Little Girl

 

I guess it’s been a while since I’ve talked about my funny, smart and beautiful girl. I am a little biased you could say. She is eleven years old now and growing so much!

As with any child my concerns are friendships and how we will handle middle school (ACK!) and handling signs of puberty (double ACK!). So far she is doing well and I am so proud of her! With the special needs aspect some of my concerns are heightened and that keeps me ON MY FACE as I am reminded that God has a plan for her. Basic things like personal hygiene and knowing what to do next in her daily schedule if it’s not already laid out for her are things that we still struggle with. She asks lots of questions and her processing is very slow so sometimes it is frustrating when she doesn’t move very quickly or understand things.

Academics are still, and probably always will be, a huge struggle. Math seems like a foreign language to her. She is reading REALLY well, though, and she LOVES school. Many people have asked why I don’t homeschool her, but she has grown so much with her peers since being with them everyday. There’s still a level of immaturity that we have to deal with, but she’s very confident about who she is and she’s not afraid to voice her ideas and opinions. Other kids sometimes shy away from her because she IS so outspoken and not afraid to walk up to someone and just start talking. Lots of kids don’t know what to do with that… ok, some adults don’t either!!

Some things are funny about her… she likes the Avengers action figures (never Barbies!) and balls. She wants to kick, throw, bounce and have a ball around her all the time. She picked the football outfit for a new bear at Build-a-Bear instead of a pretty girly outfit and she really doesn’t care one thing about fixing her hair or being girly! Most of her friends at school are boys and she says they are not as hard as girls… I TOTALLY get that! She hates the drama.

One thing that is wonderful, and yet strange considering how she struggles in school, is that she can really remember things about the Bible and the Lord. She loves to read her Bible and she loves church so much! She remembers scripture and loves to sing praise songs and she knows that she hasn’t been baptized or had the Lord’s supper yet because she needs to make some more serious steps on her own towards Christ. She is NOT afraid to ask ANYONE… I mean people at the store, on the street, at her school, at the dump, at the mall… if they go to church and if they have a Bible. If the do not she will invite them to our church and she will tell them that we have free Bibles there! She prays for EVERY homeless person she sees. Every fire truck that goes by gets a prayer and any elderly person who seems to struggle she’s willing to help them in some way. Like I said… God has a plan!

I love that our families are both very involved in her life and that she loves both sets of grandparents soooo very much! They support us so much with her and they do things to help promote her growth and development. I do not know if she will live with me for the rest of her life or not, but having the support of our families and knowing that they are behind us helps so much! It helps us to feel that we are not in this alone.

Honestly, as she gets older and as she grows I can see how God is going to use her strengths and weaknesses to make her into someone amazing. She is SOOO funny and sweet and He is already making her into someone unashamed for Him. She may grow beyond our imaginations and be able to drive and work and live on her own… and she may not. God is teaching ME that I have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that her life is the best that it can be no matter where we land.

Sweet girl… I love you so much! I am amazed at how you love others and how you want to pray for everyone that you see with needs. You are so funny and you already help me so much with things that some never thought you would. You can ride your bike like a CHAMP now and you are so sweet to everyone around you! I am so proud of the young woman that you are becoming and I am praying for you DAILY! God has a plan for you and I am seeking Him to show us how to take the next steps as we walk this road together. Your daddy and I love how you are trying more things and how you are working hard to grow in areas of weakness. You are so smart and I know that you will go far… further than ANY doctor thought you might!  I am proud of you and I love you to the moon and back!