Sunday, June 7, 2009

One Year Ago Today

Trying to recreate the picture from last year. Caleb didn't want to and these two kept wiggling!
Brothers for one year now
One year ago-One uncertain Mom
Cardale's 1st day with us

One year ago today a little boy moved in with us, and he has impacted so many lives. I remember driving to Bethany and picking him up. I was handed a bag of his clothes, some baby formula and a piece of paper with very few instructions about his schedule. We were all nervous. When Cardale moved in with us he was 6 months old. He didn't eat baby food, had some low muscle tone, didn't make eye contact well, and would curl himself into a fetal position often. He was such a sweetheart though and really, he adapted to our home quite quickly.

Cardale has achieved so many milestones in this past year. On Friday we had his last swallowing appointment, yea! When we started therapy for his eating issues, I was quite discouraged. He was 11 months old and wouldn't eat any solid foods. I thought he would be eating baby food forever.:) Now though he eats like a champ! There are some textures he won't eat and he still won't try Cheerios, but I think we tried too many of those when he was younger.:) Cardale turned 18 months old on Saturday. He is a happy little boy. His vocabulary is growing, he is a people person, and he has some impressive large motor skills. He can jump, run quickly, and loves to dance. Tomorrow he has his 18 month checkup.

So many people, beyond our family, have been impacted by Cardale. People in our church and community have grown attached to Cardale and want to see how God works in his life. One year ago I never would have guessed that Cardale would still be living with us. The direction I thought Cardale's life was going, has completely changed. But, I know that God has great plans for Cardale. It is exciting for us to watch Cardale's relationship develop with Ryan and Jenn. God has good plans in store!

5 comments:

Momma to 3 Boys said...

Oh Stacy - This post is beautiful! I love that we will know so much about Cardale from the last year! He is such a special little boy! He has come a long way and we have you and Nate and your families and friends to thank for that!
Thank you so much for your call a few months ago! It has changed our lives forever and we are so thankful for that!

Mom J said...

Cardale has been blessed to be your foster child for the past year!

Dad J said...

Tried doing the Cheerios this past weekend with Cardale...no go. He has come a long way in 1 year!

Beth said...

Poor kid--a Cherrios phobia LOL :) Loved this post. God works in crazy ways!

Janna said...

Your family has been a blessing to Cardale and he has obviously been a blessing to your family. You are an amazing mother!