Asher's Turnaround

06/14/2025

Asher’s development continues to soar. He is picking up signs, making requests (okay, really, demands 🤣), and getting some words. Peep his 2 words here. ❤️‍🩹

06/13/2025

I haven’t updated in a while. We are living our best summer life! Well, other than Asher catching the flu and the rest of us having the stomach virus last week.

Fun stuff ahead…We are taking a trip home in a little over a week. Asher gets his ankle braces and walker the week after the 4th.

Honestly, we are just enjoying “normal” life, and what a blessing it is to say that. ❤️‍🩹

05/31/2025

It’s been a year! On this day 1 year ago, complications arose from a heart cath the day before and a coil traveled from a vessel in Asher’s heart and blocked blood flow to his brain.

Since then, Asher lost:
- all his speech sounds
- the ability to swallow
- the ability to suck from a straw and take in food
- his motor abilities
- his smile
- his laugh

Asher became more medically complicated by:
- 2 strokes
- onset of seizures
- 3 cranitomies (maybe 4 - I lost count)
- hydrocephalus
- leaking cerebral fluid
- sepsis
- a pacemaker
- a VP shunt

Today, Asher has gained:
- more providers
- a daily injection
- more medicines
- fall and bleeding risks
- that smile!!!
- his fun laugh
- all his speech sounds and more
- many signs (ASL)
- the motor abilities he had plus MANY more
- the ability to suck from a straw

What ifs aren’t helpful. We can’t change the past. All we can do is move forward. Learn lessons and continue on. It would be amiss not to say that this year has been tough. Looking back to last summer spent in the hospital is traumatic. I try hard not to dwell on those days. Some of those memories are very vivid. I can picture myself in the room with him, having conversations with providers, monitors beeping as if it were happening now. Other days are a blur. The constant is yet again the Lord allowed Asher to continue with us here on earth. And, for that I am grateful. Asher hasn’t just continued here. He has exceeded expectations. Asher is thriving. He’s learning and growing and requiring less support than he has had in the past. He’s a full fledged toddler and full of life.

Thank you to those of you have walked and continue to walk this journey with us whether by prayer, physically, encouraging comments on his page, etc. I appreciate you!

Pictured below are before the heart cath, imaging of the migrated coil, after the first craniotomy and stroke, and today in all his greatness.

05/22/2025

Ms. Rachel is Asher’s life. I like her, too. She sings the “good” early childhood songs that us old teachers sang 20 years ago. It’s like a virtual prek classroom. Asher does song motions, vocalizes, and signs when she’s on. Listen to him here. He continues to grow with communication - more signs and sounds. My heart grows bigger than the grinch’s on top of the mountain when he does something new. I’m so grateful! Glory to our Father.

05/14/2025

Asher is beginning to pull to stand from a stool! Big milestone! My aunt is here with us, and she text me today about how he’s all over the place and my reply was that I love it but check back with me when he’s in the toilet or my things. I might not love it as much, but I’m grateful. Every new skill is a gift. Thank you, Lord, for every new skill.

05/04/2025

When the first 6 pictures turn into the 7th…

Full toddler mode.

His therapists should be proud that he’s trying to pull stand and talk to pew neighbors during worship service.

Not pictured was him signing Itsy Bitsy Spider during Sunday School, me signing no, and him screeching at my reply.

Special thanks to big sis for taking care of Asher during worship service so I can volunteer with the special needs ministry.

04/30/2025

Heard this song on our drive home from work/school. It has been a while since I heard it. It brought me back to the multiple times I didnt know if Asher would make it, and all I could do was pray for recovery and peace. I distinctly remember texting someone who had been through a similar journey with her child and saying that I didnt know how to do this - that I thought Asher would either make it or not. I didnt know that it would be such a roller coaster of successes and then always a blow that sneaks on in.

No one knows Asher’s life expectancy. You can take the data (so limited) and turn it this way and that and come up with a number in the near future and come up with a number farther away. Science would say that Asher shouldn’t be here even now, but he is. The big kids fight over who will take Asher when I die, which is so sweet and morbid at the same time. In reality, I will most likely outlive Asher.

I vowed that I would make the most of whatever days we are gifted Asher. That’s why every milestone is a celebration. Every outing is a big deal. When any first could be a last, it changes your perspective. It’s hard sometimes. My mind does wander. What if? Why me? Why him? If only… Wallowing in sorrow gives me absolutely zero extra time with Asher. Actually, it steals time with him. Fear is a liar and isn’t something we have time for.

We aren’t perfect. There will be hard days. But fear is not our friend.

You’re never alone and you matter. The National Su***de Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7/365 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Your call is free and confidentia...

04/27/2025

We survived the sleep study! It was probably the worst sleep he’s ever gotten, but we can check that off the list. ✅

Asher’s had a great week. We now find ourselves playing where in the world is Asher Silas Herrington? Under the table, in the hall, in my kitchen cabinets. It’s ah! and yay! at the same time!

Asher continues to gain new skills. Now, signing “more music” isn’t enough for him. He’s made up his signs to 2 specific songs that he wants sung to him or played on the tv from Ms. Rachel. Get it right or he will throw a little fit. 😜 Peep the picture of Asher by the couch. He’s getting closer and closer to pulling to stand.

Asher just loves life. He’s generally happy, even though he coming more opinionated, and just a joy. We love him so much!

04/23/2025

Sleep study:
- i didn’t know wrestling a bear was a to do item.
- he will need a bath tomorrow.
- he was asleep sitting up after our sparring match.
- they are monitoring him but it isn’t like the hospital with a big monitor that beeps where i can hear. They start with no oxygen. The tech assured me she would put oxygen on when needed. I don’t think they care about his O2 range. But they do this for a living, right? So, surely they will not let him tank. This is what i am telling myself.
- supposed to be up at 5 am and out by 6.
- isn’t he cute?

04/19/2025

Asher’s first Easter to hunt his own eggs! More Easter adventures to come…

04/17/2025

Asher is a bit under the weather - allergies or a virus. We are hoping it leaves soon. He’s been okay - a little more oxygen here and there, drainage, coughing, some extra fussing, extra spit ups, but otherwise he’s doing good.

I had a realization recently. As many of you know, I’ve taught and worked with children and adults with Down Syndrome for quite some time now - for 20 years. When I found out that Asher had Down Syndrome, my first concern was development. That was the professional in me. I knew there would be delays, skills not learned, a potential that we wouldn’t know we had reached until we reached it. I thought about the different people I know and how he may talk or may be nonverbal. He may potty train or he may not. In the beginning, I thought about all the things he wouldn’t be able to do or might not do. Sometimes, let’s face it, a lot of times, I still think about it that way. The biggest thing I wrestle with right now is can he go to regular kindergarten. What I realized recently is that Asher is learning skills in the same order and fashion and trajectory as every other child learns skills. He started waving bye bye if you waved first. Then, he started waving bye bye if you just say bye bye. Then, he started waving when you said hi. Now, if you say bye bye and wave, he will wave back and say, “buh!” He rolled, sat if you put him in sitting, got down from sitting, got up and down from sitting, scooted, has an Asher way of crawling, and is now pulling up to his knees on furniture and people. I don’t know what I thought he was going to do or was not going to do, but Asher is doing all the things in the typical progressional order - just the order is delayed.

I share this for a few reasons. Focusing on the cans is so much more in the living than focusing on the cannots. If you have a little one with DS, be encouraged. My love for Asher is bigger than my fear of his future.

❤️‍🩹