Hospital Happenings

By Sandy on March 29, 2011

When Josiah was barely 2 weeks old he was transferred from a small county hospital to a large city hospital, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Josiah had RSV and was not doing well. The difference between the 2 hospitals was astounding.

Sleep…or the lack there of

By Sandy on March 28, 2011

When I was younger, I used to think it would be so amazing if we didn’t need sleep. I used to think about all the things I could do with that time. Sleeping seemed like such a waste. Why not do something productive, something useful instead of resting for so many hours every single day.

I think God was preparing me, even at that young age. He knew Josiah would be in my life. He knew Josiah would be extremely active. He knew Josiah would not require much sleep. He knew Josiah would be awake many hours at night. He knew Josiah would be awake many hours, most every night. He made him that way.

If Josiah were older and capable, he would be the perfect mid-night shift worker.

Family Fun

By Sandy on March 28, 2011

With a wide range of ages, ability levels and interests, it’s been challenging to find activities our whole family can enjoy together. There is an 11 year difference between our oldest and youngest child. Josiah has limited attention skills. Often times he is loud. He definitely draws attention to himself, and the rest of the family for that matter. It’s not always comfortable for the other children. Who am I kidding? It’s not always comfortable for me.

NOT Chocolate Pudding

By Sandy on March 28, 2011

I wait all week for one show. Sunday nights at 7 pm you will find me engrossed in ‘Secret Millionaire’. What an amazing premise. This series highlights goodness, kindness, compassion and generosity. I was hooked from the very first show. Turns out tonight’s millionaire grew up just a few minutes from my hometown. I have an even greater connection to the show now and watch with rapt attention. Chandler and Jesse watch with me. Josiah plays near by with some Mardi Gras beads and Rick is in the kitchen whipping up an Italian feast.

Communicating

By Sandy on March 27, 2011

Josiah is non-verbal. He has vocalizations. But, he doesn’t talk. He may never be able to tell us what he wants, with words.

He has some sign language. He used to know 45 signs. I wrote them all down once, along with the date. I had a plan. I would teach him 5 new signs each week. I made a list and classified the signs in order of importance. I put a target date for each sign to be mastered. I’m not sure what happened to that plan. It never materialized. He uses only 4 signs most of the time: eat, more, drink, and finished.