Growing Up

Victoria is now 34 1/2 months old! It is hard to believe that in March she will turn 3! At times, it feels that the almost three years we've had Victoria have flown by. Right after her birth, however, the time probably felt like it went slowly because of the transition we went through as a family.

We have seen Victoria progress in so many ways. Lately, she is really trying to communicate verbally more and more. I'm seeing her shape her mouth and tongue differently than I've ever seen her do before as she "speaks." She is exploring new sounds that her mouth can make. I've been praying more lately that God would help her in her speech and I definitely believe that my prayers are being answered.

I wanted to share a quick video showing Victoria "talking" to me tonight. I'm not always sure what she is trying to tell me, but I love that she is "speaking" with confidence and SHE knows what she wants to tell me!

Once again, I'm blown away at God's faithfulness. He has never failed to walk this faith-journey with our family!

A Dream?

I was woken up in the middle of the night by a horrible stream of screams coming from the baby monitor in Elyssa and Natalie's room. I always said that Natalie could star in a horror flick as a star screamer and this middle-of-the-night episode confirmed that once again. Natalie was screaming and crying. I waited for a few seconds to see if she would calm herself down in case she was having a bad dream. She didn't, so I slowly woke myself up enough to crawl out of bed to head toward her room. Once I got to her room, I kneeled down by her bed and gently placed my hand on her shoulder in hopes to calm her. I asked her in a soft voice, "Natalie, are you okay?" Immediately, she responded very passionately ... "I WANT CHINESE!!"

Go figure!

The only thing I can come up with is that maybe Natalie was dreaming that we were at the mall and she was wanting to eat at the Chinese restaurant there. Needless to say, she gave me a good laugh although she woke me up from a very deep sleep!

The Playground

I had just picked up Victoria from Mom's Day Out (at our church) and we walked over to our church's Christian School to wait for Elyssa and Natalie to get out for the day. Since we had some time to kill, Victoria and I went out onto a small playground that is right beside the school building so Victoria could play a little. Kathy, one of the the custodial staff at the school who just happens to have Downs, must have seen me and Victoria on the playground through the double-glass doors. She came out to the chain-length fence and said "hey" to us. Kathy LOVES to see Victoria (see my previous blog titled "She's Like Me" to get the full story on Kathy and Victoria's encounters). I walked Victoria over and told her to wave at Kathy. She blew her a kiss instead! Victoria went on playing and I stayed by the fence to talk to Kathy.

I was amazed at the depth of the conversation between Kathy and me during those few moments we talked. Kathy told me that she understood how I felt. She said that her mom went through the same things with her that I have gone through with Victoria. She said that her mom had therapists come to her house to work with her when she was little, too. She told me that she can do more than a lot of Downs folks can. She said she can hold a job and has for many years now. She said some "DS" people cannot do all that she can do. I told her that I knew that. I asked her if she was as active as Victoria when she was little. She laughed and said she probably was.

Next, she asked me something that I had to ask her to repeat. She speaks very clearly ... so it wasn't that I didn't understand what she said. I was just taken back by her question. She asked me what I thought of Victoria since she has Down syndrome. Can you imagine? A 30-year-old woman with Downs asking me how I felt about my own daughter because of her disability! I almost cried. I knew how, at one point when Victoria was first born, I felt sad to have a special needs child. I knew that I had grieved over having a child that was "different." I thought back to all of those emotional times as I thought through how to answer Kathy's question. I couldn't bring myself to tell Kathy about all of the thoughts I struggled through in those beginning days. But, Kathy's question made things come full circle for me. It made ME wonder ... how did Kathy feel knowing she was different as she was growing up? What types of emotions and thoughts did she or does she have about being a special needs child/adult? It made me realize, again, that I need to always be sure I build ALL of my children up with encouragement, even my special little girl. So ... after a ton of things flooded through my mind, I answered her. I said, "Well, I think Victoria is pretty special." I told her that I love her and know that she is a big blessing to our family.

It was a real ironic moment. I think God has allowed our family to have contact with Kathy to see all that Victoria CAN do. Not what she CAN'T do! I think the thing that I always have to remember on this journey is to push Victoria to be all she can be. I want to treat her as "normal" as possible. I want her to accomplish much in her life. I don't ever want her to make excuses for herself just because she has Down syndrome (and I don't ever think that will actually happen because our little girl is SO determined!).

I think I will be blown away by all that Victoria will accomplish in her lifetime. And, I know that I always want her to feel loved and treasured. I want to help her reach her goals and see great things for her life.

Nice in Nevada!

Mark and I had such a great time at Green Valley Baptist Church in Nevada last weekend. Saturday, November 20th, I had the opportunity to sing and speak to the women at their Holiday Tea. It is always a blessing to hear the responses of women after I share of God's faithfulness in my life, even in the midst of difficult and life-changing circumstances!

On Sunday, I had the privilege to do a mini-concert in the three morning worship services. Dave Simpson, the Worship Pastor, wanted me to share a word of testimony that morning, as well, and requested that I share my song and video, "She Is God's Child." There were many sweet tears and many encouraged hearts that morning.

And, a very special moment that morning was when I was able to sing with Dave and his wife, Annette. We all were on staff at the same church at one time and sang together a lot during those years. So, we pulled out one of our favorite trio songs, "When He Comes Down." It was a powerful time of worship! (The photo you see of us here was taken during our rehearsal time on Saturday afternoon.)

Mark and I toured some of the area and enjoyed our time away. No trip is complete without a visit to Hoover Dam and Graceland Wedding Chapel to see Elvis!

Thanks again, Dave and Annette, for letting us come share with your church and for being such wonderful tour guides! We had a great time!

Elvis Lives On!

Mark and I are enjoying time in Las Vegas this weekend with our wonderful friends, Dave and Annette Simpson. Dave is the Worship Pastor at Green Valley Baptist Church in Henderson, NV. I was blessed to speak and sing at the ladies' Holiday Tea and do a mini-concert on Sunday morning in all three of their worship services.

Dave and Annette have been showing us the town. One of the highlights of our trip has been to visit the Graceland Wedding Chapel on Las Vegas Boulevard. A member of Dave's church, Brendan Paul, owns the chapel and impersonates Elvis there. We had the best time meeting Brendan today! He put his Elvis outfit on for us and sang a song especially for Mark.

Take a look! I think this will make your day!

Sunday Singin' and Talkin'!!

Victoria did a great job "singing" some songs for me (signing them while I sang them) and saying a few things for me tonight. Just wanted to share these cute videos with all of you!

"She Is God's Child" Uploaded!

A new version of my video song "She Is God's Child" has been uploaded to YouTube (www.youtube.com) and Vimeo (www.vimeo.com). Just type in the title "She Is God's Child" and it will bring it right up for you! Please share it with your family and friends!

The Walmart Walk

After I picked up Victoria from Mom's Day Out yesterday, I thought we might have a few minutes to take a quick trip to Walmart to grab a few items I had on a small grocery list. I loaded Victoria into the van and we went just a mile or less down the road to our local Walmart. It is sad, but Victoria KNOWS when we are getting close to Walmart. She begins to grunt to make sure I know that she KNOWS we are close to "Wally-World." She expects me to turn into the entrance and if I don't, well ... she grunts in contempt that I'm passing up one of her favorite places to visit!

As I turned into the entrance of Walmart, I began to realize that I, in fact, didn't have time to get everything on my list and began to turn around in the parking lot, opting to visit Walmart the next day. Victoria realized that I was moving further away from the store entrance and began grunting in protest. I giggled after hearing her "voice" her opinion! I decided to just go in through the garden center and only get two of the items on my list since I needed to pick my other two girls up from school shortly. At least Victoria would be able to make a quick trip in to get "Walmart" out of her system!

I usually plop Victoria in the seat of a buggy so I can keep up with her easily in the store. She can walk VERY well now and could definitely handle walking all over that store, but there is no way I could get any shopping done. On this day, however, I decided since I only would get a few items from my list ... I thought I'd let her walk through the store with me, holding my hand. I've not ever done this before, mind you! Victoria was so giddy as she walked through the store with me! It was quite funny. She would laugh and run in place because she was so excited. She felt like such a "big girl." She waved at every single person that crossed our path and talked to almost every one of those folks. Of course, everyone laughed or smiled at how cute she was and waved back at her.

I remember when Victoria was a newborn. One of the things that I grieved over was the thought that we would now be a family that folks stare at when we walk into Walmart or some public place because we have a child that looks different. Yesterday, as we walked through Walmart, I felt such joy holding Victoria's hand. I felt proud to be her momma. I bubbled up inside seeing her bring smiles to those around her. And, I felt blessed. Blessed to know that God has given me and my family such a special gift.

With every passing day and every trip to a public place ... I come to treasure those moments. I think, "What in the world was I grieving over??" I now look forward to the times that Victoria gets special attention from strangers we meet. I realize that God uses those moments to minister to people around us. Not only can my "special" little girl bring smiles to passers by, but it gives me and my family an open door to show those around us a little of God's love.

I'm so thankful that God continues to disprove all the myths I had looming in my head about raising a child with special needs. And, I'm glad that anytime I have a bad day ... I can grab Victoria up and drive to Walmart to take a walk (without buying a single thing) ... and I'll feel better by the time we walk out the door to go home!

Buddy Walking with Victoria

What a beautiful day it was for a Buddy Walk at Hank Aaron Stadium with our precious little Victoria! There were hundreds of folks in attendance and we all walked in honor of someone special in our lives.

I remember being nervous about going to the Buddy Walk last year. It was the first time I had ever attended that event. It was also the first time I had been around so many folks with Down syndrome in my life. I think I was nervous about seeing what Victoria might grow up to be like. It was another event that caused me to remember that my child was not "normal" and that she, indeed, had special needs.

This year, however, I was excited to be a part of such a lovely event. God has really softened my heart towards special needs individuals and their families. I realize that all of us parents just want our kids to be accepted and loved. There was such a moving moment for me during this year's Buddy Walk. As we rounded the field ending our first lap and beginning on our second, there were volunteers that were lined up along the sidelines clapping and cheering on all of the walkers. I had signs that we held up that said, "Walking in honor of Victoria Jayne." The volunteers read the signs and cheered for Victoria. They said, "Yeah, Victoria! Go Victoria! Great job, Victoria!" I about lost it. I realized that they were doing what I pray that people will do for Victoria every day of her life. They were cheering her on and supporting her. What a powerful picture of acceptance! That is all the parent of a special needs child wants ... for their child to be loved, encouraged and embraced.

I cannot tell you the love I felt toward all the little Downs kids I saw. I just wanted to hug them all! And, on top of that ... I wanted to hug all of the parents and let them know how special they are to love their kids the way they do!

This is an interesting journey I'm on and I'm enjoying it more and more every day. I realize that I've changed in the process. In walking down this path of faith, God has given me an even greater desire to minister to those who find themselves in situations that they would've never dreamed up for themselves. Maybe they are not sure why they have been placed where they are, but friends, God has a wonderful plan! They may not always see the hope in that plan, but it IS there! And, my prayer is that all of us are brought closer into a "real" relationship with our Lord because of our journeys!

Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I KNOW the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope!'"

Jesus Loves Me!

Victoria recently surprised Mark and me when we were eating lunch after church one Sunday. Mark was asking Elyssa and Natalie some of the things they learned in Sunday School. The "Bible Point" they were taught that day was that "God Loves Me." Mark quoted the "God Loves ..." part and wanted them to fill in the word, "Me." Well, as soon as Mark could get the words out of his mouth, Victoria blurted out (in her own way), "Me" and pointed to herself. I was blown away. I guess I didn't realize that she had learned that in her Sunday School class, too. We had never heard her say, "me" before so it was such a fun moment for us! You just never know what even your "special" little kids pick up! I felt so proud of her! She's a smart little cookie!

I recorded Victoria while I sang "Jesus Loves Me" the other day and wanted to share this cute video with you. If this doesn't bless your heart ... well, I don't know what will! (Also note her sign language of "Jesus" in the song.)