My guest for Happy Hour #105 is the beautiful Christina Smallwood. Christina is the mother to Finley, an adorable 3-year-old with mild cerebral palsy. She is pursuing her passion as an advocate for open adoption and cerebral palsy, while using fashion to spread awareness through her mommy and me Instagram account and her blog.
In today's show, Christina shares about adopting Finley from the hospital with an early arrival of 31 weeks, and their journey to a cerebral palsy diagnosis. She talks about the challenges surrounding parenting a child with special needs – everything from birthday party invitations to making difficult medical decisions. You'll also hear how you can join Christina in Steptember as she works to raise vital funds for children and adults living with cerebral palsy.
Also, Christina shares about the sudden and tragic loss of her father, and how her loss has affected her daily life and impacted her faith. And it probably wouldn't be a true happy hour, if I didn't find a way to bring our conversation back around to our current TV indulgences.
Y'all enjoy our conversation, and make sure to check out how you can join Christina this Steptember!
{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}
Links from the Show
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander + Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
What Christina is loving: probiotics, Katy Perry Mascara and LuLaRoe's Carly
Connect with Christina
Facebook // Twitter // Instagram
Sponsors:
Restore Women's Conference
Need a weekend away to be refreshed? Restored? If so, consider attending Restore Women’s Conference next March in Orange County, California. This weekend conference is designed for women to experience God's grace and rest in an authentic and uplifting environment. Conference admission includes: an unforgettable speaker line-up (Allison Allen, Alli Worthington and me!), worship, Bible journaling, Holy Yoga, three meals, a swag bag and access to our handmade market and mocktail social event. Grab your ticket today at www.restorewomensconference.com and use the promotional code HAPPYHOUR to receive $50 off your admission. The promotional code is good until the event sells out; however, early bird pricing ends September 1st . Invite your girlfriends, sisters, mothers, and aunts; this is an event you don’t want to miss! Restore Women’s Conference is part of R3 Women’s Ministry, Inc. R3 was created to provide fellowship for women through annual conferences, mentorship, outreach, and discipleship. R3’s mission is to encourage and equip women in all seasons – whether they are experiencing a RUT, RESTORATION, or REVIVING in their walk with Jesus Christ. For daily devotions and more information follow @RestoreWomensConference on Instagram and Facebook.
Pine Cove
Pine Cove is an amazing Christian summer camp with youth camps and family camps in East Texas, Central Texas, and opening Summer 2017- a brand new family camp in South Carolina! If you’ve ever dropped your kids off at camp in the summer and wished you could stay- Pine Cove Family Camp is for you! This is the ultimate all-inclusive intentional trip together your family needs! Be refreshed with all the fun activities of summer camp, stay in not-your-typical-camp cabins, and spend a week next summer investing in your family’s spiritual growth. Spots for next summer will fill up fast, so check out pinecove.com/familycamp today to learn more!
I just want to say thank you for having Christina on your show. It was such a blessing to me to hear about another Mom’s journey with a child with CP. I was literally working my son out on the exercise ball as I was listening. My son (20 months) was born full term but had a brain bleed when he was born and has developmental delays. His delays were termed “CP” in January. He is making progress but it is sometimes like watching paint dry and it’s been really hard for my husband and I to watch the other babies his age make milestones that it’s taking him so much longer to meet. On the other hand every time he does any little thing it feels like I am witnessing a miracle because I know his condition could be so much worse. Anyway – I’m rambling – but It was just so nice to hear that someone else out there has/is going through something similar because sometimes I do feel so alone in this journey. We haven’t talked a lot about my son’s diagnosis with our circle of people because we don’t want to make excuses or feel pitied but that makes this journey more isolating at times. So thanks to Christina for sharing and to you for allowing her to share!