Sunday, February 17, 2013

Make or Break

A lot has happened in the last 1.25 years since I've blogged. I had a baby (Doll Baby) who is now a rambunctious 13.5 month-old who loves to chase after her big sister, Sweet Pea, 3.  Something also happened that would either make or break my faith...Sweet Pea was diagnosed with a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. It came out of nowhere for us. We knew she was a behind on talking, but chalked that up to "she must be taking after me." I talked a bit late (over 2), but then was talking in full sentences like an adult by the time I was 3. But there were other things that we saw as "quirks" that when put all together added up to an ASD. I'll be brutally honest when I say that to my husband and I, it felt like someone put a bag over our heads and hit us in the stomach with a baseball bat. It was definitely a defining moment. The question was, would I do what I've been known to do in the past - run from God (and over much less than this)? Or, would I cling to God and grow in Him as we dealt with this trial?

By the grace of God, this did not break my faith, but made it. As we've dealt with this and learned everything we could about therapies for autism, we've clung to God and each other in a way we never have before. We got Sweet Pea started in ABA (applied behavior analysis) therapy and she LOVES her therapists and is doing great. Since last April when she started, she has started talking (sometimes even putting short sentences together), giving more eye contact, playing with her sister, showing empathy, and developing a cute little sense of humor. The way everything lined up for this to happen can only have come from God, but that is for another post.

For now, I hope anyone who reads this has a great Sunday!

Mrs. P