Within two weeks after bringing Joshua home from the hospital, our central heating quit working. We moved into the living room during the nights and slept before the fireplace. Joshua caught a cold within days, and I was sure it was from the chilly air.
If only that had been true.
Joshua caught colds, ear infections, and flu's. He was constantly ill, and the side effects of the antibiotics made him sicker. At one point, we decided to use natural herbs. At least they didn't have the side effects that the antibiotics had and the herbs healed him faster. But, within a month, Joshua would be sick again.
Our doctor didn't know what to do for him, except write another prescription. So I made sure Joshua didn't eat any foods that were known allergy foods. I also didn't allow him to eat sugar. As a nursing mother, I didn't allow myself to eat foods that could cause Joshua problems.
In between illnesses, Joshua was a rather happy baby and toddler. He got real good at making people laugh. He studied us, when we did something he didn't understand. Then he'd mimic it. A few months before his first birthday, he spoke in sentences. At the grocery store, people would say hello to Joshua. He would spout off a sentence that they completely understood. The shocked looks from the strangers made us laugh. And we always said he was the youngest of three children, and that's why he could talk well.
We never talked baby talk to our children, and so all of them spoke in sentences around one year of age. Joshua was even more advanced, because his family enjoyed teaching him on a daily basis. Our daughter taught him his ABC's after his first birthday. Joshua learned easily and quickly.
Hopeful his first bad year was behind us, I watched our little guy grow bigger and stronger. But, too soon, the illnesses became more serious. He didn't just catch a cold, it would go into bronchitis. When he caught the flu, the fevers made him delirious. The only blessing in all this was there were fewer illnesses. Now Joshua would catch something once a month, instead of every two weeks. I believe the healthy eating made a small difference.
During this time, Joshua truly shined. When he was well, he laughed and sang, played and ran. Our family made the most of Joshua's well time. We took drives and went to the park. We were happy.
Until next time . . . know that our Lord does hear our prayers.
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