Growing with Kerstin: Raising a child with "special needs": blessing

Showing posts with label blessing. Show all posts

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Princess Smiles-a-lot!

2nd Annual Alabama Angels Pageant

The 2nd Annual Alabama Angels Pageant has come and gone! I am sure that there were many participants that did not or could not participate in last years festivities, Kerstin included. This year was different. I mentioned on the Alabama Angels Pageant Facebook page months ago that Kerstin would not miss the event this year. There would be no more hospital stays that would keep her from Hunter Hills Church!

You see, at the time of the pageant in 2013 Kerstin was just coming off of her 2 hospitals stay after two separate surgeries one month apart. The first being a bi-lateral triple arthodesis on both feet and the second was to have her g-tube placed. However, pageant directors came to our home to present Kerstin with her crown, sash and goody bag! Her day was beautiful all the same just not the full experience with all the bells and whistles.

The Friday before the pageant was a day of prepping and pampering for Kerstin. Hair, nails...somewhat of an in home spa day for Princess Smiles-a-lot! The excitement was brewing in Kerstin, I could see it all over her face. She was so excited that she woke up Saturday morning around 4:45 a.m. YES! I went ahead and checked all of bags to make sure we had everything.

Upon arriving, the carriage rides were in full effect. The decorations were so beautiful. Volunteers were on hand to greet everyone, opening doors, just so much kindness. There were booths set up to provide valuable information to the families as well. We checked in and was assigned Kerstin's Guardian Angel. I will tell you, I know we had the best one in the building!

The angels were so beautiful! This day was a day they had the opportunity to shine and were included. They sang, danced and told jokes...like my little lady did with her Dynavox.

Here's how the day went...

Dressed, belly full, now it's time to prep!

Actually smiling while I'm doing her hair!

Director, Renee Lantz

Pageant Team Leaders/Coordinators

Getting ready to go on stage...her cousins at her side.

Look mommy..I have on a little lipstick!

Her name in lights!

Little jokester is coming on stage...

Kerstin with her Guardian Angel, Carol and emcee, Chris Britton

Telling her jokes with assistance!

Angels and military excorts!

Crowns and sashes..

Crowned!

A goody bag too...

The day is done...dreaming about the next one!

Monday, December 16, 2013

The Thoughts of Others.

Last month, Kerstin and I were entered in a contest hosted by a local photographer. She wanted to feature people that have faced challenges in life. Kerstin and I were nominated because of the year we have had, and at the time her surgery that was right around the corner.

Well friends and family secretly nominated us and we were treated to a beautiful photo session. Felecia and I talked on the phone in order to make arrangements for the photo session and she continuously told me that she could not wait to meet me in person because she really enjoyed reading the nominations. I was curious and told her that I could not wait to read them myself.

Well, the blog posted and once I read the things family and friends submitted bought me to tears! It is such a blessing to see that so many people notice the things I do everyday. I don't do them for the attention and nominations, I do them because I have to. Kerstin and I were placed in each others lives for a reason. I know that I have to take care of the blessing God has place in my life!!

I hope that you will read Felicia's blog post, Felecia's Spot "November", be sure to scroll down to our story, "Beautiful in My Eyes". I know you will enjoy it! Here are some of the beautiful photos we took that day. It was an outing for us, it was the Saturday before her surgery, we were on our way to the movies to see "Free Birds". Enjoy the photos and be sure to check out Felecia's blog and website.

We are a team! In it to win it, whatever life hands us!!!

*All photos are courtesy of Felecia's Photography*

Friday, December 6, 2013

A Thanksgiving to remember!

Twenty-six days after arriving in Birmingham, Alabama for Kerstin's spinal fusion, it is Thanksgiving Day 2013. We wake up to possible snow flurries and 21 degrees of bone chilling cold!

Today is the day that I have been waiting on. I know with every fiber of my being that this is the last morning we will wake up in room 1046 at the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children at Children's of Alabama!

The nurses are changing shifts and not one doctor has come around like they had been coming on previous days. Around 5:30 and 6 a.m. I knew to be sitting up or at least awake becasue they would make their rounds and I didn't want another one of her doctors to scare me by rocking me to wake me. Yes, that happened!!

Finally, around 8 a.m. we got word that all of the doctors that had been following Kerstin's treatment and caring for her were in fact communicating and about to make their rounds. First, my friend, the doctor that rocked me constantly saying "mom, mom...", came in with his team to say that Kerstin's levels were continuing to improve and since she had tolerated smaller boluses of her Pedisure the day before and even smaller of the Pedialyte the day before that, it would be safe and okay for her to go home, as long as her admitting doctor agreed. I knew that we would be going home because her nurses had previously told us that we could go home if her amylase and lipase levels were in a safe range. So...it's time for a HAPPY DANCE & HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Kerstin is headed home.
Our time in our "apartment" has come to an end! Truly Thankful.

We are now home, Kerstin is healing and making great strides on her road to recovery! I'm including some pictures of our stay at Children's and Kerstin's before and after surgery pictures. Even her pouting Thanksgiving night. I think she misses the attention and the "friends" she made in the hospital.