So Proud

Each night before kissing the children good night I whisper in their ears how very proud of them I am. I tell them of all the kids in the all the world they are the ones I am most proud of, and if I could choose who I wanted for my kids I would choose them. They must have heard me say this at least a thousand times by now, but it never fails to make them smile as I am leaving their rooms. Sometimes Allison asks, "What are you proud of me for?" and then I go into this list of silly things that goes on and on and on until she finally says, "OK, I get it!" I want them to KNOW without a doubt how much I appreciate who they are and that I am proud to be their mom. Tonight as I kissed my sweet Ashley Kate on her forehead and her nose and her cheeks and her chin I repeated with each kiss,"Mommy is so proud of you." She replied each time by shaking her head, "No" and then crinkling up her nose along with a silly grin. I have no idea if she understands or if she will ever be able to comprehend how very proud I am of her. Each day it grows more and more as she amazes me with her spirit, her determination, and her spunk. Today I was especially proud as she figured out how to maneuver herself around the living room in her new gait trainer. Not only was I proud of her, but the clapping of her little hands told me that she was also proud of her accomplishment. I pushed the couches along the wall, moved the table, and rolled up the rug to give her more room in which to travel. She made 7 definite, deliberate movements in a row to which I was absolutely beaming. I couldn't stop smiling. The prouder I became the more she clapped and the more she traveled. My excitement grew as I realized that she had come this far in a mere two days and my mind began to try and envision just where I could store all of the contents of our home so that she would have an open, empty house in which to travel with no obstructions. I know it sounds silly but can you imagine how well she could be traveling in two weeks? In two days she managed to move herself from the hallway, through the living room, across the dining room, and straight into the kitchen doorway. She only moves it backwards, but I don't really care. The point is that her brain has figured out how to tell her legs to push, push, push against the floor in order to move. YEAH, ASH! This is so huge! She is remembering what movement it takes to go, go, go. I AM SO PROUD AND SO THANKFUL! So tonight as I whispered to my Ashley Kate that I was proud of her I almost cried, because I truly am proud of this child and her accomplishments. She inspires me daily and I love her so very much.

This morning as I prayed for my daughter I asked the Father for His will to be done in her life. Again I prayed that if it be in His will for her to walk that He would give her the strength to learn, and then I prayed that if it not be His will that He might give us the strength to accept it. No matter what His will be, I have to have the wisdom and the words to teach her that she will be exactly as He created her. Today's accomplishments brought encouragement and hope to my heart and I really needed that this week. Thank you, Father for the small steps, the small glimpses, and this small child that you gave to me today. I couldn't be happier!