Hopefully we are all striving to make progress. No one ever wants to stay stagnant…we should all be moving towards a goal. But progress looks different for each person, so it’s unfair when we try to compare. I think  we all struggle with comparison from time to time…at least I know I do. Nevertheless, we reached some goals today that were big for us and I would like to share them with you all.

First of all, Gideon is making big progress. At 8 months old, he has finally done the simple task of clapping his hands when asked to do so. The first few times he did this was on Sunday; but since he became sick he hasn’t performed it again until today. I was thrilled!

Click Clap to watch him do it.

Cute right? Okay, maybe I am partial. I’m always hesitant though to announce how he’s progressing, mostly because he’s so far behind most kids his age. Believe it or not, I sometimes forget he has a good excuse.  Other times I feel guilty because Gideon is ahead of some kids who are facing the same genetic disorder. Either way, I’m learning to accept that my son’s life is going to look different than that of someone else his age, regardless of what they may be facing themselves.

So we did some big things today…big things for us. Beware, you may not find them all that exciting.

Today during physical therapy, along with clapping for his therapist, Gideon also signed “mama”… although it was probably an accident. Because he wouldn’t repeat the request, I’m going to go ahead and say he was  trying to suck his thumb (with an open fist) and missed….thus appearing to sign “mama.” Another achievement for G man was that he kept one of his hearing aids in the entire time we did therapy! ….big improvement, even though it was just the one. He also kept one hearing aid in while jumping in his bouncer and watching his video.

Don’t you just love his cheeks? I know, I’m biased. Anyways, Gideon also finally opened his mouth upon request while I was feeding him lunch today. Kids with this kind of genetic disorder sometimes have a feeding tube because they are not able to swallow (a reality we could face someday). But for now, we are extremely grateful that he can.

Don’t let this picture fool you, he loves bananas! (that’s the only food he loves). Usually I have to force the food in his mouth (as you can tell by his face, lol) because he doesn’t know how to open it. That all changed today though…because he opened his mouth when I asked him to do so. I got proof!

Click Here to watch him eat like a big boy!

And I can’t brag on my little man’s success without sharing some of Laynie’s achievements today also. Even though she has a virus, we did our pre-k homeschooling. She didn’t realize we were doing it, but we did. We played pet shop with real money. We discussed all the ways we could pay $0.26 for a pet giraffe! Great deal if you ask me!

She also painted some of her family around her memory verse. My favorite is that she attempted to draw her Aunt Traci and Chris (who are both in wheelchairs). Me and Mimi made it into the master piece as well. I labeled them so there’s no confusion about who is who. Precious right?

She also did her Spanish words for the day. Libro, puerta, ventana, silla, and mesa.

But the biggest goal reached (I think) for the day, is that we all three took an hour nap at the same time!! Even my little boy (who doesn’t nap longer than 30 minutes) took an hour nap! Okay, well honestly I took an hour nap before I realized he was up, so maybe it wasn’t an hour…since we will never know, I’m going to give him credit.

So that’s our big day. Doesn’t seem like much does  it? Most days I feel as though we don’t get much done. Heck, I consider the day a success if all I’ve done is showered and fed my kids! I know you moms out there feel me.

Do you have days where you feel like you didn’t make progress by the world’s standards? I do often.  And then I remember that song by Steven Curtis Chapman called Do Everything. Even if you’ve heard it a thousand times, listen to it again. Click HERE. Or read the lyrics below.

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today 
Matching up socks 
Sweeping up lost cheerios that got away 

You put a baby on your hip 
Color on your lips and head out the door 

While I may not know you, 
I bet I know you 
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all? 

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long 
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you, 
Cause he made you, 
To do 
Every little thing that you do 
To bring a smile to His face 
Tell the story of grace 
With every move that you make 
And every little thing you do 

If you’re like me and feel like your successes are not big or important by the world’s standards, that’s okay…honestly, they probably aren’t. But you know what? Every little thing you do matters as long as you do it for His glory. Isn’t that good news? That means we don’t have to please the world! Peoples opinions about our progress doesn’t matter! We can be content with our own pace and our own place.

So be encouraged with your own progress as you reach your goals. And if you’ve been at a stand still that’s okay, you can always push forward…Baby steps. Remember God and Gideon are clapping and cheering you on!