up soccer games for the boys, the State Fair comes to town...just a ton of FUN family events! And on TOP of that list is Brayden's Birthday! Our first born son turns FIVE this month, actually in 9 days! I can't believe it and my eyes swell up with tears of joy every time I think of it.  Save those emotions for another post (if I post again anytime soon). 

Tonight I just redid our kitchen calendar and this month as I look at our calendar I feel a range of emotions.  All that happy stuff is there but along with it this year comes some heavy stuff as well.

On our calendar for this month...

* we have a visit from the CDSA for Colton.  Actually this will take place tomorrow morning.
* I go back to Duke for another assessment of my elbow and am pretty sure they are going to say I need outpatient surgery again this month.
* I am getting another Dexascan done again for the first time in years and then meet with my endocrinologist again to make a plan for my health.
* Colton goes back to Duke and we meet with an orthopedist for the first time and he will get more xrays.

But besides all the medical stuff we have going on this month...my brother-in-law is packing his bags and moving to South Korea for 3 years on October 21st.  We are excited for his new adventure and know we will get to see him from time to time, but also with the excitement comes lots of sadness.  I honestly haven't even begun to process how this will affect our family.  I know our boys will miss Uncle Jeremy a ton and so will Daniel.  I will miss having him over for dinner, feeding him, and chatting about life.  

Part of me just wants time to SLOW down because I am afraid I will miss out on taking in every moment of these joyful and emotional memories we will make this month.  I want to be in the moment and savor it all so I don't look back and wonder where the month went. 

Lord...help me to live in the moments this month.  Help me to not worry about tomorrow but just enjoy the moments you give me each day.  Help me to savor the times with family, friends, and our boys! Help us to begin to process Jeremy moving across the world and I pray you watch over him as he moves.   Lord help me give all our doctor appointments over to you, knowing you already know the outcome of each and every one of them.  Lord I pray you watch over Colton as he begins to move and enjoy all he is learning.