Monday, August 8, 2005

This has been a week of changes and accomplishments. It has been a busy week to say the least. Jonathan was able to go to Fine Arts Camp at church every evening last week with both of his sisters. He was able to play handbells, he made several different crafts, one of which was a tie-dye T-shirt to wear for the program Sunday evening, he learned 5 different hymns and some “rhythmic movement” to some of them, and best of all, he got small drama part that he was able perform on Sunday evening. He went every evening by himself and very proudly accomplished all this on his own, with a little assistance from Elizabeth and Sarah. One of the most special things was that Mrs. Ann made all sugar free snacks for all the kids just for him. It was a great week for Jonathan. We went swimming 3 days last week and Jonathan continues to improve in his swimming abilities as well as his endurance and stamina. We went to therapy on Tuesday and he worked up in the office. He worked very hard doing many different things. He did his exercises on the ball, worked on the balance beam and balance board, he did lunges, jumps, squats, stood on each foot and balanced and stood with his feet in front of each other and balanced. He worked very hard. On Wednesday, we went back to visit with a lady from the company that makes his braces. She and his therapist decided that Jonathan needs another pair of braces like the ones he has outgrown. When we went to see Dr. McDonald at OCH last month, he suggested something different. Neither of them have talked about it with each other, and we are still waiting to find out what the insurance will cover. We have expressed our desire for Jonathan to have the braces that will be most beneficial to him, which ever ones that may be. I made some follow up phone calls today with the braces company, the doctor’s office and therapist’s office to try to get this finalized before his therapist goes on maternity leave, only to find out that she had her baby last week and is already gone. We made the decision last week to drop therapy to once a week to try to cut down on our expenses. We are currently working at home every day to keep in shape and help Jonathan continue to progress since we are only going to be seen once a week. We cleaned out and rearranged Jonathan’s room last week and he has been sleeping in his room with no problems. I have been setting an alarm and getting up at least twice during the night to make him go to the bathroom. While this interrupts my sleep, it has allowed him to stay dry for more than a week. I have also spent some time trying to find out what help is available from the school system for his low vision and for physical therapy, even though we will continue to homeschool. So far, I haven’t gotten very far with anyone there, not because they are being unhelpful, but I think because no one has ever asked for these services without being enrolled in the system. So we will continue to pursue this and see what we can come up with. Even with all these obstacles, we continue to praise God for every accomplishment Jonathan makes. Every day we watch him go up and down stairs with more and more ease. We see him try more and more things on his own. We see his endurance and strength increase daily. On Sunday, Jonathan met another goal by going to Sunday School on his own for the first time since he got out of the hospital. On Sunday evening, we watched Jonathan ring handbells, sing, do motions to songs and share his drama part with as much drama and passion as he has ever had. Someone came up to Jonathan and told him that as they watched him, they couldn’t help but think of all the things that we were told would never happen. And look how great our God is! Jonathan continues to be very conversational and shares with people often that he wants to be a missionary preacher when he grows up. He continues to be spiritually sensitive and talks often about God, His power, how awesome He is and how He is going to answer the prayers we have been praying about the things that we need. While it is easy to get weighed down by the issues we are facing in our family right now, God has given us, in Jonathan, a constant, living reminder of His power to know our needs, hear our prayers, heal, deliver, provide and lead us in His good, acceptable and perfect will for our family.
There are several things you can pray for this week for Jonathan. Most importantly at the moment, please pray about his braces. He needs a new pair and simply can’t wear the pair he has because he has completely outgrown them and they are of no benefit to him. Please pray that we will get the kind he needs that will benefit him the greatest, and that the insurance will pay for the new pair. Pray that Jonathan will continue to progress in balance, mobility and endurance and that he will continue to gain strength in his legs, ankles and feet. Pray that we will be diligent to work very hard at home since we are only going to therapy once a week. Pray that we will be able to receive the tools and services available to assist Jonathan in his therapy and with his vision, whether that be from the school system or some other avenue. Pray that Jonathan will be able to control his bladder himself during the night soon. Pray that he will be able to become more independent as he continues to work at doing things on his own. Pray for him and his sisters as they begin school next week. Pray that Mom will be able to handle the homeschooling and that this will be a special time for all of us as we resume this part of our life. Please pray for our entire family as we seem to be dealing with so many important issues right now. Please pray for wisdom, guidance and discernment as we make decisions. Please pray that we will remain faithful to trust the Lord with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. We know that God faithfully keep His promise to make our path straight as we acknowledge Him in all that we do, and that He will provide for all our needs as we seek Him and His will first. Thank you for your continued prayers for us. May God bless each of you for your faithfulness.

No comments: