RIAH–with two arms again!
Riah is our amazingly resilient little FOUR YEAR OLD!! In the midst of 3 weeks of crazy intensive therapy, she turned 4!! I cannot believe it! She is SO happy. She works so hard and we are seeing God do so much healing both in her spirit and in her body! So 3 weeks ago, the therapists up in Seattle casted her right arm..her strong arm. Her left arm is weak with very little motor control, very little function. When she joined our family 2 and a half years ago, she didn’t even know she had left arm. She could barely bring it forward and open her tight little fist. We’ve seen her arm come down and she has learned to use it more as a ‘helper’ hand…it’s been amazing. But she still had no strength and very little function with it. At the beginning of the three weeks, she couldn’t turn her ‘lefty’ to put food in her mouth, she could barely pick up a small toy. She could not pick up her beloved doll! At the end of three weeks, she was feeding herself (with a LOT of effort) at every meal, she can pick up toys and she even put her leggings on (almost by herself!) without too much crying!! Now that her cast is off, she is using 2 hands so much more…we are seeing her brain and hand connecting more than ever before!! We are thrilled for her and though it was a crazy month to fit this in, we are so thankful for this provision for her…Her therapist said she was the most determined little person she has worked with! I believe it…she is amazing. Please pray with us that God will continue to allow this healing in her body…for His glory in her life!
At four, Riah is constantly dancing, singing at the top of her lungs, caring for her babies and bears…and keeping up with the crew. This girl can EAT and she loves almost everything…especially if it’s spicy or sweet! She is such a compassionate and sweet little soul. I can’t believe our precious little one is 4! Fun to have two 4 year olds for a couple weeks…Maija’s birthday is next!!