A Turning Point.....

Well, we are still in the process of getting an appointment with the Child Study Center to have Gracie evaluated for ADD. I'm not 100% sure this is something she has but I want to make sure I stay on top of things so that she gets all the appropriate help she needs. However, with her 4th birthday only a month away we have been seeing some very positive and encouraging changes in her and I thought I'd share them.
I've decided to start having her say her own bedtime prayers at night and here's how it went the first night. "God.....God.......God......God.......God......God........God......." I'm grinning from ear to ear at this point." God......God.....God....A-nen!" So sweet! A few nights later we were into a routine...I thought. I knelt by her bed while she sat up in it and said "God" multiple times. But instead, she got out of her bed and knelt by the bed next to me and folded her hands - so I asked her to say "Thank you for mommy and daddy" and she did. Then we started going down the list of loved ones - she even remembered one of her friends then proudly said "A-nen!" That was one of those moments I was sure to soak up because I don't ever want to forget it.
Another new thing that Gracie has been doing is getting herself out of the bath tub. One night she was in there alone while I scurried around the house getting some stuff done and I walked by the bathroom and saw Gracie, dripping wet, trying to reach a towel. My first reaction was to get mad at her for soaking up the bathroom floor until I looked at the tub and saw she had taken the time to put her toys all up and drain the water. That's when I realized she was just trying to take care of herself. Again, I was a proud Mama! She's been doing this every night since.
Speaking of attention.....at our preschool we had the Fire Department come to visit and the whole school assembled in the courtyard for them to give a presentation before each class got a turn to go see the Fire Truck. I looked around the room for Gracie because I was sure she was playing or talking but I couldn't find her. I asked my friend Courtney if she saw her and she pointed her out to me....she was listening. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal to most but for Gracie - that is huge. She was so interested and aware of what was going on. I almost cried.
Saturday Matt played in an ALL DAY LONG softball tournament. My friend's husband was playing also and so she came to hang out and watch the games with her little girl Ava who is about a year or so younger than Gracie. Those girls played together all day. Up until now Gracie hasn't really played with other children real well. She would play amongst others but not cooperatively with them. But she was sharing and they were running in the grass together and "talking" to each other. It was such a blessing for me to see. I had, just a day or two before, said I was looking forward to when Gracie would be able to better interact with kids her age. I think having Zade around and going to preschool where there are a gillion kids her age is helping in the social aspect of things. When it was time to leave the girls hugged, kissed and told each other that they loved each other. I almost teared up...again! On the way to the car Gracie said "I want A.D" (translation: Ava). I'm so glad she's starting to see what it feels like to have friends.
All in all, we're starting to see some real encouraging changes in Gracie and we couldn't be happier about it. I'm so thankful for all that we've gone through with Gracie. We've learned a very valuable lesson through it all and that's to "Be still and know" that He is God. He doesn't expect me to fix these problems...that's why he's God!