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Anne’s funny phrases

Little Anne is such a joy to be around. She is engaging and talkative. She seems to draw a crowd wherever she goes. At the moment, she is sitting with us at the dinner table and entertaining us all.

Little Anne has lots of funny phrases. She always says these with a smile and typically to get a laugh out of us. Most of these are from things she has heard:

“Daddy, kiss me with your beard”
“Everybody is kung-fu fighting” from the movie Kung Fu Panda
“Daddy, teach me to whistle”
“Hey camsters” when calling her brother Canon
“You are amazing God” from her favorite song
“Hey mopsters” when calling mommy
“Mommy put me at the table” when she is hungry
“I want some strawberries”
“MeMa boo” when she wants to scare her grandmother
“boo boo chicken” we have no idea??
“I’m not sweet, I’m sour” – when we tell her how sweet she is
“I like your earrings, can i bite them off?”
“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”
and most of the childrens catechism!

One funny aside… After answering every children’s catechism question correctly in children’s church, one little boy said, “She might have gotten bonked on the head, but she sure does know her catechism.” LOL!

Because she repeats and remembers things we say so easily, we work hard to give her good words to think about – like Bible verses, or Christian songs, or just good kind words. Those around her in therepy, or friends, or family also seem to naturally do this.

– eric

Another busy weekend

Spending the day with daddy, going to the pool, going to church, spending time with friends, sharing a meal with family, and more. . . . . and little Anne right in the middle of it. . . . it still amazes me that Anne just takes it all in stride; she seems to know that it is all good and seems to enjoy the journey. How i should learn from little Anne!

Little Anne continues to make bits of progress: She has begun to inhibit herself from throwing food on the floor and does this less than 25% of the time now. She is also now able to place her sippy cup on the table after taking a sip, instead of throwing it on the floor. The inflection in her voice has improved slightly. She has also improved her ability to carry a tune. She is beginning to read three letter words with assistance. She seems to be a little more expressive with her eyes and face. And she is now sitting quite well in a kid’s chair with very little assistance. GO ANNE!

All of you do such a wonderful job of connecting with Anne whenever you see her. You all have shown such compassion for her and it continues to minister thoroughly to me. Little Anne has never wanted to draw attention to herself and was always so shy. . . . but most of the shyness has gone away. She seems to really love all of you being a part of her life. We see all of the interaction she has with God’s family as fantastic therapy – all of the communication with little Anne through these encounters is just great for her. Thank you for not being afraid of Anne or her condition. Thank you for just talking with Anne and sharing yourselves with her.

-eric

THANK YOU!

Ok. Someone that I’ve never met just dropped by my house -with lunch – and she APOLOGIZED for being late. Amazing… Eric and I are continually blown away by the generosity of others.

I’ve given up trying to write thank you notes. I was keeping a list, but it’s become overwhelming. In addition to the myriads of cards and flowers we’ve received, people have given:

bandaids, medicines, shampoo, kids’ snacks, toilet paper, groceries, meals, lawn care, bibs, blankets, potty seats, suction bowls, car seats, car-seat protectors, car organziers, bath mat, spill proof bowls, travel trays, swim suit, spill mat, cash, checks, fundraisers, books, crafts for kids, t-shirts, home decor items, cds, books on cd, workbooks, child-care, vitamin waters, visits, phone calls and lots of prayer!

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something :-)

We’re so grateful – deeply grateful actually. It’s still hard to believe the sheer quantity of people who have pitched in to help us. It’s humbling and an honor all rolled up together. Most importantly, it’s freed us up to concentrate on Anne.

THANK YOU ALL! -kathryn, (for all of us Jacksons)

Good times…

Anne’s had a really good weekend… Actually we’ve had two good weekends in a row.

We went to the lake with friends last weekend. It was glorious. Anne did great riding in the boat. It was so good for all of us to be in a beautiful setting enjoying the outdoors.

On the boat with Daddy

This weekend was more low-key, but still good. Since Anne is in rehab T/W/Th, she has 4 straight days at home. We try to make sure she stands and walks every day using her braces. Her siblings shower her with love, and Anne seems very content and happy at home.

Yesterday, she participated in Children’s Church for the first time. She can’t inhibit her talking; she just chatters her stream of consciousness thoughts :-) She colored a little bit – some scribbles, circles and lines. And she only managed to eat the crayon once!

Hopefully, she’ll learn to inhibit her impulses. Lack of inhibition is actually one of her biggest issues right now. Grabbing, biting, chewing, talking – these all need to be inhibited in order for her to participate in group activities. She’ll get there…

Today, we plan to spend a little time at the pool, come home for a nap and catch up on laundry. It’s nice to have the whole family together again :-)

-kathryn

4th of July weekend

Our little family had a busy 4th of July weekend, and little Anne was right in the middle of all of it. Lots of swimming pool fun, a cookout, spending time with friends, an adventure getting to church with peachtree rd closed, and plenty of warm July sunshine :-) . Anne is really good at taking it all in stride. She is almost always happy, is quite engaging, and has a sunny little personality – we are so thankful for these 3 traits.

One of our prayers has been for Anne’s “no” answers and negative responses to turn to the positive. God has answered! Anne is now very positive – and seems always willing to try any new thing. Anne has also begun telling us what she wants to do, or where she wants us to take her, or how she is feeling.

Please continue to pray for Anne’s walking, reading, and writing. These are the three goals we have for her in the day rehab program. These three things seem almost impossible at the moment, and are such huge goals, but we serve a mighty God. I often find myself praying while i am on a run around the neighborhood – that one day Anne would be able to run beside me and that i would have a hard time keeping up. i can’t really imagine it, but for some reason i feel God calls me to pray that prayer. What an exciting day that would be!

-eric

Happy Father’s Day!

I’ve never been more grateful to be married to Eric than I have during this trial. He has been such a steady, calm influence on me and the kids. He never complains and remains thankful for all God has provided for Anne and our family. God has ordained it so that the times I am tempted to despair, Eric seems especially hopeful. Eric has been a tangible, living rock for our family because of his unwavering faith in the goodness of God. He is an amazing man!

Anne continues to make progress little by little. My current challenge is not to compare her to before the accident, but to accept this new version of Anne. She is sweet and witty – a real joy to be around.

Another challenge for me is to stay tethered to my saviour. As Anne has improved, my constant awareness of my need for Jesus has wained. This morning we sang one of my favorite hymns… The last stanza is my prayer:

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Eric and I have been deeply impacted by the way our church and community have cared for and supported us. Attending church and seeing how many people know, love and care for Canon and Kate is such a gift. This is God’s covenant family caring for their own. How humbling and rich it is to be the one cared for. We are forever changed because of it!

Thank you for praying and loving us so well…

Looking forward to Thursday (Anne’s homecoming)! -kathryn

Another great day…

5-2-10

Anne  made several significant steps today…

  1. The PT and OT worked together to sit her in a chair.  I think Anne really enjoyed herself :-)
  2. The Speech Therapist evaluated Anne’s swallowing and she did great. The ST put a swab with lemon juice on Anne’s tongue, and Anne swallowed in response to tasting the lemon.
  3. I didn’t see this, but Eric, the PT and Anne’s nurse ALL told me that Anne moved her fingers a little when the PT asked her to. So that’s a big step for Anne!

Tomorrow, they MIGHT remove Anne’s drain – which means, she would be a candidate for rehab. Wee-Hoo!

A few personal notes…

I (Kathryn) went to church this morning for the first time since the accident. It was so refreshing to focus outward in corporate worship. We sang the words, “worthy is the lamb.” Jesus is indeed worthy of our all.

After church, our friends the McKinney’s came to visit. This was the first time the McKinney children got to see Anne. When Canon’s best buddy, Joel, walked in her room, Canon said to Joel, “Isn’t she beautiful?” He’s the BEST BIG BROTHER EVER!

Please continue to pray…

  1. That Anne would progress and we would not grow impatient with the speed of her recovery but instead – remain grateful for every little step God helps her make.
  2. That we would persevere in prayer for Anne’s healing and also persevere in our trust in God’s good plan for Anne and our family.

Still clinging to Jesus – kathryn