The Things She Will Do for Pixar...

Admittedly, I am a very well trained parent when it comes to high dollar items with Emma... and she knows it! No matter if she is walking in her gait trainer, riding Pooh Bear, or drinking milk from her cup, Mommy will work for the big ticket items. She has learned that Mommy has all the Pixar short films on her phone and can walk next to Pooh Bear during hippotherapy, holding the phone so she can watch them. So today, she did what any other child who has a well trained parent, who is misbehaving, would do to get her parent back under control. She laid down on Pooh Bear every time we started to walk at the beginning of her ride. Her message was clear - it was time for Mommy to pay up.

I took her cue and pulled my phone out and started "For the Birds," which is one of her favorites. Finally, I got it right and she was finally ready to sit up like a big girl for her ride! Once that one ended, I did as I was supposed to, and pulled up the next one I could find as quickly as possible so as not to let her go too long without entertainment. The next one was "Knick Knack" which isn't one of her favorites, but she obliged since I was putting in the effort she had asked for. The next short film was "Lifted" and that one seemed to loose her interest as it was hard to see the dark screen in the sunshine. Since I was still going in alphabetical order, the next one was "Luxo Jr." and that one got her refocused because she loves the ball the little lamp plays with. Next came another favorite - "Partly Cloudy."

Once I started that film, I realized we had walked all the trails so much that I was starting to loose track of how far we had gone. I knew we were currently on her best ride to date, and that we had completely obliterated her previous record, but wasn't sure by how much as I didn't know the exact length of all of the movies. As the movie came to an end, Emma decided she was ready for a break and laid down. I looked back through at the movies we had played and added up the times and realized we were close to twenty minutes.

After she was ready to sit back up, we tried something new. We moved Emma's hands forward to a 2 point position and she willingly stayed there, holding up some of her weight through her arms! After that, we tried to get her to twist to reach around and touch Pooh Bear's rear. She again obliged, turning and touching him with both hands! Then we tried something even more difficult. We tried to get her to touch her hand to her opposite toes without laying down on Pooh Bear. She was close to touching her right hand to her left toes, but she DID touch her left hand to her right toes - without resting her head!!! At this point, we had only a couple minutes left for this therapy session, so we rode back and ended on a high note.

Yes, she is TOUCHING Pooh Bear - AND SMILING!

After we finished, I added up the times to get the final number - 20:06!!! I couldn't believe it - she more than DOUBLED her previous record! I had a little bit of a hard time not crying because I was so proud of her for working so hard, but I managed to keep it together. As soon as we were finished, I picked her up off of Pooh Bear and gave her the biggest hug. I am still on cloud nine hours afterwards and haven't stopped smiling. Once I got back to work, I had to share with everyone how well she did. And because I'm still so excited, I had to post this and share her accomplishments with her Hydro Family and Friends as well. Now to go post it up on a big billboard on the side of the freeway so I get to see it on my way to and from work every day! Good thing I have a coupon for paint...

One Person CAN Change the World

A friend tagged me in a post on Facebook of a picture that said something very simple, yet very profound. It was a perfect way of saying something that I've always felt and believed, even though I've heard the words that were crossed out many times. But, it made me start to think...

And in a conversation with a different friend later that same day, I started to think outside my bubble. After hearing the words from the doctor that my daughter had a condition called hydrocephalus, it changed not only our world, but took us both down a path that would change the lives of many others as well - most we hadn't even met at that point. I would become a sponge for information and seek out ways to meet others that could relate to what Emma and I were living with. The joys, the sorrows, the wins, the challenges, and possibly even provide guidance and support as we walked this journey together. So once I found the Hydrocephalus Association (HA) and asked about a local support group, the domino effect began.

If it wasn't for Emma, I never would have considered jumping so far outside of my shell to start and lead a support group. But being the Community Network Leader was just the beginning. We met so many wonderful people, all walking their own paths, each in a different place along that path - but a path that we all knew and could relate to. One family that we met at one of our meetings was very similar to ours. They had a young child that was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and were in search for the same things I was - knowledge, support, and friendship. In that meeting, we had one of the Co-Chairs from the Houston HA WALK there and she told us about the event. I loved the idea of the WALK and made sure Emma and I were a part of it. The other family took it a step further and inquired about starting a DFW WALK.  As soon as they asked me to Co-Chair with them, I jumped at the opportunity with even less hesitation that I did at leading the support group.

Over the next few months, I got to know the family more and more as well as many others. I refer to them as our "Hydro Family" and really feel we are just that - a family. Even if much of our communication is done regularly through social media, I feel their support in our daily lives. Now each time I see Emma do something new, I want to share those accomplishments with them too. I am grateful for my daughter's nationwide network of friends that will cheer her on for every milestone she accomplishes, because I know how hard she works for each of them, and that she deserves all of it. 

Now, I look at our life together and I see that Emma has changed my world. She inspired me to be a stronger person than I believed I could be, started a local support group, influenced others to start a local WALK, and created a local community that could not only support her family, but also her ever growing Hydro Family. She has touched so many lives by being an inspiration to me and everyone she meets. 

I no longer believe that one person really can't change the world. My daughter may only be three years old, but she has taught me that I was wrong - because she already has.