Wink from Heaven: March 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011

Mothers

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault

A Mother's love is instinctual, unconditional, and forever.

Unknown

"Making the decision to have a child-it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
--Elizabeth Stone

“My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune."
~Graycie Harmon

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Untouched

I feel like the luckiest mama in the world

to have a little boy who is so untouched by it.

It is truly a blessing to care for someone so pure.

I love you, my Caleb.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Lucky Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Caleb listened to some Enya this morning to celebrate!

Tooth Fairy Surprises

The tooth fairy left Caleb a bright slinky to use for vision time and an Easter Egg tree!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Caleb lost his first tooth today! Oh I am just GIDDY! Every time I see that little hole in his teeth I can't help but GIGGLE! Who would have thought my little boy, who was given so little hope, would be visited by the tooth fairy?

I am filled to the brim with GLEE!!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Visual Clutter

One of my favorite sensory tools for Caleb is the invisiboard. The website states: Block out distractions for students with Cortical Visual Impairment. This 48 by 30 inch, tri-fold board eliminates visual clutter with a solid white, slick material on one side and a solid black, Velcro compatible material on the other.

I love using this board with Caleb. I can surround him with a black background and give his eye the opportunity to focus on one thing. Right now we are focusing on items that are mostly yellow or reflective.

Just like the invisiboard helps me to reduce visual clutter for Caleb... Caleb reduces worldly clutter for me. He teaches me to be more reflective. He teaches me to focus on what matters most.

Thank you Caleb, for teaching me to truly see.

You can find more information about the invisiboard here and here
For some more great sensory ideas, visit Heidi's adaptations blog

Heaven sent...
We were blessed with a little boy who always winked!
Caleb's brain did not form, and doctors didn't expect him to live for more than a few weeks. After 8 days in the NICU doctors sent us home saying there was nothing more they could do. Among his various physical challenges, Caleb was missing one of his eyes. Even though he was never be able to say "I love you" with words, he told us every day with his "wink!" His little wink was a daily message of love from heaven.

Caleb’s spirit radiated pure love. He brought the love of God and light of Christ into the lives of all who knew him. Caleb’s life was a precious gift and a tender miracle. His winking eye was a daily reminder of Caleb’s deep love for all of us. Caleb could have quickly returned to heaven but instead he brought heaven to us for seven years.

Caleb was a precious gift to our family, and now it is our priveledge to live in such a way that we will be reunited with him forever.

Prayer for Caleb

(written by Caleb's Grandma in her weekly column -2008-)

In my family we have a secret code to communicate our love for each other when we are out in public. We wink. When one of us is about to perform or speak, we look for a family member’s face in the crowd. Then we wink at each other. Closing one eye and winking is our secret code for saying, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

About three years ago, my grandson Caleb was born into our family. He must have known before birth that he would never be able to speak to us because he was born with one eyelid permanently closed. So, he is always “winking” at us, always communicating, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

Caleb has one eye lid permanently closed because he is missing one of his eyes . . . and he is also missing his brain. All the doctors said he would die soon after birth. They were wrong. Caleb is three years old. He is a medical miracle. The doctors say he can’t see, hear, speak, think or move. Those who know and love Caleb understand he has his own unique way of experiencing the world and communicating his love to those around him.

After Caleb was born the hospice people told us to buy a burial plot and continually warned us of his imminent death. We soon learned you can not live well in a state of fear and sadness. We decided we could spend Caleb’s entire life anxious and scared he might die at any moment, or we could celebrate each day we were blessed to have him with us. In the beginning, my daughter April celebrated Caleb’s birthday every week instead of every year with balloons and cupcakes because we simply did not know how long we would have him with us. We stopped the cupcakes after we gained ten pounds, but the celebrating goes on.

We all prayed for a miracle when we first learned about Caleb’s condition. We got one. Caleb’s birth, life and mission have had a deep and lasting impact on our lives. His spirit, eternal identity and most of all the loving, individual relationship he has with each of us is truly a miracle. Because of Caleb we know that each of us has a divine purpose and that the physical body is a sacred gift we should never take for granted. We better understand the worth of a soul and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Caleb’s five year old brother Matthew said, “Grandma. The doctors said Caleb was going to die, but he didn’t. That’s the first miracle I ever saw!”

Sometimes Caleb’s baby brother Mitchell pulls out his feeding tube while they hold hands riding together in their double stroller. Sometimes the only intervention that can get Caleb’s heart rate up is when his older brothers Josh and Matty crawl in his crib, hug him and sing, “I am a Child of God.” ...If you have a moment please offer a prayer for the little boy who has never been able to utter a single word and yet has taught everyone who knows and loves him – all the secrets of a rich and meaningful life.