Friday

Thank you all so much for your encouragement and prayers! We have felt so uplifted in the past week since finding out the news about Asher's diagnosis. I continue to have both good days and bad days, but I am starting to see past the diagnosis and not let it limit or take away from Asher's amazing-ness and uniqueness.

Many of you have asked about the meeting with the genetic counselor on Wednesday. Honestly, I was dreading it and did not even want to go. I just didn't want to partake in another discussion where I would leave feeling hopeless. Thankfully, we had done just enough research on PWS that there were no surprises with what the doctor said. He was hopeful and said that everything is on a spectrum, and we are lucky to have found out so early because we can help Asher immediately. Already, we are teamed up with physical, occupational, and speech therapists that will meet with us once a week for an hour to help strenghen Asher. These are all through Illinois Early Intervention program, which is a statewide service that helps any child with developmental delays. It is free and actually comes to our home, which saves us a lot of travel time (which isn't easy with a 6-week old baby!).

We really are taking it one day at a time. It is easy to get caught up in obsessing about what the future may look like but I am trying to avoid that. I want to enjoy this precious time with our new baby and soak in every new development and success that I see him have. He loves laying on the floor under his little activity mat and staring at the mirror and toys on it. He seems to love having his feet kissed from Pearl (and she LOVES this too!). He loves to be held and played with. We took him to the park last weekend and he seemed so content just laying on the blanket, feeling the breeze and soaking in love and attention from all of our friends. THESE are the things I want to focus on, because these are the things that bring him joy right now. As our story unfolds and the nature of his diagosis becomes more clear, we will adapt our lives and techniques to meet him where he is. As cheesy at it sounds, we want him to be the best Asher Atkins he can be, no one else, and without expectations or limitations. Again and again it is made clear that he is a gift from GOD!

An old friend passed this verse onto me. Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." I am thankful for this verse, as I have felt both terrified and discouraged throughout this journey so far, and I am sure those feelings may never go away.

On another note -- we are excited that Grandma and Grandpa Atkins are coming into town for a few days. This will give Will and I a chance to spend some time together while Asher gets grandma/grandpa time. We are all headed to the White Sox/Tigers game later this week, and I have to confess... I will be rooting for the Tigers. We are even considering making a trip to Michigan in the next couple of weeks so Asher can meet some of his family there.

Thank you again for your support. Each of your emails/comments/phone calls/visits are what are helping me get through this so far.