Special words about Joshua!

JOSHUA!

For those of you who know Joshua, he is many things to many people. He has been my strength and my miracle. He is someone who, when he walks into a room, will light it up. He has been everything to me. He has been my hero. My little baby is becoming a little boy so fast. He will turn 3 on Sunday and I just wanted to take a minute and pay tribute to my son. I can't believe that over 3 years ago, we found out that he was going to be born with a birth defect. I was devastated. I had never felt more alone in all of my life. Through the power of prayer, priesthood blessings, and having his name in 11 temples in the world, our little boy came into the world with minimal complications. He was big enough to receive surgery #1 the night he was born. Surgery #2 came 8 days later when the doctors found that his head was swelling due to the backing up of spinal fluid. A shunt was placed in his brain to relieve the pressure. He was able to come home a few days later to a family who loves him. He has a big brother who loves him so much and protects him from everything. I personally think that Gavin came first because Josh would need a somebody to be there for him. Gavin is clearly that person and loves him unconditionally. The day Josh came home for the hospital, Gavin brought his trains out and gave them to Josh to play with. From that point on, all of Gavin's toys soon became Josh's as well. It was fun to see Josh laughing as he grew. I remember the many physical therapy appointments we had. Early intervention soon added on speech therapy and vision therapy. These wonderful people came into our lives with nothing but love and help for Joshua. It was amazing that we had so much help. All the doctors have been wonderful. They have commented on how good of a patient he is at such a young age. He is now down to seeing doctors twice a year!!! When we moved to Virginia, we found out about a preschool for disabled children, held at a regular elementary school. This preschool provides teachers with skills to perform physical therapy, speech therapy, and vision therapy. We met the teachers, had an IEP, and were told he could join them. He loved it and the teachers soon fell in love with him. The teachers still call me and tell me about all the teachers who come in and just give him hugs and want to be next to him.

Joshua is a peacemaker. His smile lights up the room. He is truly my little angel. I am honored to be his mother. What a great example he is to all of us of the love of Our Savior. He makes me laugh... and cry... but the crying is just because he amazes me with what he can do.

WE LOVE YOU JOSHUA! Happy birthday, big boy!