A Little of This and A Little of That

Yesterday was a big day for us. Or should I say, last night was a big night for us. Travis spent the night with his Me-Me and Pop last night for the first time. I know it was harder for us than for him. He is not a very good sleeper and he often wakes up before 6 am, so we were excited to be able to sleep in for the first time in the 2 plus years since Travis' birth. We thought we might get a call to get him in the middle of the night because whenever we are away from home, Travis tends to wake up even more during the night. I know that whenever Travis spends the day with his grandparents they sleep VERY well that night, so I think it will be safe to assume that they will sleep very well for a couple nights after this!

I had lunch yesterday with a woman who used to attend our church whose son has DS. He is now 25 and works at Kroger bagging groceries. She shared a lot about his growing up and high school and the emotions that she has experienced. At the time he was born, there weren't as many opportunities for children like her son, and she was encouraged to send him to an institution and not expect much from him. She brought pictures for me to see and she said that it was a little hard to go through everything just because it was a bit like reliving it again. I just watched a video from his high school days as manager of the football and basketball teams and it was amazing the things he has done. He was featured as athlete of the week on a local TV station even though he never played a down of football. How can we say that he cannot accomplish much? The message of Jesus Christ was spread to hundreds and maybe thousands through him. Everyone spoke of his encouraging words, and his prayers for them. I cannot help but be lifted up knowing how endless the opportunities are for our precious son.

We are in the midst of a small baby boom at our church. We had 2 more babies born this week. There will be about 12 babies born between March and September by the time we are done. It is hard to see and hear. Just a bit. I can't help but be sad as everyone is enjoying their healthy babies. I don't want anyone not to share their joys and milestone accomplishments with us, but it still hurts. Just a bit. I can't say it will get easier. I don't know. I love that Justin will have other children his age to push him and encourage him, but part of me cries inside. Just a bit.

And then there's the coons: We have decided to attack them head on and take away their home. A family friend has agreed to tear down the deck and re sod the area. Yeah! He will be doing it about the time of Justin's surgery, so it will be a surprise when we come home from the hospital. It will be quite a chore because not only is it a deck, but there is a hot tub with a rock waterfall. The hot tub heater doesn't work, and we have used it a total of 3 times since we moved in 9 years ago, so it won't be a huge loss. But it will be the first step in our backyard makeover. It will probably take us 3 years to finish, but at least it has begun.