I often find myself reflecting on life in relation to time periods. School has ended for the year and SUMMER is here! Last summer G went to ADHD camp for the first time and I spent many weeks organizing and purging the house.

Last night, I was preparing for camp to start this year (yet again organizing and purging) I was able to take down the G-tube pump stand and store the stand, pump and bags. We don’t have use them regularly! Gabriel is eating enough on his own now without regularly needing supplementation! He knows when he is hungry and asks for food! His diet is still pretty limited, however he understands that his body needs healthy food and will often asks if what is he is eating is healthy!

He knows his body needs healthy food because of units on the human body and nutrition taught at school. This means he is able to be gain, retain and use information being taught at school! Reports cards came home a few days ago, I literally forgot to open it for days….the thank you notes from his teachers, I did not forget to open. One of his teachers wrote how he didn’t seem to like school at the beginning of the year but now he comes in happy and excited. We have seen the same thing! HUGE PROPS to his AMAZING team! The biggest difference is that he enjoys time with classmates! He comes home talking about his friends and things he did with them!

As I reflect on the last year, I am celebrating all of our successes, 3 of them rise to the top!
1. Successful medicine wean! G has only been on off felbamate (his seizure stopping magic bullet) since November but it seems like much longer. NO setbacks or even hiccups yet!

2. Building relationships and friendships! Gabriel has always enjoyed being around other kids but this year he plays with other kids as much as he plays on his own! He can make eye contact during conversation and tries to have conversations about common interests!

3. Eating enough on his own! This one is HUGE!!!! The G-tube has been such a HUGE blessing!(I think he has had 3 years now). It not only made giving him medicine effective and protected him from non stop pneumonia, it gave us a way to make sure he had enough calories each day. Now we just use it for the medicine because he eats! I need to remember this when he gets hungry at 8 p.m. every night (when I am ready to be done being mommy of course).

These success allow for purging as well. Both physical-like purging of medical supplies but emotional as well getting to purge fears.
1. Will the seizures come back when we wean medicine? NOPE! They stayed away…PURGE THAT FEAR!

2. Will he ever be able to connect with others? YES! He is making friendships on his own! —PURGE THAT FEAR!

3. Will eat ever learn hunger pains and eat on his own? YEP!! Chicken nuggets at 8p.m. means hunger pains were felt! —PURGE THAT FEAR!

As I am wrapping up this post I keep thinking of all the bible verses about not fearing. God knows how powerful fear is and uses his WORD to remind us that he knows that fear does not have the ultimate power! Thank you LORD for consistently, continually casting out my fears and for providing these seemingly miraculous moments when I get to completely PURGE and eliminate certain fears from my life!