Its the Little things

Oh, how we have learned to appreciate and celebrate the little things in this life. Since our Ashley has been born Dave and I have gotten such joy out of the every day, take for granted, kind of things that most people would never even notice.

Just today as Dave was unbuckling Ashley's seatbelt he said, "I love that she knows how to do that." I smiled because without turning around I knew exactly what he was talking about because every single day I stop and appreciate that exact same thing. All she was doing was transferring what was in her right hand to her left so that she could slip that hand under the belt and then back again so that her left could be slipped out of it also. I know you must be thinking how trivial that is, but you truly have no idea how BIG it is to us. She also knows which side of a picture to look at and if you hand it to her upside down and backward she will examine it, turn it over and turn it right side up. We love that she knows that! Its those little things that we see in her that tells us how intelligent she truly is. Its those little things that show us she is inside there, thinking, learning, and figuring this life out each day. Its knowing that if she points to the door that the outside world is there waiting for her to go "bye, bye". Its knowing that the little gray remote is the key to getting Blue to come on. She will move "mountains" to get a hold of that thing. Its remembering where every single lift a flap piece is in every single one of her books. Its knowing that if she rubs her hand across a page then she will eventually figure out if there is a different texture just waiting for her to discover. Its knowing that when its time to get dressed one arm goes first and then the other.

Her daddy likes to say she's a "thing knower". Ask him to explain that and he will say "she just knows things".

They all want to label her. They all want to place her in a neat little box and tell us what she "has" or "doesn't" have. We aren't interested. Why in the world would we limit this child? Ashley Kate is Ashley Kate. She is who she is and we happen to think she's wonderful. Yep, at 3 years old I still have to carry as if she were an infant. Yep, at 3 years old I still have to feed her every bite she consumes. Yep, at 3 years old I am changing diapers. Yep, I may be doing all of those things for her for years to come, but guess what? Its o.k. I know Ashley doesn't talk. I know Ashley doesn't know how to tell you what she is thinking. I know Ashley doesn't have the ability to express herself to all of those around her. I know Ashley may not do a lot of things the other kids her age do, but Ashley IS a "thing knower" and there is not one thing that she learns that we do not celebrate or appreciate. Tonight I want to share with you a little piece of something that gives us hope, that renews our faith in her abilities, and that she has been working really, really hard to learn. You might hear her fuss and complain. You might see her wobble to and fro, but look past all of that and focus on the accomplishment. She worked so hard to get here and Dave, Blake, Al, and I are more than proud of her. So here it is...just one of those "little" things that happens to be a really "big" thing to us. Enjoy!