Wink from Heaven

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Salem Pond

I have a special spot in my heart for Salem Pond.
My parents took me to Salem Pond on my first birthday.
Some of my favorite high school memories were at Salem Pond.
Salem Pond was a place of many family reunions.
When my husband and I got engaged, we filmed ourselves at Salem's pond then showed that movie to our families to announce the big news.
Now that we've moved back to my home town, I couldn't let the Summer end without making some memories with my own kids at Salem Pond.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Canyon boy

We've taken our family to the canyon for past couple of weekends,
and Caleb just loves it.
He is so content and happy.
Is it being in the mountains
or being with his family
that makes him so happy?
I'm pretty sure it's both.

Stinky Ear

Caleb hasn't felt very well for several days, and today he showed all the signs of infection. I took him into the after hours clinic, and was pretty sure there was something going on with one of the following:

Urine: Check (HOORAY! The antibiotics are working so far!)
Lungs: Check (HOORAY no pneumonia!)
Ear: Infected (So that explains the stinky ear!)
Hopefully some antibiotics and ear drops will get Caleb feeling better and smelling much nicer!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Holding Hunter

Caleb has another special friend name Hunter. It was a real treat to have them come to visit. Hunter has made amazing strides this year! Mitchell kept saying, "Hunter can scoot, Hunter can stand! Hunter can do so many things!" He was amazed!
Cute Caitlynn was so tender and loving toward Caleb! She even gave him a kiss on the cheek! We are so blessed to have special friends!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Picky PICC

Caleb finished his IV antibiotics through his PICC line almost 2 weeks ago. Before we could take the PICC line out, we had an appointment with urology at Primary Childrens. Testing showed that his bladder and kidneys look great, but because he's having so many infections, we're going back on a daily antibiotic.

We're hoping the antibiotics do the trick and keep him infection free.

But until we know for sure... the PICC line stays.

At least the wrapping is cougar blue!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Angel face

Have you ever wondered what an angel looks like?

Now you know!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Caleb Scripture

“The light of the body is the eye; if therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” 3 Nephi 13:22

Sunday, August 8, 2010

worth watching

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Heavenly lunch

Yesterday I had lunch with angels.
angel children on earth
angel children in heaven
and angel mothers
These sweet mother's radiate with love for their children,
and their children shine with pure light.
Thank you for the honor of being among you.

Becky (Ben's mom), Julia (Arianna's mom), Tara (Chloe's mom), Me, Emily (Hunter's mom), Erin (Charlotte's mom) and Bree (Bugg's mom)

Thank you for filling my home with love.

Tootsies

Oh I loved how Caleb and Junior have the same little pudgy feet!
I could just eat them!

Cuddling Caleb

Caleb has been in heaven this past week. He's been snuggled and cuddled by some very special people.

Sweet Stevie spent every minute she could loving little Caleb.

Becky's lap was one of Caleb's favorite places to be.

Adorable Abby wanted to cuddle Caleb as much as she could during her short stay.

Heidi was quick to share her heart with our little guy.

Thank you for loving our little boy!

Soaking up Junior

It was such a treat to have Junior and his wonderful family stay with us for the night.
We loved soaking up Junior and feeling his shining spirit. I was really touched by the way Heidi was so lovingly attentive to his every need...

We love you Junior!

From NH to CA

It was so sweet to see Becky and Stevie (with a little bit of help from Mitchell) get their van all ready to give to Junior! I'm sure angel Ben was beaming from above as he watched his van being prepared to serve another special boy.

I was tickled that I got to go with Becky to pick up Heidi, Junior and family in Salt Lake! It was so fun to see Junior get settled in his new ride! They are a remarkable family!

Yummy night out!

On Friday Emily, Becky, and Stevie and I had a girls night on the town!
We had a yummy dinner at Pizzeria Seven Twelve then browsed Barnes and Noble to make room for Farr's Fresh!
We had a delightful time together!
Love you ladies!!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Things I can't live without...

Caleb and I love his stroller from adaptive mall. His wheelchair is so heavy and difficult to get in and out of the car, but our nifty stroller has made it a lot easier for us to be out and about!

We also love his new swing from the make a wish foundation! Caleb doesn't have a lot of head or trunk control, but we're able to tilt it back so it can give him all of the support he needs. I'm not sure where they got it, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll find out!

Caleb was approved for a sleep safe bed about 9 months ago. It has been a big blessing to us. The top and bottom of the the bed will raise and lower for better positioning. I love being able to get Caleb elevated to help him be more comfortable with his continuous feedings and his ventilator at night. The see- through guard rails also make it easy to keep an eye on him even when they're up!

And last but not least, my favorite item is my cozy rocking chair. Caleb and I have had some great "heart to heart" conversations when we rock together.

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.