Dear Prayer
Warrior,
Remember our
last update asking prayer for the many decisions before us? Thank you for
praying, God has straightened our paths and sharpened our plans. Lindsey wrote down two possible schedules of
what it would look like to have Anna in school or not. It became clear that
going to school would be too big a burden. Especially when factoring in the
gracious gift of God in the form of a third child due February 8th! We
are overjoyed at the chance to love more.
So now many
new considerations are forthcoming. One
of which is a change to the State Medicaid program that hires the parents to be
Certified Nurses’ Assistant (CNA). Due to these changes I find it best that I
get licensed and hired on as a CNA to ensure that we can get the maximum hours
of charted care possible especially during the arrival of our third child. Sometime
this fall I hope to enroll in some evening classes and get certified. It’s all
very surprising because I never thought I would be cut out for anything in the
medical field and so I’m struggling to wrap my mind around it all. The thing
about follow Jesus is that He plants His Holy Spirit in me, and that Spirit is
always encouraging me to change. I’ve learned that remaining teachable is
healthy for my walk with Him.
Lately with Anna,
I find her with a “faraway look in her eye”, wearing a passive countenance, and
repeating her hand chewing. I always want to be the one to make her smile. We communicate
in silly sound effects, motion, and tickles but all that seems so short lived. Perhaps
my powers are fading?! It’s harder to engage and it seems to take more time to
connect. She is growing and I need to study where her interests are taking her.
Feelings like this make me wish we mastered a form of communication, I’m tired
of guessing what she wants. I pray that I
would be more attentive to what’s piquing Anna’s interests perhaps its right
under my nose.
Often there
will be a charge of good aromas in the air from our cooking. Cooking takes time,
time away from being with Anna, the excitement builds as the table is set, the
plates are separated at the right spot, and the drink glasses are filled. Then we
wheel Anna to the table to sit with us. I wonder how Anna processes all the
smells of dinner without the taste? She is so gracious and pleasant to be around
us eaters. What are ways we can draw her into the dinner time? We are overly
focused on eating rather than what life is like in her shoes. Today I felt like
the prison guard grilling a rib-eye, sautéing mushrooms and onions and eating
it in front of the prisoners dreaming for a taste. Perhaps that is a bit exaggerated
but help us ask God for how to better include Anna. Perhaps tastes are not out
of the question, but as her parents we have become trained to assume aspiration
with anything taken orally. That may not be the case anymore, perhaps we can educate
her to identify herbs and spices!
The last two
paragraphs seem to be a bit difficult but keep in mind good warrior there is
much to praise God for:
-Anna
continues to be healthy all summer long (except for that two week stretch of
vomiting when I was in Honduras).
-We have a
new OT named Karen who has won Anna over and she collaborates often with our PT
Kendra.
-Anna has
been so good at sitting almost unassisted. Another progress she is showing in
PT is leaning her chest and head to one side then re-centering on her own. She
is getting stronger.
-We received
a sleep positioning system that will help Anna’s tone when she sleeps, its most
evident when side lying and her head just whips back wanting her throat
straightened. Not anymore, what fascinating technology.
-Our old OT
Deann who recently retired (and is a wonderful children’s illustrator) still
wants to hang out with Anna! They are planning a messy activity this Friday.
What grace! She just wants to play with
her.
-We got the
title and plates for the ramp van. Done deal, debt free, what an ordeal. God
made a way through many steps of uncertainty. So many people to thank.
-Praise God
that Lindsey no longer has to lift that 50-pound wheel chair in and out of the
car.
-Praise the Lord that our needs were rapidly met for another night nurse because our primary one found a new job.
Please Pray For:
-greater
interactions and one on one engaging. In writing all the praises I can’t help
but notice that they are almost all practical needs for caretaking. As her
father, I long to see Anna less passive (hand chewing) and more interested in
connecting with her surroundings. But how?
-that God
would orchestrate circumstances around our dinner times so that would Anna
would be graciously involved, her sense of smell affirmed, and if tasting could
be recommended.
-the Lord to
write a testimony of grace and joy in the pregnancy, labor, and delivery of our
third child.
-the
placenta to attach away from Lindsey’s C-section scar. The early ultrasounds
show them very close. This could complicate things and make it difficult to
feel the baby moving.
-the
successful repair of Anna’s wheel chair. it has been off kilter since march,
jamming on basic functions, etc… The company has greatly erred, delayed the
repairs, and not been empathetic towards us. May we get the chair fixed, and
not ruin our witness because its so easy to point fault in this company.
-a new
direction to steer the assisted communicative devices for Anna. There are two
options. We long to see some sort of progress.
-hippotherapy
(horseback riding) needs to return our calls there are only two companies that
accept Anna’s insurance and one is far away.
-a bigger
place to live, contentment for what we have, and for faith in the waiting. Pray
that the Lord would show us His tender grace in His timing. That we would have
eyes of faith as we do not see moving as a possibility at this time. Whether we
buy or move to another rental, we ask “Is anything too hard for God?”
-“Lord
stretch our heart and give us 3 baby grace”
Thank you
for reading and praying it compels us onward,
The Currats
