Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

My son, Nicholas, who has cerebral palsy, just learned to walk yesterday - right in the middle of a Target store!  After so many heartbreaking months, it almost seems like a dream!   The people at Target probably thought I was crazy as I stood bawling in the middle of the aisle looking at my two an a half year old son walking towards me!

He finally got his DAFO's (leg braces) last Thursday, and within 3 days, was walking.  He still can't manuever without them, but just being independently mobile is a miracle!  He calls his braces his "Veggie Tale boots."  (They have Veggie Tale characters on them).  We had to buy new shoes that were 2 sizes larger to fit over the braces.  Fortunately, we found some Spiderman shoes that fit perfectly.  When he was just taking his first steps, he said, "YOU CAN DO IT SPIDERMAN!!!!!" 

I still remember before he was diagnosed, we just assumed that he'd start walking at around a year like our daughter did.  He had started therapy at about 9 months old because of developmental delays (he couldn't sit unassisted) that we thought were just due to his prematurity.  His physical therapist said that he should only need therapy for about 3 months or so.  The three months turned into over two years. Even after we changed therapists, it seems that every prediction for improvement was unfulfilled.  Every time we went into the nursery at church, babies who were so much younger than him were up walking around, and he was still crawling.  The saddest times were when someone would ask him how he was doing and his response would be, "I can't walk."  I knew in my heart that he wanted nothing more than to be able to run and play with his friends.  I'm eternally grateful that given some time, he'll be able to do just that!

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  - Psalm 9:1