An Index to Posts on Nathaniel

Last May our daughter suggested that I put together a list or index for blog posts about Nathaniel. When she tells people that she has seven brothers, that the youngest is three years old and the oldest is thirty-three years old, she is flooded with questions. She likes to send the curious to my blog for information about Nathaniel.

"But where should they start to read, Mom? And how do they find specific posts?"

I have been working on this list since that conversation. The process of compiling and specifically having it completed today, the second anniversary of Nathaniel's adoption, has been a wonderful experience for me.  It was good to reflect on two plus years of life with Nathaniel in our family. It has been good to reflect on how God has been faithful through it all. After spending hours rereading these old posts, I must add my AMEN to Jason Johnson's words tucked in a recent blog post, "foster care and adoption are not just the process by which we may change a child’s life, but also the means through which God will radically transform ours." 

Here is an index to help you quickly navigate our journey or find information about Nathaniel.

Adoption: Posts about foster care and adopting Nathaniel
Responding to the Call (Winter 2013 - We were asked to consider adopting a young girl.)
Following the Road Signs: (Summer 2013 - Beginning stages of the adoption process)
How An Empty Bedroom Becomes a Nursery: (Summer 2013 - Our decision to adopt Nathaniel)
Reflections on Being Chosen as Nathaniel's Family (Summer 2014)
Meeting Nathaniel (Summer 2013 - Photos of the first day we met Nathaniel)
Loved Well (Summer 2013 - Nathaniel lived with a foster family for seven months prior to coming home)
Introducing Nathaniel (Winter 2014 - Announcing our Adoption after Nathaniel was in our home for six months)
Remember Kalkidan (Fall 2015 - a tribute to the Qualls Family)

Welcome Home: Posts from our first weeks with Nathaniel in the summer and fall of 2013
Day One: Our Adopted Son's Birth Story
Day One: Our Baby's First Night Home
Day Two: Admitted to the Hospital
Day Three: A Plan for the Weekend
Day Six: A New Hospital
Day Seven: Starting Over
Day Thirteen: Sitting in the Hot Seat
Day Fifteen: Back to Children's Hospital
Day Twenty-Three: Welcome Home Again
Getting to Know One Another: August Photos
Top Ten Photos September '13

2014: Posts that describe daily life after Nathaniel's adoption was finalized
On Private Duty Nursing and Glass Houses (Spring)
On Little Boys and Piped Collars and Time (Spring)
A Day of Connection and Sensory Experiences (Spring)
For Mother's Day: Reflections on Birth Mom (Spring)
A Week of Backpacks and Parks (Summer)
A Year of Knowing Nathaniel (Summer)
A Boom-Free Fourth (Summer)
Being Mom (Summer)
A Friend to Comfort (Summer)
New Family Photos (Summer)
A New Book Club for Fall (Fall)
Nathaniel, The Calculus Factor, and God (Fall)
Happy Second Birthday Nathaniel (Fall)

2015: Posts that describe daily life with Nathaniel
In a Good Place (Winter)
Snow Play (Winter)
Welcome Home Embrace (Spring)
Pull! Lift! Carry! (Spring - Occupational Therapy)
An Evening with Chickens (Spring)
One Step at a Time (Spring - Physical Therapy)
"I'm Mom" (Summer)
How a Family Builds an In-law Suite and Ends Up with a Nursery (Summer)
The Cowboy and Calculated Risk (Summer)
Two Years of Knowing Nathaniel (Summer)
Vacationing in Lakeside Part 1 (Summer)
Vacationing in Lakeside Part 2 (Summer)
Pumpkin Picking and a Fall Bucket List (Fall)
Want to High Five About My Progress (Fall)
What We Need When the News is Hard (Fall)
Belated Birthday Photos and Thanksgiving Wishes (Fall)
Merry Christmas 2015 (Fall)
The Year Baby Jesus Had a Tracheostomy (Fall)

2016: Posts that describe daily life with Nathaniel
Three Ways to Help Our Family As Airway Surgery Approaches (Winter)
How Hope Yields Joy (Winter)
Starting My Second Book (Winter)
Drink Formula, Eat Banana (Winter)
Being Brave (Winter)
Spring Wonders (Spring)
Trach Removal at Seventy-Five Miles an Hour (Spring)
We Prayed for a Safer Airway; God Answered Yes (Spring)
Three Years of Knowing Nathaniel (Summer)
Vacationing at Lakeside 2016: Augmented Communication and Pointing (Summer)
I Wish My Child Could Scream... or at Least Whimper (Summer)
A Few of My Favorite (Preschool) Things (Summer)
The Water Bottle and the Loneliness (Fall)
Finding our New Pace (Fall)
What Nathaniel's Grandfather's Taught Me about G-Tube Feeding (Fall)
Camping with a Tracheostomy (Fall)
Happy Fourth Birthday Nathaniel (Fall)
Merry Christmas 2016

2017: Posts that describe daily life with Nathaniel
She Said My Son's Disabilities Would Create Classroom Management Issues (Winter)
When Medical Conditions Influence Educational Decisions (Winter)
Post-It Note Parenting (Winter 2017 - onset of a respiratory illness)
At the End of a Week in Pediatric Intensive Care (Winter)
When Life Demands Persistence (Winter)
Learning Letter Sounds Tt (Summer)
Five Things I Have Learned Transitioning My Son from G-tube to Oral Feeding (Summer)
Happy Fifth Birthday Nathaniel (Fall)

2018: Posts that describe daily life with Nathaniel
Look Out: Weekend Ahead! (Summer)
Happy 6th Birthday Nathaniel (Fall)

2019: Posts that describe daily life with Nathaniel
When Your Children Adult Well (Winter)
Scarred Daffodils and a Little Boy (Spring)
Therapy Support Found for Pediatric Use of an Eletrolarynx (Spring)
Guest Post: A Modern Easter Story (Spring)
Three Things I Learned at the IAL Annual Meeting (Spring 2019)

2020: Posts that describe daily life with Nathaniel
Reflections on Getting Lost (Winter 2020)

Augmented Communication: Posts that explain helping Nathaniel communicate
Part 1: (Spring 2014 - My first attempts at helping Nathaniel find a voice.)
Part 2: Business Cards and Babbling (Spring 2014 - Searching for the right speech therapist.)
The Right Language Test and Therapist (Spring 2014 - Describes our first meeting with a new therapist and her evaluations.)
Nathaniel's First Words (Spring 2014)
Busy Tuesday and a Bit of Communication (Summer 2014)
Language Development and Playing Ball (Summer 2014 - Update on MacArthur Bates Evaluation)
A Modified Stroller and a Communication Refresher (Summer 2014)
Part 3: A Talker (Summer 2014 - Our decision to offer Nathaniel a dynamic speech generating device.)
Part 4: Forty One Words! (Winter 2015 - How Nathaniel's device works.)
Redesigning our Tools (Winter 2015 - How we made a key guard for an iPad mini)
Part 5: Mommy and 216 Other Words (Summer 2015 - How we access Nathaniel's Speech development)
How is Nathaniel Doing? (Summer 2015 - Communication and Occupational Therapy Update)
The Difficulties of Augmented Communication (Summer 2015 - A very popular post about the struggles of AAC use at home.)
Getting Ready for Another Trip (Fall 2015 - AAC programming for surgery preparation)
The Common Cold, IV's, and Firetrucks (Fall 2015 - AAC growth during a hospital stay)
Part 6: More and More and More Words and a New Talker (Fall 2015)
The Brokenness of Silence (Fall 2015 - Thoughts on Nathaniel being mute forever)
AAC and Healthcare Professionals (Fall 2015 - A popular post about the struggles of AAC use when hospitalized.)
Warm Weather, Woolies, and Words (Fall 2015 - My thoughts on presuming competence)
No Talker Outside Today - SNOW! (Winter 2016)
Part 7: Combining Words, Current Goals, and Singing (Spring 2016)
Core Vocabulary with Board Books (Spring 2016 - A popular post on practicing core words while reading.)
Potty Talk and Augmented Communication (Spring 2016)
Part 8: A New Turn in Our Journey (Spring 2016 - thoughts on participating in a group for speech)
Augmented Communication and Messy Play (Spring 2016 - using low tech aids)
Vacationing at Lakeside 2016: Augmented Communication and Pointing (Summer 2016 -working on speech while on vacation)
Happy Second AAC Anniversary (Summer 2016)
I Wish My Child Could Scream... or at Least Whimper (Summer 2016)
Printing and Using Low Tech Versions of Talker Symbols (Summer 2016)
Printing and Using Low Tech Versions of Talker Symbols part 2 (Summer 2016)
How I Prepare for AAC Consultations (Summer 2016)
Augmented Communication and Bible Verse Memory (Fall 2016)
Some Big "Little" Exciting News - Speak for Yourself on the iPhone (Fall 2016)
Trick or Treat for Nonverbal Children (Fall 2016 - Includes a download card to use during Trick or Treating)
She Said My Son's Disabilities Would Create Classroom Management Issues (Winter 2017)
When Medical Conditions Influence Educational Decisions (Winter 2017)
Tell Me - AAC in the Preschool Classroom (Spring 2017)
AAC and Bible Verse Memory part 2 (Spring 2017)
See Me? See My AAC (Summer 2017)
Stop Working and Talk to Me: A Lesson for Mom on Modeling AAC (Summer 2017)
July Backyard Visitor: Fireflies (Summer 2017)
March Backyard Visitor: Turtles (Spring 2018)
Family Based AAC Evaluations (Summer 2018)
#AACAwareness: Keep the Parent Perspective (Fall 2018)
High Tech Speech Generating Devices: We Need to Modify Our Habits (Summer 2019)
We Use a High Tech Speech Generating Device, But We Prioritize Communication (Summer 2019)

Posts that Describe AAC Core Word Instruction in Homeschooling
July Core Word Activities - Week 1 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Homeschool Kindergarten: Week 1 (Summer 2018)
July Core Word Activities - Week 2 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Homeschool Kindergarten: Week 2 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Homeschool Kindergarten: Week 3 (Summer 2018)
July AAC Core Word Activities - Week 3 (Summer 2018)
July AAC Core Word Activities At Home Free Printable (Summer 2018)
August AAC Core Word Activities: Week 1 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Kindergarten: Week 5 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Kindergarten: Week 6 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Kindergarten: Week 7 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Kindergarten: Week 10 (Summer 2018)
My AAC Immersion Kindergarten: Week 11 (Fall 2018)
Planning Worksheet for Literature and AAC Core Words of the Week (Winter 2019)
A Book and a Game a Day: January 2020 Challenge Week 1 (Winter 2020)
A Book and a Game a Day: January 2020 Challenge, Week 2 (Winter 2020)

Posts that Describe Teaching Literacy to a Non-Speaking AAC User in a Homeschool Setting
Encouraging Emerging Independent Writing Skills in an AAC User (Spring 2019)
New Literacy Practices in the Classroom (Spring 2019)
Let’s Talk ATV’s (Spring 2019)
My First Month Teaching Writing to an AAC User (Spring 2019)
First Grade: AAC Immersion and Comprehensive Literacy Instruction at Home (Summer 2019)
AAC and Literacy in My Homeschool: Fall 2019 Update (Fall 2019)

General Info on Homeschooling Nathaniel
Reading List: Children’s Literature on Human Body and Disabilities (Summer 2019)

Kim’s Conference Speaking
Shared Reading Printable from #TalkingAAC 2019 (Fall 2019)
Shared Reading Printables from #TalkingAAC 2019 Part 2 (Fall 2019)

Medical Diagnoses and Illnesses:
Off to the Doctor.... Again (Spring 2014 - Introduces Nathaniel's medical team)
Nathaniel's G-Tube System (Spring 2014 - Describes the Mic-Key system)
Another Day in Surgery (Spring 2014 outpatient surgery and update on medical team)
Back to the Hospital (Spring 2014)
Processing Medical Experiences (Spring 2014)
Discouraging Decision (Summer 2014 - Aspiration)
A Very Full August (Fall 2014 - Bronchoscopy)
Swallow Study Tomorrow and Other Hard News (Fall 2014 - Aspiration)
Swallow Study Results (Fall 2014 - Aspiration)
Life With a Crumb Finding Aspriator (Fall 2014 - Aspiration)
Making Music (Fall 2014 - Discussing aspiration results with our medical team)
Starting Down a New Path (Fall 2014 - Aspiration)
These Sweet Hands and Teaching Body Parts (Fall 2014 - Hand Surgery)
"Could He Possibly Die, Kim?" (Fall 2014)
Hand Surgery and Expectations (Spring 2015 - Hand Surgery)
The Week in PICU (Spring 2015 - virus)
Eat Faster Son! (Spring 2015 - virus)
Last Night in the Hospital (Spring 2015 - virus)
From the PICU to the Cast Room (Spring 2015 - virus, hand surgery)
Sometimes We Sleep (Spring 2015 - private duty nursing)
Help Wanted: Day Nurse (Spring 2015 - private duty nursing)
Nathaniel's Airway (Summer 2015 - explanation of Nathaniel's airway anatomy)
Swallow Study Results (Fall 2015 - post tonsillectomy aspiration at Cincinnati Children's Hospital)
A Narrow Airway, But a Wide Mercy (Fall 2015)
A Plan for Airway Surgery (Fall 2015 - Explains Nathaniel's airway surgery to be performed at Cincinnati Children's)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Day 1 (Winter 2016)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Day 3 (Winter 2016)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Day 5 (Winter 2016)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Days 6-13 (Winter 2016)
Starting My Second Book (Winter 2016 - Describes the process of recording medical information.)
Drink Formula, Eat Banana (Winter 2016 - Describes starting to eat after airway surgery)
Hand Surgery Check Up (Winter 2016 - One year follow up with hand surgeon)
The Trachs on My Windowsill (Spring 2016 - Hospitalization for a virus.)
It Knocked the Bounce Right Out of Him (Spring 2016 - Recovery from hospitalization)
Trach Removal at Seventy-Five Miles an Hour (Spring 2016 - airway emergency when driving on the highway.
We Prayed for a Safer Airway; God Answered Yes (Spring 2016)
Hello from Cincinnati... Let's Have Cake (Summer 2016 - Nathaniel is given clearance to eat anything!)
A Day Without G-Tube Feeds (Fall 2016 - First day Nathaniel ate a full day of calories orally)
My All Done Broken Heart (Winter 2017 hospitalization)
Theories I have Learned: Our Journey in Oral and Tube Feeding (Winter 2017)
Post-It Note Parenting (Winter 2017 - onset of a respiratory illness)
At the End of a Week in Pediatric Intensive Care (Winter 2017)
Trach Care in Cowboy Country: Five Medical Items We are Glad We Brought (Spring 2019)

Emergency Medical System: Posts about working with our local medics and firemen
Calling 911 (Spring 2015)
Very Two (Spring 2015 - Describes one of Nathaniel's airway accidents)
And Then We Mitigate (Spring 2015 - Post accident care changes)
If This Were an Actual Emergency (Summer 2015 - Tracheostomy basics)
Emergency Information Inside (Summer 2015 - Car seat emergency info holder)
An Open Letter to Our Ambulance District Board of Directors (Spring 2016)

Cincinnati Children's Hospital: Posts about trips to Ohio for an airway evaluation and surgery
Back to Ohio in August (Summer 2015)
Getting Ready for the Trip to Cincinnati (Summer 2015)
Did You Hear Today's Cattle Report? (Summer 2015)
A Plan for the Next Step (Summer 2015 - results of our evaluation trip)
September Cincinnati Trip - Day 1 (Fall 2015 Tonsillectomy)
September Cincinnati Trip - Day 4 (Fall 2015 - Tonsillectomy)
September Cincinnati Trip - Day 8 (Fall 2015 - Tonsillectomy)
September Cincinnati Trip - Day 12 (Fall 2015 - Tonsillectomy)
Swallow Study Results (Fall 2015 - post tonsillectomy aspiration test)
A Plan for Airway Surgery (Fall 2015 - Explains Nathaniel's airway surgery)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Day 1 (Winter 2016)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Day 3 (Winter 2016)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Day 5 (Winter 2016)
Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery Days 6-13 (Winter 2016)
May Cincinnati Trip: Fixing The Broken Things (Spring 2016)
Hello from Cincinnati... Let's Have Cake (Summer 2016)