Not New For Him

I am not sure what I think about all of the new screenings at the airports. I do know that Davin has been having full body pat-downs for his whole life. I am just saying...

3 Years Ago

On Tuesday, Davin had an appointment at St. Christopher's. We have not been back to the hospital for quite some time now and I did not expect the flood of emotions that came. As we drove the familiar drive, passed the one restaurant that Alan and I quickly ate at one night during Davin's hospital stay, the gas station where I got gas the one night I left the hospital when Alan stayed with Davin....so many memories were made in such a short time. Davin was in the hospital for 13 days and yet it seemed like a lifetime. I can remember so many things, so many moments from those 13 days.

During that hospital stay, my boy lost so much. He needed help breathing, he could not eat and ended up with a feeding tube and rarely smiled. I prayed. I prayed some more. I cried. I cried some more. I crawled in bed with my boy and held on. I asked my God to please restore him. I knew that Davin did not have all of the skills that other kids had, but I love what he had. I asked God to give back the things that Davin had lost. Please restore him was my cry over and over again.

God always answers my prayers, but He does not always say yes. This time He did! It took some time, but God restored Davin. It was an amazing thing to watch right before our eyes.

Driving down Erie St. on the way to St. Christopher's, the tears were welling up in my eyes as I thought of the road that we were on three years ago and the way God restored my son.

A Whole Different Stage

Today I have entered a different stage of life. I am, of course, going kicking and screaming, but still I am going. My baby boy turned 18 today. I am now a mom of grown children. Ugh! Lest I make this day all about me;-), let me go on to celebrate my baby boy!

Davin Bruce Hester entered my world 18 years ago today. I expected him to come yesterday. Generally, my labors and deliveries were so fast. Davin's seemed to take much longer. He was much harder to push out for some reason. He was my smallest baby at 7 pounds and 1 ounce. He was the shortest baby at 19 inches. We had two matching sets now. Two girls and two boys. The girls were 21 months apart and the boys were 21 months apart. Things were perfect....too perfect...something in me knew that things were just not right.

Today I won't go into more about Davin's diagnosis or the grieving that followed it when I realized MY perfect was not to be. God knew so much better. HIS perfect is divine. God has allowed ME the privilege and honor of raising this PERFECT (well, not always;-) boy for the last 18 years. God has taught me so much through Davin. Lessons I would have missed if not for THIS perfect.

All of my children inspire me. I love so many things about each one of them. I guess the thing that makes Davin a different kind of inspiration to all of us is that he does it without words, without the normal movement that others have. He has come up with creative ways to show us who he is and what he is all about and know this without a doubt....I love that boy. We all love that boy. My family loves him with a fierceness that sometimes just brings me to tears.

Happy 18th Birthday to my littlest boy!!!! I am so proud to call you my son!!

Wheaton

Here is a picture of us during our visit to Wheaton to see Cheney Alan for Family Weekend. It was so much fun and we so enjoyed seeing our boy.

A College Drop Out

Don't worry. It is not Cheney who dropped out. It is Davin. We went to visit Cheney's college this weekend for Family Weekend and I thought it would be wonderful if Davin went to one of Chey's classes while we were there since Davin will never get to experience that for himself. It made me kind of emotional, just thinking about it. Cheney said that was a great idea and set it up. Davin was not in the class very long when we got a text from Cheney saying that Davin hated the class and maybe we should come get him:-) Davin ended up making it through the whole class, but he decided college is not for him. Yes, to hanging out and being on campus. Yes to going to the talent show and yes to going to the improv show on campus. A big, fat NO to going to classes! Funny boy he is.