What's up with Lala?!?!

          I could not pass up the opportunity to update everyone on little LaLa. If you are not familiar with her story, then I encourage you look back on the blog posts tilted "A Dad Holding His Child" (May 2016) and "The Journey of Lala" (March 2017). Three weeks ago on April 28, Lala came to therapy; however she was pretty sick. Her breathing was slightly labored and she was significantly congested. Instead of her receiving therapy, we sent her to the clinic. Lala is typically a little congested; however this was a little worse than normal and her breathing pattern was not her usual. She got set up with what she needed at the clinic and went home. The following week, her sweet papa called and let us know that he could not bring her to therapy due to him being “sick in the eyes” – most likely pink eye (it is running rampant these days it seems). I became a little worried since she was sick the week before and then missing therapy and her weight check in the following week. Previously, when she had a similar sickness, she lost quite a bit of weight and regressed in a few skills. Things kind of spiraled downward that time. So I spent the week praying and, honestly, I spent the week a little worried. May 12^th came around the day of her next therapy appointment. By this time, it had been two full weeks. A lot can change in two weeks…and oh how she changed.

            Lala came in that Friday resting in her papa’s arms just like every other week. Sometimes you will get a serious Lala with a face of “oh gosh, I am here AGAIN?!?!”, other times you will get a “go with the flow” Lala with smiles and laughter, and at times you would get the “over it” Lala when she just cries until her papa holds her again. But that day, it was as if she was a whole new child. She popped up from her papa’s shoulders, looked around, and started belly laughing and clapping. With a huge smile on his face, her papa said “she’s doing so good…she’s all better”. She stole the show in the therapy room with all her new skills and bubbling personality. Instead of scooting across the floor on her belly, she somehow figured out how to bear walk to get around (yes…obviously we prefer a quadruped position for crawling, but hey, you have to give her credit for figuring out a way to be functional with her mobility). If she got tired while bear walking, then she would just collapse to her belly and rest for a bit and then get up and do it all over again. She also figured out if she sits on her bottom, then she can spin herself round and round. This move made her laugh in a way I have never heard from her as well as make her so excited that she did not know what to do next. We worked on cruising and she almost took a few steps while holding onto a stable surface, but she became distracted by her feet. We also worked on walking a little….she was all about walking and just smiled, laughed, and interacted with everyone she passed by. In addition to these new skills and activities, Lala has become obsessed with kissing, not only people, but objects. She would go in for a kiss and then would scrunch up her face and belly laugh. I am not sure what changed; however in two weeks she became a different child with many new skills.

            The whole time, her papa was looking on and raising his hands in the air praising the Lord. I fell into a pit of humility. I was witnessing a papa who once felt he was unfit to care for his daughter; a papa who felt his daughter was better off with complete strangers rather than himself and her family; a papa who once had no hope. This papa, his family, they practically have nothing. Minimal to no past education, no steady job or income, no materialistic items, constant struggle for food and for their basic needs to be met, but there he was, lifting his arms in praise. Childlike faith. Many times it comes through innocent children, other times it comes through grown adults. 

She says, "I'm so excited about life today".

Check out all those new teeth!!!

She may look like she is crying, but this is her dying laughing when she was chatting with her papa. 

"I promise I am an angel" ;) 

(Unfortunately, I could not get videos to upload on here; however you can check out Lala walking on the Respire Haiti Facebook page.)

p.s. Supporting my ministry is easy and gifts are tax deductible: 1. ONLINE GIFTS www.worldoutreach.org/donations and follow the prompts. You can also set-up automatic monthly gifts by clicking the "monthly" option. 2. CHECKS: mail to World Outreach Ministries P.O. Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and put "Ashley Kahila #406 in the memo.