Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday Jesus!
Love,
The Chadwick's

Heavens Very Special Child

I found this poem on one of my favorite blogs, it brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of this verse:
"13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

It also reminds me how special Andrew is and how blessed we are to have been given such a special son!

Heavens Very Special Child (Author Edna Massionilla, December 1981)

A meeting was held quite far from Earth!
It's time again for another birth.
Said the Angels to the LORD above,
This Special Child will need much love.

His progress may be very slow,
Accomplishments he may not show.
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets down there.

He may not run or laugh or play,
His thoughts may seem quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.

So let's be careful where he's sent,
We want his life to be content.
Please LORD, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.

They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.

And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for their gift from Heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild,
Is HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD.


by Edna Massionilla
December 1981
The Optomist- newsletter for PROUD
Parents Regional Outreach for Understanding Down's Inc.

Date Night

Last weekend we were very blessed to have a group date with some of our dear friends. We started the evening at Chilli's for dinner and then headed to the main event...but it was a SURPRISE! My sweet friend Shannon had this evening all planned out for us as part of our Christmas gift.

The main event turned out to be tickets to see the ballet, The Night Before Christmas, in Dallas. It was a great show and after ended up back at Chilli's for their yummy dessert. It was so nice to get to spend the evening with our friends and with my best friend, my husband (and no crying babies).

Thanks again Shannon for the tickets, I am so thankful for your friendship!

Chadwick Style Therapy

I love my husband! He is so encouraging and very creative in ways we can make Drew use his hand so it still is fun (notice the rope and the sock). Here is a little example of Andrew and our "Chadwick Style" therapy.

slip n slide

This is Curt and Andrew's favorite thing to do together.... I think it is a guy thing!

Update on Drew

Last week Andrew went to see a Doctor who does Cranial Osteopathy (head chiropractor). The Dr is seeing another little girl who also had a in-utero stroke and has seen huge progress with her development. He said the recovery of his other patient is nothing short of miraculous! As well, he is encouraged at how much Andrew has changed since he first started treatment and would like to see him more.

What the dr is doing is shaping Andrew's growing skull to allow the proper flow of blood to the various portions of the brain. By doing this, we pray that the damaged areas will be able to recover as remaining stem cells generate into brain tissue. It sounds crazy but even after the appointment Drew was opening his hand a little more. Another interesting note is that our friend who is in medical school in Ft worth just happened to call us that very same night saying "you gotta see this guy in Dallas, he has two patients like Andrew who had strokes and are making great progress..." As it turns out Andrew is one of those patients! I love these subtle reminders that no matter how much we think we are in control we really aren't. It is the LORD who heals and I believe He will use anyone or anything!

Also on a side note Andrew has not had any seizures for the last four weeks! Praise GOD! As quickly as they came they left! He is still on meds but soon we will decrease the dosage.

Next week we go back to a orthopedist that Andrew saw a couple weeks ago to get a brace for his leg. I am not sure the type of brace, but it will cover his right foot and leg. He will wear it all the time when he is awake. It should help him to stand and keep his foot flat. He tends to want to stand on his toe. Once we go I will try to get a photo.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support!

Andrew's First Birthday Party

This Saturday is Andrew's birthday. We had his party last Sunday and it was a blast! He really had a great time playing with all his friends and sharing all his new toys. We are so thankful to be celebrating that he is ONE!!!! This has been a rough year with all we have been finding out and learning, but it has also been an encouraging one to see all that he is doing despite the odds! We love you Andrew, Happy Birthday!

Here he is in all his glory, he devoured his cupcake!


Here are some of my dear friends and their little ones:

For some videos of the party check out: http://www.youtube.com/user/acchadwick

And more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/curtmandychadwick