In August 2011, our daughter Aster was diagnosed with a severe speech disorder, and was recently confirmed as having Apraxia**. At the age of two and a half she could only say fifteen words. At the age of three she could barely say five, and those five were very hard to understand.
We didn’t know what the future held; we just knew we’d been praying and waiting for two years to hear her precious voice. And now it was diminishing. I was in shock. And honestly my heart broke a little more each day for the first several weeks.
I knew God was in control and that He could completely heal her. But my mommy-heart hopes and dreams for hearing my little girl’s voice were shattered. And my world turned upside down for a while.
When we shared our story on Facebook and at some speaking events, many of you spoke hope, grace and truth over our hearts. You comforted us with your prayers and claimed God’s promises over our little girl.
Aster has been going to speech therapy two times each week for six months. Her progress has been very slow. In January we discovered her two year molars never formed enamel so a little over a week ago she had surgery, and little silver crowns were put on them.
What happened next was almost miraculous! The crowns must have relieved severe pain we didn’t know about because she couldn’t tell us. And she never indicated it either. (Her pain threshold is incredible!) Her progress in the past ten days has been amazing. Then last weekend, when they came to get me from the airport after a speaking event, Aster started babbling a ton.
So, I got out my iPhone, turned it to where she could see herself when it was filming and we witness a break-through on camera!! Here’s a sweet little peak into God’s faithfulness! {Note, she had never done this before!}
I can’t help but celebrate the “good things HE planned long ago” for a little girl who needed a family to help her find her voice – and for a family who needed a little girl to help them experience the depth of God’s love!
Thank you Lord for the gift of our precious little Ethiopian princess!
I have trudged through Apraxia for the past 12 years, and I’m here to tell you that I KNOW how your mothers heart feels. Simon has had thousands of hours of speech, camps, assessments, testing, and through it all he has shown me so much more than words ever could. We are at the point of being “released” from speech, and though that is cause for celebration, there are so many other things I worry about. When my heart feels heavy, I rest assured knowing Simon was wonderfully made and is who he is supposed to be….to us, to Christ, to our family. If I can offer you anything by ways of answering questions, lending an ear, or simply lifting you up in prayer….please know I will, and am. When your heart is weary, place your hope for tomorrow in His hands, they’ll never let you go. Blessings to you and your sweet girl!
Praise God! I heard your story on KLOVE yesterday and I knew I had to immediately read your blog. My son Liam has severe Apraxia of Speech. He has been getting speech therapy since he was 2. He is 6 now and is making slow steady progress. He has a lot more sounds now and a couple of words but is still basically non-verbal. So I understand the heartache, frustration and how you just yearn to hear your child call you Mom. I will pray for your family everyday and I am so happy for Aster’s progress-Amazing!
God Bless,
Jenn Inglis
Scarsdale, NY
God is good all the time. All the time God is good.
Our God is an awesome God! Praise to Him for continued growth and improvement in Aster!
So beautiful!
She is so beautiful! I understand all too well about speech difficulties. My son Jonathon was in speech therapy until the 7th grade. He started speech therapy at the age of 2 because of severe delay. We kept encouraging him and being very supportive of him.
You are doing the right thing by getting Aster in therapy very early. She is blessed to have you and your husband as parents. I see how you encourage her and are very loving to her. In time she will improve.
In Christ Love,
Kimberly Stiver
Her grandmamama brought joy to this grandma’s heart ! How precious, how sweet, how
wonderful is she, and our Father God! May He continue to bless you and your family.
What amazing grace God has showered you all with! Keep on HOPING and PRAYING because what we hope for we wait patiently for. And I am CONFIDENT that God has so much MORE in store for your little princess. Love you and God bless you all!
Joyce M.
I am just now getting to see this and I am blown away! Tears filled my eyes as I watched. God is so good! am so glad you shared this with us!
<3 Heather
Thanks so much for sharing this Renee!! So sweet and great to see answers to prayer! Asking God to keep doing just that!! My little Jed was on my lap as I watched and enjoyed “talking” with Aster! It was so cute and reminded me how they came into our lives at the same time! How blessed we are as Moms!! Thanks again, Jill
You know what is awesome about being a woman in love with God? We get to cry all the time over his amazing goodness and timing; and because we are women so blessed, no one can say anything about the waterworks!
Crying over your little Aster and what God is doing in her life, with her life and in her heart. What an amazing, amazing testimony you are allowing us to witness.
Her little smile is priceless!
That is amazing! All things in God’s time! Praise God for His awesomeness. She is so very cute. Bless you for sharing.
WOW! God is so good. Thank you for sharing this with us. Perhaps the Lord wanted to use her to let us know how much he enjoys hearing from us. She is a beautiful little girl with such a sweet personality. I just loved it. God bless!
What a wonderful blessing your little girl is! What a wonderful faithful God we have!
Praie God! Thank you for listenning and sharing with your online family. How beautiful, you and Aster now have touched thousands of women and given us hope everlasting. Thank you!
I am so happy that i sat down with my lunch and listened when it was calm.
Renee, Aster is beatiful and a true blessing to all us Moms! Pleasae let us see more of her growth to come.
God holds her hand and will lead your family through this to the top of the mountain. Hugs
Thank you for sharing this beatiful video and for sharing your beautiful princess with us. She is truly a gift from God. Her smile radiates His love and her enthusiasm to sound off her words is inspiring. This video could not have come at a better time. My husband was diagnosed with the pre stages of parkinsons disease we are newlyweds and as scary as the news were to hear yesterday after his appt. I know in my heart that all of this is part of God’s plan for us. We are both believers and we walk by faith that He already has a plan for us and we will prevail because there is no impossible for Him I know that your ray of sunshine will also prevail and before you know it she will be talking up a storm. Blessings
Amazing!
That video is precious and inspiring…What a beautiful little girl!
Oh Renee, that is AMAZING!!! God is so good! Aster is beautiful and a true miracle of God!
Our God is so generous with His love – He loved the world so much – He gave His most precious Son and He keeps on giving – this is a message of Hope for all those prayer requests that have been laid at the foot of the cross. He is faithful, marvelous, wonderful, counselor — Almighty God is He.
oops gift!!