Things tend to sneak up on you when you're not paying attention, or when you're paying attention to
something else.
Those sneaky things aren't always negative, which is cool.
As I was focusing on Christian's one year anniversary, the video, controlling seizures, a much needed haircut for Christian, along with a million other non-Christian related things, I've realized that all of the sudden Christian is really good at eating by mouth! I've been relaxed about the eating by mouth issue taking on the when it happens, it happens mantra. Well, I guess it's happening.
For the past week, I've seated Christian and Lola next to each other every morning to give them breakfast. Lola gets some sort of pureed or mashed fruit every morning so I thought I'd start giving Christian some of it. Besides, it's never too early to teach sharing, right?
I'm so surprised at how well he's doing. I'm not surprised that he's doing well, I'm just surprised at the all-of-the-sudden-ness of it. Especially when we have to wait in a painfully slow motion for everything.
So here's Christian...eating breakfast. Like, actually eating breakfast. Bon appetit.
- Thank you to everyone who left such lovely and amazing comments about our video of Christian. I'm so thankful for everyone who loves this kid! I'm not really surprised, though. We love him, too.
- Lola is enrolled in ISR and I can't wait to tell you all about it. But it is so much better with the video and I have to wait for approval on that. So more to come on the ISR front...
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24 comments:
AWESOME!!!!!! So wish Brock could do that, but I guess that is one of those thing we will have to wait on. When it comes, it will come...hopefully. He has pretty chubby cheeks and very loose muscles so we have alot to work with. Christian is doing amazing. Love his arms, they look so relaxed. And of course, Lola is the cutest baby girl...good for her for sharing. Have fun with the crazy ladies coming your way. Wish we could have been there but there just isn't enough summer to cram everything in.
Gods Blessings~
Lisa & Brock
you make me cry EVERY TIME you post videos! In a good way of course! This is quite an amazing feat for Christian! I remember last year, when they put the gtube in, the stoma in his throat, and we were all so worried! Look at him now! So amazing!
THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! So excited for Christian, and for you, that he's made this big huge leap! Amazing!
Oh my goodness Shauna!!! WOW!! GO CHRISTIAN!!! That is just so amazing to hear but to be able to SEE it!!! That boy I tell ya....never ceases to amaze me!!! I have to say that I LOVE how Lola keeps hitting and grabbing at him while she's eating. LOVE the interaction! That HAS to be so good for him too!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED watching the video! Thank you so much for sharing!!!! Keep up the good work Christian and mommy!!!
Beautiful babies...As I read through your blog I could not help but think that there was a need for you to address the importance of having a child proof, self closing, self locking fence around that pool. I just pray and am hopeful that you have since installed protection so that Lola doesn't suffer the same fate. Pools are dangerous and deadly, obviously you know that, I just hope that you take the opportunity (in your blog) to stress the importance of child proofing a pool and maybe address (in order to put your readers at ease) any steps that you and your family have taken to make sure the pool doesn't rob any of your other children from their quality of life. Drowning is a very preventable tragedy!
Hmmmm, someone felt the need to preach tonight. Curious how it is almost always someone hiding behind "anonymous".
Shauna, I hope you know that at least this reader knows your heart, knows that you do everything in your power to protect your children, and knows that you don't have anything to prove to anyone. Love you, girl.
On to bigger and better matters...
WOO HOO!!! Way to go Christian!! I loved that video! I watched it with Marissa and she said, "Good eating!" She was so excited and motivated to eat too! She has a long way to go, but I think I will be showing her Christian's eating video more often! I am so proud of you Christian!
Oh, your children are just so so beautiful! You have the most amazing family and I thank you so very much for sharing your amazing journey with the rest of us. You continue to inspire us all in ways that you may never know!
Be well...and know that we are all supporting you in this tremendous journey!
Hugs,
Lisa :)
HOLY TEARS TO MY EYES!!!! THIS IS AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! God is just AMAZING! WOO HOO NOAH!!!! And yay mom for kicking butt and fighting for him! I am excited for you!!!! HE LOOKS VERY VERY VERY VERY Alert! Just a blessing!
Shauna, I love the video, both Christian and Lola are adorable. LOL about the sharing comment. Can't wait to see what's next, Bon Appetit indeed!
@Anonymous - Kiss my ass.
There are some strange people out there...
Kiss my ass?? Strange?? Hiding behind 'anonymous'??
I wasn't in any way shape or form rude in my response and it shouldn't be an insult to anybody that I asked about the safety of their pool. I just think that it is important to address the necessary safety measures that are in place when you have a toddler (Lola) and a death trap in your back yard (the pool). I too have a toddler and prior to even closing on the sale of the house (with the pool), we had pool companies on the property educating us on all of the necessary safety measures that needed to be in place in order to protect our non swimming toddler from falling into the pool and drowning...yes it was all very expensive, but it was money well spent! I was not criticising anybody, just pointing out that there is another toddler in this, obviously very loving home, that needs to be protected from the pool...and I just requested, in the nicest way that I know how, that she address any safety measures that have been put in place to protect Lola...because as I read her, very well written, love filled, blog, I couldn't help but have fear for Lola possibly having the same fate as her brother, SINCE there was no mention of baby proofing the pool!
Thank you!
Melissa Kirkpatrick
Dear Melissa Kirkpatrick,
Don't you think that this family has been through enough that you feel the necessity to play nanny? Don't you think that they have learned a very dear lesson? But do you ever wonder what is God's will and what becomes of what God puts before us? You needn't play the police here. I am sure there are institutions that would love to have your expertise in proper safety procedures. Obviously you feel it your duty to check up on every parent that you feel is not as effective as yourself.
Thank you!!!!!!!
Pamela Chlad-Prutzman
PS - get a life!
Pamela,
First of all I have a life, as does my now 4 year old son, because I cared enough to make sure that our pool was as secure as Fort Knox..baby proofed, self closing/locking gates, alarms, etc...and there was no "expertise" involved in that decision, it was all common sense...thank you.
Second, sure I feel that they have been through enough and I am sure that their now permanently handicapped son feels the same way...In fact, my heart breaks for him in so many ways. But, maybe if somebody had mentioned the dangers of a pool and protecting a toddler from them beforehand then none of this would have ever happened.
As far as "Gods will" I don't believe in any of that BS. This wasn't Gods will, this was a pool that was not properly secured (a child that cannot swim + a pool = a tragic accident waiting to happen). But if you want to live in some fantasy world and play as if this is some test (at the expense of Christian's quality of life) then go right ahead. I wouldn't worship any being who I believed could have prevented the events of suffering that this poor child has gone through and then just chalk it up to "Gods will" when it did happen.
Maybe you should let your young children play out on a busy 6 lane highway and see how "Gods will" plays out in that scenario.
My initial response was not intended to be insulting and rude. All I did was ask about what has been done to secure a pool that is obviously a very dangerous risk to their newest baby and everybody decides to jump my ass as if I am the bad guy. If I were in their shoes, I would have filled the freaking pool in with dirt after the accident, but if that didn't happen then I would brag in post after post about how all of the necessary precautions have been put into place to make sure nothing like what happened to Christian ever happens again. But I suppose that is just me!
Shauna, I LOVE this video. Christian is such an amazing boy...and Lola is the cutest! Keep it up, Superman!
As for Anonymous aka Melissa Kirkpatrick, how DARE you? How dare you even suggest that Christian's accident is in any way the family's fault? How dare you imply that if only they had "cared enough," things would be different? How dare you appoint yourself self-righteous protector of the other children in the family who "might suffer the same fate." How DARE you?
Do you know the whole story? Do you know exactly what happened, and how Christian ended up in the pool? Do you know where the family is living now? Do you know that they even HAVE a pool at their current house? Because I do (and so do many of the people who are taking offense to your comments). And Shauna does NOT deserve your sanctimonious condemnation.
The purpose of this blog is not for Shauna to prove anything, or for her to exonerate herself or her family from perceived wrongs. It is dedicated to an amazing, special boy who hasn't stopped fighting since his tragic accident. It is here so that Shauna can share his life with us, the people who love him, care about his progress, and cheer him on every step of the way.
Please take your smug, all-knowing "advice" elsewhere.
Love your post Shauna, and the video of two of your three beautiful children. Hugs to you and I hope to see you this week. christian thrives because of your family. peg j
I SOOOOOO can't wait to see him this week! You guys ROCK!
Shauna, Hi, I have just found this blog. I also have a son victim of a near drowning. It's funny because my son used the same chair Christian is in on this picture. My son was 19 mos old when he drown, he is 20 now. Although he is unable to do things for himself we have never given up on him. We were told my son would never learn to eat and would have to get a gastric tube, but we worked and worked with him. Although we have to feed him- he is able to eat, and without that gastric tube. Keep working hard and keep you head up. And THANK GOD for your little angel.
I've been following you and Christian on here since the accident. I'm happy to see what progress Christian has made!!
And I noticed you made the local paper online this morning-- Congrats!
Dear Stupid,
Ooh. I hate trolls. Those that have nothing better to do than peruse the internet and feel the need/urge to express their opinions. Do you anonymous, feel that Shauna's blog doesn't already express Shauna's concern for pool safety. I'm sure its one of the reasons she's chosen to start the blog in the first place. It's sad for you to say that you feel for Christian. That little boy has the most loving family. With their love anything is possible and he will continue to move mountains. So, take your anonymous comments somewhere else. No one here is buying it.
Shauna and family you are so very loved. Just know that.
Dear anonymous kirkpatrick,
I hope someone is watching your kids while you rant and rave. Who knows, an ACCIDENT might happen. Do you hear what I am saying? I am saying that all of us question where the parents were in our minds when we hear of a tragedy. In a tragedy isn't it kinder and more noble to support the parents grief than to remind them of the obvious. It is too bad that you do not have a relationship with God. For who will be there for you if you ever experience a loss?
Anon - BTW I forgot to mention that I did not imply that it was God's will. But you also do not know all the details and as Shauna wrote on her blog...God gave Christian to her twice. When I talk about God's will I talk about the journey that people are put on in the face of tragedy. How many parents out there now give talks about their losses and create laws to help others would it not have been for the loss in their lives? God has many plans and sadly some of it comes from grief. I am blessed that I believe in God for his strength has helped me through the loss of many of my loved ones. My prayer for you is that God will touch your life and hopefully be there for you when it is really needed.
Shauna, as always, you are an incredible mother. I love watching Christian make huge strides along his journey of life. How adorable is Lola sitting right there next to her big brother, sharing her breakfast?! I love it! Your family amazes me more and more every day.
I will not comment on the anonymous post because I try not to let people like that come into my life, interfere with my thoughts, or drag me down. All I can say is what I've been saying since day one. You are awesome! Christian is absolutely blessed to have you as his mother. God knew what he was doing the day He put Christian into your life. I know that your faith will not be shaken because you are strong. You keep going girl! Keep doing what you're doing. Those that love and support you, will ALWAYS be here for you you. Love, love, LOVE you all!!
Melissa Kirkpatrick, the reason I am insulted by your post is that it clearly shows you are the mom/person/friend that shows up at parties, dinners, movies, get togethers, etc. and has to stand on a chair and say "look at my perfect life", "look what I have accomplished", and "look how my sacrifices have saved the world". You really need to think before you speak......the road to hell is paved with good intentions so dont hide behind "what you meant to do" or "what you meant to say". How dare you pop into this blog where months of sadness, joy, pain, celebration, crying, laughing and support have enveloped and mention something so stupid? How could you really think you could pop in so quickly and throw a "savior bone" at the world? You scan through the articles and think "how can I make this better? Im sure I can improve this and Im sure I can make this better and more efficient".......you really think you can improve Shauna's comments by trying to manipulate her feelings into a post about fences around pools? Please, go save the world or something because here we actually care about the author and her children as well as her feelings and we would never be so audacious to believe we could better her blog or her life by suggesting she be a poster child for pool fences. Maybe you should be a poster child yourself. Go save the world in your own blog Superman.
Jesus people, I am in no way, shape or form trying to condemn anybody. Also, I am not acting as though I am "the perfect mother," BUT I am a concerned mother and I am allowed to be. These parents seem to be very caring, loving and I am in no way insinuating that what happened to Christian was anything more than than what it was; an accident.
The point of my post was not to be a TROLL, but to merely ask what precautions were in place to prevent the same horrible tragedy from happening to Lola. I think it is a fair question, especially considering the author is putting her life and the events of her life out there for all to read in a public forum. Forgive me for saying out loud what (I guarantee you) almost everybody that encounters this family is thinking when they find out what happened to Christen.....What has been done to prevent this from happening again??
I didn't get the "holier than thou" attitude until everybody started attacking me; my attitude was not meant to shove anything in these grieving parents faces about how I'm better than anybody...it was the taunting from the others that drove me to that point.
giddyup, I am not a religious person and I do not need any type of God in my life. I have been a very fortunate person in many ways and have a wonderful, loving and supportive family. They were there for me 100% last year when my beautiful daughter was diagnosed as possibly terminally ill when I was 6 months pregnant and they were by my side up until she passed away when she was 2 days old. God wasn't there, my family was...God can keep me out of his plans, I'm not even remotely interested in his twisted ways. In fact I could have punched all of the people that assured me that my daughter was "now in Gods arms" and "it was apart of Gods plan" and she is "in a better place"....it was all BS and frankly pissed me off! How you can justify the evils that happen to poor innocent children as a lesson from God/Gods plan and still have an ounce of respect for religion, it truly blows me away.... Like you care though. So instead of praying for me to "find a relationship with God," pray for yourself about why it is that you find it insulting when a person questions/comments on a public forum about the safety precautions that have been put in place to protect the other non-swimming toddler in the family.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments! I'm so grateful to have all of you in our corner.
I can see that we've taken a different turn in the comment forum and I don't see it at all constructive to Christian's blog at this point. I think I've sufficiently addressed all of the safety precautions that we've taken thus far in my current blog published today. The only 100% full proof way to prevent drowning in a pool is to not have a pool. Which is what we've done. For all other bodies of water and all other potential accidents - the only way to protect 100% of the time is with 100% supervision. I'm 100% sure of it.
So I think we got out everything that needs to be said. If not, please feel free to send me a private message. For now I'm closing comments for this post. Thank you to everyone for posting!
Let's move forward, and on a more positive note... CHRISTIAN IS EATING BY MOUTH!!! HURRAY!!!
Melissa/Anonymous - I'm deeply sorry for the loss of your daughter. I truly mean that.
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