Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Happy Birthday, Asher Boy

Two years with our Asher!  It's hard to comprehend he has only been with us for such a short time.  It feels like he's always been a part of us, this little family.  This sweet one has captured our hearts.  I don't know when or how it happened but this toddler brings so much we didn't even know was missing until he came.  There is a peace and joy that seems to fill our home with him around.  I never understood what people were talking about when they told me what a blessing it would be to have a child with Down syndrome but I'm starting to get it.

Asher has come so far in just the last month.  He's started to stand up in the middle of the room, he's tried taking a few steps too!  His sign language has taken off.  He now uses around 30 signs on a regular basis and seems to learn new ones everyday.  We love being able to understand how his mind works and what he's thinking.  What an incredible gift!

Happy birthday, Asher!






Tuesday, January 7, 2014

A Great Christmas, A Bright New Year

I am continually so thankful for the communities I have become a part of.  It's awesome to be able to meet amazing people in the midst of struggles similar to your own.  It bonds you more than most other circumstances in life.

We have been struggling a bit financially with the responsibilities of having two boys with complicated special needs.  It's been difficult at times to fit all the puzzle pieces together and get all the resources to give our kids the best possible start to life.  Six months ago we were discussing what could be done and I had an internal nudge to ask my new on-line friends if there were any options we hadn't heard of. I heard back immediately from people in our state with options and ideas.  I called one of the ladies who had a very extensive knowledge of the process and procedures to get the ball rolling.  Her time and information were invaluable.

Right before Christmas our two youngest boys were accepted into a secondary insurance program that will cover any medical costs our primary insurance doesn't cover for very little out of our own pockets.  It also will cover mileage to the many medical appointments we got to far from home as well as some of the supplies we need that are above and beyond what a normally developing child would need.

In the process of getting them hooked up with that, Asher was accepted into a county program that assigns a social worker to him, who informed us that they still had grant money left over and, if we could get a list from his therapists, order and pay for the items before the end of the year the grant would cover the costs. So we have been able to get a number of items for Asher this Christmas that we would not have been able to afford on our own.

We are now waiting for all the paperwork to go through to see if I can be paid as a sort of medical assistant for the boys through a grant offered in our state.  It won't be a lot but it would help a lot with the month to month bills.

It's awesome how God answers prayers and has a hundred million ways to answer when we are feeling frustrated and at our wits end.  I am feeling really grateful starting this new year with bright hope and excitement to see what will happen next.