Continued Blessings

Well, blessings are abounding. In recent weeks, Micah began feeding himself snack crackers. I keep a little 3-sectioned dish of various snacks available where he can reach it. His favorites being: cheese fish shaped crackers, fruit snacks, popcorn, and dry cereal. Micah likes to walk around while he eats. It is a task to get him to eat sitting down. This week, I started putting him
into a booster seat at the table during meals. We are making him finger foods for most meals and set them in a divided plate in front of him. He looked pitiful, whining and fussing because we wouldn’t feed him. After a few minutes of our ignoring his attempts to get us to do it for him, Micah started feeding himself lunch. The first day it was something simple, a grilled cheese sandwich. Now, he will feed himself anything that does not require a fork or spoon.

It is fun to watch the progression that Micah is taking in his development. I am prepared for the
typical “two steps forward, one step back” routine that can often accompany such progression. Many kids will progress really well and then suddenly it is as though they lose ground briefly. Thankfully, any ground lost is regained quickly.

As he learns to communicate more and begin the steps towards independence, we are seeing a calming in Micah. He doesn’t become as frustrated as he used to. This is such a blessing to see. When the frustration is present, it is hard for Micah to calm himself enough to express his needs. With the newly found ability to feed himself a snack or his meal, he is gaining self-confidence. He is gaining a level of control in his world. With this, he is stimming less frequently. Overall, each new accomplishment is bringing with it a calming in Micah.

The Lord is doing so much with Micah. He is opening the locks in Micah that prevent him from being able to develop as a typical child would. Micah is starting to communicate more each day. Whether a gesture, sign language, or speech, he is communicating daily with us. I know that it is the Lord blessing Micah’s efforts. Each new day brings with it a witness to the Lord’s grace and blessing through Micah. I thank the Lord for this awareness that we are being given of Him.