He's Come so Far

There were days when I thought Mason would never walk.  I had prayed for him to be walking by his second birthday; his birthday came and while he could walk behind a cart or holding onto both of my hands, he refused to let go.

This summer was a summer of growth in many areas of Mason's development.  When I look back over the past three months I stand in awe at what God has accomplished through this little boy, and I can't help but smile at how far he's come.

Over the next few days I'll be sharing some of the specific ways that Mason has developed recently.  It's encouraging to me to recount, and I hope that those of you who have prayed for Mason will be encouraged as well!

Physical Developments

Wednesday morning Mason has physical therapy for 30 minutes.  We have been going to the clinic for the past few weeks and we've enjoyed getting to know his new therapist, and experiencing the fun things that she has in her room, like this cool jungle gym!

In Georgia we were privileged to have in-home therapy, which was wonderful!  The situation here is a bit different, and that has been an adjustment for me, but I'm thankful that Mason has something to look forward to by being in a new environment for his therapy sessions.

I shared in this post that Mason and Jennavieve were both taking their first steps.  That was about a month ago, and now Mason is walking all over the place!  He has definitely made the transition from crawler to walker.  Sometimes when I see him toddling around I still cry at what a blessing this is!  If he falls, which he still does from time to time--balance is still a bit tricky for him--he finds the closest thing and pulls up again to keep walking.

Over the last two weeks he has been able to bend over and pick up toys, stand back up and continue walking.  We're working now on getting him to stand up on his own without help, and walk up and down stairs.

One of the biggest shifts in this area of development has been Mason's desire.  Now he wants to walk.  In fact, when we head for the car, he refuses to hold my hand.  I have to figure on a few extra minutes each time we're going somewhere, because he still moves at a pretty slow pace.

When we pick Isabella up from school we have to walk inside to get her.  Most days I try to let Mason and Jennavieve take turns walking in, the other rides in the stroller.  Mason looks like such a big boy walking down the sidewalk to get his big sister.

Last week at the end of his therapy session, his therapist let him ride the tricycle.  Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to burst!  She had straps on the pedals to keep his feet in place, but other than those and a gentle guiding on the back he was riding that bike by himself!!

When we reached the waiting room to sign out he did not want to get off of that bike.  We literally had to pull him off and he fought me all the way to the car.  I love that he is enjoying all of these new experiences.

My heart is full of gratitude to the Lord for giving us these blessings.  I struggled to learn patience while we waited for Mason to get to this point.  There were tears, anger, and discouragement for sure.  God used all of those things, though, to teach me to trust Him.

Thank you to those who have prayed!  And thank you to those of you who read these updates and celebrate with us!