A Night Of Blessings

Thursday night was Ladies Night Out at First Baptist North Mobile. I was the guest singer/speaker for the event. It was a night full of blessings for me.

What a unique opportunity it was for me to share at Ladies Night Out. You see, First Baptist North Mobile is my home church. Some of the ladies present for the event have seen me "live out" the journey that I've been on. They see me and my family in all of our disfunctional-ness (I'm sure that is not a real word!) on a daily basis. They have known Victoria from birth and have prayed her through many physical struggles. So, I felt honored to be able to share with those ladies in this sort of setting.

I was also able to share with a diverse group of women. There were women present who have struggled with substance abuse, women who had children with special needs (and some brought their "special" children with them), women who had completely different struggles that sometimes carry those burdens secretly and women who had come from other churches just because they were curious about what I would say. What a blessing for me to be able to share with all of them.

I was blown away by all of the women who came up to speak to me before the event started. I saw one lady who I met a month or so ago in Springhill Hospital. When Victoria was in the hospital with pneumonia, this sweet lady was in the same unit with her 22-year-old quadriplegic son who was sick, as well. We talked and cried together in the hospital about the griefs and joys we have experienced as mothers of special needs kids. How awesome that she would want to come and hear me share my story at North Mobile.

I also saw a woman at Ladies Night Out that I met almost 2 years ago at a Breakfast For Santa event that AIDB put on for the "special" kids they serve with therapists. This lady's son, Hollis, has the same birthday as Victoria. I felt so honored that Gwen, who I've not seen in such a long time, would come hear me speak and sing. When I saw her before the event started, she was holding her son, Hollis. Let me tell you ... I almost lost it when I saw that sweet boy. My heart just swelled with joy to see that God drew this sweet woman to our church on such a special night.

Have you ever realized all of a sudden that God put you in such a unique ministry? I think I realized that on Thursday night. I was overwhelmed by God's grace and goodness to use such a broken vessel to minister to women from all walks of life. How incredible. How amazing. And, just because I'm open to share my struggles, griefs and joys with others ... it blows my mind that God can take that and bless it.

I look forward to the days ahead and pray that I will always be faithful to share with others (even on a daily basis) how God has walked with us through our "special" journey.

Physical Therapy

Victoria met with her physical therapist on Monday of this week. This is the first time that we have met with her since Christmas. Victoria has been doing so well that her therapist thought that she didn't need to come see her as often.

When Candace saw Victoria this week she was in awe of how great she was doing. She said that "Victoria has officially turned into a toddler!" She was so excited about how Victoria can walk outside (on uneven surfaces) with little or no falling. She can also walk over thresholds and other objects now with ease. It was a great visit with Candace. As a result of Victoria's wonderful progress, she has been released from her physical therapist! Candace said that Victoria's sisters are now her main source of motivation!

Victoria is a very busy girl. She is getting into everything. I even see her opening drawers that once were out of her reach. She actually pulled a hairbrush out of a drawer today and acted like she was brushing her hair. It was the cutest thing.

It is amazing to see how well Victoria is doing. She is doing several simple signs now and realizes that signing is a form of communication. She is even beginning to try to form words. She isn't just grunting anymore. I really believe that she will soon be saying things that I can somewhat understand. I think the day she says my name ... well, I'll just cry.

I am forever thankful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to see Him work in such miraculous ways on a daily basis! The thrill of seeing a special needs child achieve new things never gets old. You don't take for granted that tasks are easy for them because you know they are, in fact, a challenge. You know your "special child" works much harder than a normal kid to do the things they do. But, the thing I'm aware of so much more now is that Victoria doesn't do what she does alone. The Holy Spirit is at work in her life! I truly believe that God has done things in her body that is just plain miraculous. I credit the Lord for all that Victoria has been able to do so far and will continue to do. And, as long as God lets me hang around on this big o'l ball we call earth ... I will forever be amazed at how awesome He is!

Ladies Night Out!

Hi Ladies! If you are in the area, I wanted to let you know of an event that I'll be singing/speaking at in May of this year. The event is called Ladies Night Out. The event will be held on May 6th at 6:30pm. Dinner will be served. You can purchase tickets from First Baptist North Mobile. Contact the church at 251-679-3266 to obtain tickets.

Click on the photo above to see all of the information concerning the event! Hope to see you there!

Victoria Is 2!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Victoria Jayne!! It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone! I have enjoyed every moment of life with you and am thankful that the Lord saw fit to bring you into our lives!

You have done so many things this year that I am so proud of. You began walking, started jibber-jabbering (although we are still waiting on real words to come) and have done tons of things that have amazed your therapists! You are a miracle living right in front of our eyes!

Thank you for being so loving and such a blessing to your momma and daddy! We pray that this year is a great one for you! We love you!

She's Like Me!

Now that Victoria can walk really well, I'm letting her walk a lot on her own. She'll walk with Natalie and me from their Mom's Day Out classrooms over to the other side of the church to Elyssa's 4K classroom. The other afternoon, we were walking over to the school to check Elyssa out and saw a lady in the hallway that is no stranger to us. Her name is Kathy. She serves as a maid at the school. Kathy also has Down syndrome. She is the sister of Kim, a sweet, fellow church member. We met Kathy a little over a year ago when Elyssa started 3K.

As we were walking down the hallway, Kathy intently watched us. She especially seemed interested in Victoria. We passed by Kathy's cleaning supply room and proceeded to sign Elyssa out for the day at the school office. As we walked back to Elyssa's room we, again, passed Kathy's room. Kathy came out of her room and tapped me on the shoulder. She then said, "She's like me!" She was pointing at Victoria. She said again, "She's like me!" I replied, "Yes, she is!" Several people in the hallway passed Kathy, but not before she told them that Victoria was like her. It was the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. I almost cried. It was such a touching moment to me. I felt blessed to know that one day my little Victoria would be so sweet and innocent ... and maybe she, too, would find pride in meeting others who were made "special" like her.

Kathy walked down the hallway with us, trying to hold Victoria's hand as she walked (although, Victoria is quite independent and doesn't like to hold hands!). Kathy asked me before we left the school if she could hold Victoria. I had wished at that moment I had a camera with me to capture this moment, but I didn't. I handed Victoria to Kathy and she held her for a few seconds (as long as Victoria would let her). It was so sweet!

I told Kathy that Victoria had heart surgery just like she did when she was little. She said, "Really, she had heart surgery like me?" She was so amazed at Victoria and how much she had in common with her.

Before we left, Kathy told me, "I am Down syndrome and she is like me." And, with much joy in my heart, again, I said, "Yes, Kathy ... yes, she is!"

Snow Day!

Today it actually snowed in Alabama! Who would've ever thunk it! I dressed Elyssa and Natalie warmly and we played in the yard while the snow was pouring down. There were some really big pieces falling! It was a lot of fun! I always hope for snow each year, but it usually doesn't happen so this was a huge treat for me!

Here are a few pictures from our snow day!

The girls before we went outside! We were ready for the cold weather!

Elyssa made a little snowball!

Mark with Victoria

Natalie

A picture of our front porch. You can really see the snow coming down!

Daddy's Pants

Today my mom had several medical tests done because of some issues with her bladder. My dad took off of work so he could be with her. While at the doctor's office, he looked at my mom and said, "I must have lost some weight because these jeans feel big on me today." My mom remembered washing clothes the day before and hanging up some clothes in their closet. She told my dad that she remembered putting her jeans on yesterday and told him that they had felt small on her. Then came the moment of revelation! My mom said, "Howard, maybe I hung my jeans on your side of the closet and hung your jeans on my side of the closet!" She told my dad to go to the bathroom and check the size on the jeans he was wearing. He came back from the bathroom and sure enough ... he had on my mom's jeans! They laughed and laughed. My mom then knew that she had worn Daddy's jeans the day before and that Daddy was wearing her jeans today. They continued with their plans to go to the mall and eat out for lunch. And, all the while my dad was wearing my mom's jeans!

A Trip Outside

I know this sounds crazy, but today was the first day that Victoria has ever been able to walk in our driveway and yard in her life. She is almost 2 so this has been a long time coming.

The weather was just right for being outside today. Victoria took on the driveway and sidewalks like a pro. The grass was another story. She was quite wobbly.

Victoria's physical therapist told us when we could get her outside to walk on the grass it would help strengthen her legs even more. She has mastered walking on our level floors inside the house, but the uneven surfaces outside were more of a challenge. I'm looking forward to a little warmer weather so we can continue to let Victoria explore her yard.

We took a few pictures that I wanted to share with you. We had a great afternoon and it was encouraging to see that Victoria liked being outside so much!

Semi-Annual Evaluation

This morning was a little tough. Victoria had her semi-annual evaluation by her Early Intervention Coordinator and one of her therapists. While Victoria has done so well in her gross motor development, her speech development has not improved at all in the past 6 months. I was told that Victoria is operating at a 1-year-old level in speech right now (She will be 2-years-old in March). Even though this was very discouraging to hear, Victoria's coordinator told me it was very typical for a child to excel in one area (like Victoria's gross motor skills) and be behind in another (her speech). Maybe I'm just an emotional mom, but after Victoria's therapist and coordinator left ... I cried.

It is hard to describe how I feel. I love Victoria so much and want her to do well. And, while I'm told she is very intelligent and progressing so well ... I can't help but want her to talk. I think the day I hear her finally say "Momma" I will have a hallelujah hoe-down!

After I finally composed myself from my emotions this morning, I picked Victoria up. I held her in my arms and told her that if she never talks (or doesn't talk for a while to come) ... I still love her. I told her that I was proud of everything she has done and how thankful I was to have her in my life.

Victoria will be set up with a speech therapist soon and my prayer is that we will see her progress by leaps and bounds once she starts receiving services in that area. She is a smart little girl and I know she will eventually catch on.

She holds a very special place in my heart and even though I fall apart at times ... I wouldn't trade the life I have with her and my family for anything in the world. The Lord only draws me closer to Him through Victoria. Sometimes the drawing hurts a little, but I know it is only for my good.

Natalie Turns 3!

It is hard to believe that our Natalie Joy Messick is 3 today! She was born at Springhill Hospital on January 10th, 2007. From what I remember, she was born around lunch time. She weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was around 21 inches long.

She is such a fun little girl and we feel so blessed to have her! She has a very silly personality. Everyone who meets her just loves her. She loves to sing and she is into wearing princess gowns and shoes now. I love when she tells me that she looks "gorgeous!"

Mark and I are so thankful for our Nat Nat today (and everyday)! We love you, Natalie! You are a beautiful little girl!

Momma and Daddy