Yipes! Look at all the STRIPES!

If you are a fan of Mike Rowe and the show Dirty Jobs, he did an episode on the people that run a place called Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch located in Pilot Point. Here is a snippet of what it was like being a Nanny to some Joeys.

This educational facility focuses on creating engaging experiences for the entire family with endangered wildlife. From the Safari Tram Ride to the animal presentations, you not only get close enough to smell them, you can touch many of them too! For a child like Emma that started off being so tactilely defensive, this place was a good place for her because it fosters an every growing curiosity. And with her newly found and ever growing confidence, she is trying to become more engaged with new environments every day. I was so excited to see what she would think of all the animals that she enjoys seeing on flash cards and in books.

We arrived shortly after they opened, and made a quick stop at the pavilion where the animal presentations take place before we went straight to the Joey pen you see on the video above. We watched two very adorable youngsters hop around and nibble grass while they explored their enclosure. Then we looked at the pen where all the adults were.

Next, it was time for the Safari Tram Ride - certainly the highlight of our visit for Emma. This thirty-five minute ride takes you through pastures where camels, horses, pigs, zebras, emus, endangered deer, zedonks, and zorses come up to the Tram to enjoy feed in the buckets on the sides so you can see them up close. They tell you which animals you are free to touch and which ones to admire with your eyes instead. Emma was happy to touch any animal that she was allowed to admire with her hands that let her. She even made some friends with some of them.

In case you need some translation, Emma was saying "bye" and "see you later, zebra" to her new friend. She was very set on that one particular zebra. I'm sure she would have loved to take it home, but we let it stay with it's friends. (Mommy did end up getting her a little zebra of her very own though. She named it Stripes and loves giving it hugs.)

After the Safari Tram, we stayed for some of the animal presentations, had our picture taken with a sweet young Joey, and enjoyed some sno cones. At that point, it was time to head home for lunch and nap time. It was a wonderful morning and one that I'm sure she will remember. I know I will.

WALKing to a Different Tune

Last year, for the Houston Hydrocephalus Association (HA) WALK, Team Emma Lee raised $1,355. Our goal was $957 - the number of days old Emma would be the day of the WALK. I was overwhelmed that we had so much support and thrilled to have done so well our first year.

Team Emma Lee had an astonishing year this year. Now, in our second year in participating in an HA WALK, we had a goal of $1,328 - again the number of days old Emma would be the day of the WALK. Only this time, I was also Co-Chairing the inaugural DFW WALK. Because the WALK would be local, I also had a goal of having four others join the team and attend the event with us. For the entire team, I set a goal of $3,000 - the number of years old Emma would be the day of the WALK. I was hopeful that we would again reach our goal, but I had no idea how far we would exceed it.

When all was said and done, Team Emma Lee was tied for third place for the number of team members: TWENTY-ONE! I was so thankful that so many wonderful friends and family were there to support her this year. Not only did we have one of the teams with the most members, but Team Emma Lee took the trophy for the most money raised by any team. We not only exceeded our Team goal of $3,000, we nearly tripled it with a final number of $8,743!

The entire WALK had over 500 people in attendance and raised over $54,000!!! When the goal was originally set for $18,000, it was amazing to see our group triple that goal as well. I would like to personally thank the other two Co-Chairs and volunteers - this event would not have been possible without all of them. We had an amazing group of people that really pulled together and got everything done despite the minimal setbacks we had on the morning of the WALK.

I'm already excited about the WALK next year. It will be nice to do this again after having one event under our belt. We learned so much and plan to have an even better event next year!

Colors

While Emma has been learning her colors for some time now, she is just now getting to a point where it is a game to her to show me she knows them. She will request to do so by saying "colors" to me, and when we start playing, she will prompt me to ask her to find a color. I love how enthusiastic she is about showing me she knows them and how proud of herself she is when she does. You can tell that she is used to hearing people tell her she is doing a good job too because she tells me she is doing so when she locates a color I've asked for. 

Here's a short video of her playing in her ball pit while showing me she knows her colors from this past weekend. Can't help but smile.

Ribbit Ribbit Squeak Ribbit

Short and sweet - just had to share this. The frog toy was purchased for the dogs' Easter basket, but Emma found it first and for some reason it never made it. She loves to hand it to me and ask me to make it "ribbit ribbit" for her. Such a silly little munchkin!

2013

This has been a crazy and fun-filled year (with lots of pictures)! Emma has grown up so much and is no longer my little baby girl, but I couldn't be happier about it! Back in January, Emma was learning concepts like "up/down" and what noises animals made. She was starting to pair words with objects correctly which was so exciting. That month, she also had her first trip to the Perot Museum which she loved. I loved watching her face light up when she got excited looking around at all the new things.

The next month was her birthday and we were ready! The day of her birthday, we went out to dinner with my step-mom, just us girls. We had a wonderful time and were looking forward to her party that coming Saturday. She was a bit apprehensive about her outfit for the day, but she was still the cutest little munchkin I've ever seen! But Emma surprised us all when she got her bilateral AFOs and stood for the first time ever!!!

March was not as busy as February, but she did see her Pediatric Neurosurgeon again to check on her shunt and see how she has progressed. He gave her the "all clear" for another year which was wonderful news! She had a few other doctors appointments and had some pictures taken for Easter with Mommy that turned out really well.

In April, our lives began to change as I began the process of moving us to our new house. There was lots of packing to get the house ready to put on the market so that it looked like a house and not Emma's toy room. But despite a month full of therapies and doctor appointments, we got it done and put on the market. And much to our surprise, it sold in less than twenty-four hours of being listed. Good thing too, because we needed it to move quickly since our new home would be ready soon. I also started the Dallas Hydrocephalus Support Group and held the first meeting.

May was a hard month for a multitude of reasons, but it didn't slow us down much. We said goodbye to the house Emma came home to from the NICU and she had her first seizure while with my ex for visitation. But she also got to start riding Peter Pan again at SpiritHorse (they close for the winter months) and set several new records of how many steps he could take with her riding without assistance before she needed a break. For everything she went through that month and continued to smile, tell me she loved me, and sing to me every morning; I could not ask for anything more.

June was a busy month as well. Emma had her therapies and doctor appointments and we moved into our new house!!! July followed with much of the same, but Emma got to see her first fireworks show on Independence Day! There were lots of people and so much to look at, so it was a bit overwhelming at first. But once the show started and the crowd settled down, she happily looked up at the beautiful pyrotechnics. Emma also visited the SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium and enjoyed looking at the pretty fish and big sharks. I love seeing her face so filled with curiosity!

August was a month of doctor appointments and painting (so glad that project is over). And yes, she still had all her therapies too. By this time, her progress really impressed all of the doctors she saw and she was loaded up with stickers. Emma was referred to be checked for scoliosis when she went in for her epilepsy check as the neurologist noticed a slight curve developing in her spine. Scottish Rite stated it wasn't to a point where they felt she needed their assistance, but her doctors are actively monitoring it due to her fast vertical growth rate. We also held the second Dallas HA Support Group meeting and met many new people that were very nice. Emma was featured in her first article in a newsletter for my dentist. I was so proud of her!

September was Hydrocephalus Awareness month and a busy one at that. Emma started up her hippotherapy again at SpiritHorse riding Peter Pan (they stop during the hot summer months for the health and safety of both the children and horses). She was also featured in the local paper in an effort to raise awareness in our community. We participated in the Houston HA WALK for the first time and raised $1355 which exceeded the goal of $957 (the number of days old Emma was on the day of the walk). I was overwhelmed by the support and will be looking forward to it again next year!

October was a fun month as it was the beginning of our first stretch of holidays in our new house. For my birthday, we went to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed a hay ride after feeding the animals in the petting zoo. Emma went to the Retina Foundation and her Pediatric Ophthalmologist at the beginning of the month as well and we decided to move forward and schedule her strabismus surgery for November. We also attended the Evening of Elegance put on by Denton CASA where Emma joined me on the red carpet. We were treated like royalty on a night where we supported an amazing children's charity that is near and dear to my heart. But the best outfit of the month was still her little "bat-erina" costume she wore to go trick-or-treating for the first time.

November started off a little nerve wracking, but I knew that Emma would do well with her eye surgery and her doctor was amazing. The procedure went well and she recovered very quickly after a nice relaxing day of snuggle time once she was discharged. Her vision was noticeably better almost instantly. I knew she would have six weeks of healing before we would see the full effect of her surgery. However, she got to use her newly aligned eyes for an incredible experience only a couple weeks later when she attended her first Formula 1 event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Much to my delight, she seemed to be just as giddy as I was to hear the cars start their engines!

 
December has been a wonderful way to end a great year. Emma had a fun night out at her very first Stars game - and they won! At her six week follow-up to her eye surgery, her doctor was only disappointed to say that he had no medical reason to see her for the next year. He admitted she had become one of his favorites and would not mind a visit if we were in the area between now and then. Emma got to see Santa again this year, but is still a bit unsure about his beard. This year she sang Jingle Bells to him while sitting on his lap so he promised to bring her something special when he came. And he did! Such a lucky little munchkin!!!

 
Happy Holidays from Emma Lee and Me and we hope 2014 is a great year for everyone!

Cars go VROOM!

Formula 1 is the sport that is on my calendar. Most people are football, baseball, basketball, or soccer people. I am a Formula 1 fan. I love the races, the tracks on the circuit and their history, and the drivers past and present. Growing up with a father who spent his weekends at the track in Ennis, I fell in love with the sounds and smells of speed.

With that love for speed, it was no surprise that I immediately took to racing once I was old enough to drive. My father took my sister and I to racing schools as a way to bond and develop our driving skills. Some of my favorite vacations growing up were spent at a race track. My favorite was a Skip Barber class at Laguna Seca - seeing the infamous Corkscrew turn in person and driving it in an open wheel car is currently one of my favorite experiences I've had behind the wheel because it was the closest I have come to anything like Formula 1.

When I had Emma, I wanted to share my love for the sport with her. When she was young, I would watch races with her and give her play by plays as the race was on. She was much more interested in listening to me talk than watching the cars on TV. But once she started talking and learned the word "car," I taught her that cars went VROOM just like cows going MOO. As she got older and became more curious, she started to pay more attention to the races when they were on the TV and it became a time for us to snuggle and talk.

Last year, for the inaugural race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, I took Emma with me when my family went to see the race. She never went to the track as I didn't feel it would be something she would enjoy with the loud noises and fast cars moving that could be hard to keep up with. But after a year of incredible progress, I felt she was showing increased interest when the races were on television as well as a fair amount of improvement to her vision since her surgery.

So this year, I decided to let Emma try to see if she liked Formula 1 live. We had a set of head phones for her that we tried out prior to arriving to the track to make sure she would be comfortable wearing them for protecting her hearing. She was slightly confused by them but didn't try to take them off so now it was just a matter of how she would handle the noise. We got up Friday morning and made our way to the track for practice. We got to our seats and she sat in my lap looking around singing her songs and quizzing me on the different parts of my face like she tends to do right now.

Waiting for the cars to start.

As soon as we could hear the cars leaving the pits, the head phones went on and we waited for the cars to make their way around to turn twelve where we were seated. Once she heard the cars, she started to look around for what I can only assume was the TV as she knew that's where the cars normally were. It was hard to explain to her that we were there, but she figured it out as soon as she saw them after they had made a couple laps. But once she saw them, she started getting really excited and got the biggest smile. Lucky for me, she did it for a while so I have some great pictures of it.

Munchkin and Mommy both happy to see cars go VROOM!

While I will say that I really enjoyed the entire weekend and being able to attend the race again this year, my favorite moment of the entire trip was that smile. I loved seeing her face light up and her wiggle in excitement. She turned to me a few times and said something, but of course I could not hear her over the noise of the cars so I'm not sure exactly what she said. My guess was a high pitched squeal like she does when she is really excited. But it doesn't really matter to me that I couldn't hear her because a picture says a thousand words, and her message was clear.

Smelling Roses

It amazes me, at times, how quickly the days slip away and a month goes by without feeling it could be possible. It compounds exponentially when my professional and personal life are both much busier than usual. This month has been one of those months, but it has been a good month as well. 

On October 3rd, Emma had an appointment with her eye doctor where we decided to proceed with surgery. She has been showing improvement from her patching treatment which is so encouraging, as it makes me feel that she has a good chance at gaining more ground with the surgery that is scheduled on November 6th.

Next was my birthday which I celebrated by taking the day off work and going to a pumpkin patch on a family farm with Emma. There was a petting zoo and hayride as well, and it made for a fantastic morning. While Emma wasn't big on petting the animals that day, she has finally started to touch Peter Pan during hippotherapy. She has continued to gain strength and improve her stamina with Peter Pan during this month. She had a week where sessions were cancelled due to weather, but still has become much more willing to touch the riding equipment and even began participating in the process of getting him ready for her therapy by helping brush him.

Pumpkin patch after the hay ride and petting zoo - about to pick our pumpkins

On the 10th, I went to Emma's first transition meeting for her to start school next February when she turns three. It is interesting to me that she will be going to the same elementary school I attended. In a way, the idea that there will be some familiarity, since I'm certain it will be hard for me emotionally to have her go, is reassuring.

That weekend, my niece turned three and we went to her birthday party. We also had a play date with a couple of other children with hydrocephalus from the support group. The next week was packed at work as we had our quarterly senior managers' meeting on Thursday followed by our annual charity shoot on Friday that I'm responsible for coordinating. It is one of my favorite parts of my job because it is in memory of my late Aunt Pam and I love seeing the veterans out shooting at the event where we raise funds for different military charities. Saturday was our company fish fry where everyone at the corporate office and their families gather at my grandparents farm. Then, on Sunday evening, Emma and I joined my parents at the Denton CASA's Evening of Elegance. 

Evening of Elegance - Emma was the most beautiful one there!

Needless to say, the month has flown by and I can't believe Halloween is just a few days away. This week, we have Emma's pre-op appointment, my grandfather's 80th birthday, and a cute bat costume to dress her up in. It is months like this one that I have to remember to take time to slow down, when I have the opportunity, to catch my breath so that the things that are normally on our schedule (therapies, doctor appointments, etc.) don't get overlooked or become overwhelming. I still have room for improvement when it comes to taking breaks and time out for myself, but I've kept up my weekly volleyball games and even managed to work in a manicure and pedicure this month to treat myself.

Today, we had a few errands to run (groceries and pharmacy) and laundry to do, but I made sure to keep the rest of our day more relaxed for my little munchkin and me. We watched some things on my DVR cause it was close to full and I was behind on F1, Top Gear, and The Voice. Emma really loves music and the cars so she doesn't seem to mind if they're on during play time or meal time.

On an episode of The Voice, I heard a line that inspired me: "It encourages me to dream with my eyes open." It reminded me how important it can be to take the time to smell the roses and recognize those in my life that encourage me to dream with my eyes open. I'm grateful I have people in my life that make me feel that way. Obviously, Emma is one of them, and the one that has had the most profound effect on me. But I wouldn't be who I am today without the support my family and friends. 

Next month, I plan to make sure they each hear from me how much I appreciate them and am grateful for their love and support. It is, after all, the month to be thankful.

Amazing weekend

This past weekend was wonderful. Saturday morning was the second Dallas Hydrocephalus Association (HA) Support Group meeting and there was a wonderful group including a couple all the way from Houston - the Houston Support Group leader and a Houston WALK co-chair! It was great getting to meet several people who I had only been in contact with via email and Facebook previously. That evening, my neighborhood was having a little block party so Emma and I went out and met everyone. I'm loving my neighbors and am even happier that we moved.

Watching Mommy getting things ready for the Dallas HA Support Group Meeting

 

Add to that, this weekend was the Belgium Formula 1 Grand Prix, and Emma and I have been without cars going "VROOOOOM" for far too long. I was excited to wake up Sunday morning as I had a planned snuggle session with Emma to watch the race at 7AM. She woke up before the race around her normal time and started her morning routine of singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" as well as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" along with a few others. I love listening to her in the mornings for a few minutes before I go in and get her just to hear all the wonderful things she is saying. But then she said something I hadn't heard her say before that lit me up like the Griswold's house on Christmas Vacation. When I heard the words, "I love you, mama" come out of the monitor, I couldn't contain myself. A couple seconds later, during my little happy dance in bed, she said it again! I jumped out of bed and went in to tell her how happy she made me.

After we ate breakfast, we sat down and proceeded to watch Formula 1 qualifying before the race. After qualifying, Emma sat on her potty for about ten minutes with no sounds other than the both of us singing. This is a rather recent new adventure as her first official day of "potty training" was Thursday, August 22nd. Emma has been saying "change" for getting her diaper changed (mostly after she had filled one up) for some time now. In an effort to help her understand a warning instead of a notification is preferred, we have started sitting on her potty twenty to thirty minutes after meal times in hopes that we'll catch her in the act so she can understand the goal. Since we only just started a few days ago, I wasn't expecting much. Once she was safely back in her diaper, we went back to the living room and started the race. Emma asked for juice around 9:50A, so I gave her about eight ounces. She guzzled that down quickly and happily asked for more. I gave her an additional five ounces which she almost finished.

Part way through the race, I realized she hadn't gone potty since I got her up that morning - and I knew with the milk, cereal, and juice in her system, it was only a matter of time. We took a break from the race and went back to her potty. To my surprise, she went pee-pee a little!!! I think the sound surprised her a little as did the fact that she didn't feel the warmth like she would from her diaper. It may have been only a little, but it was a BIG step for Emma and I was so proud! At the end of the ten minutes, we went back to watch the rest of the race. Shortly after we got all cozy, the warmth returned. When I asked her if she went pee-pee, she giggled. I changed her diaper only for her to go again before I could even lift her up off the table. I looked at her and asked her again if she went pee-pee. This time she whispered "pee-pee," and giggled again. Such a little stinker.

We finished the race and the rest of our weekend with a new warmth in my heart. She is growing up so much and making me so proud every day. I love my little munchkin!

Emma's Wing

Before I was even pregnant with Emma, I wanted to paint her room. Everyone thought I was jumping the gun a little given that I wanted to paint it blue. I kept hearing, "but how do you know you will have a boy?" To which I would respond, "I'm not, I'm having a girl. But blue will be her favorite color too!" Some found my response odd, but I was excited about having a baby and wanted the room blue no matter the gender. So I went to Home Depot and bought two different paints - same color, but one was a flat and the other a semi gloss finish. I did vertical stripes alternating between the two and absolutely loved the results. The project was a big pain in the ... but it was more than worth it. However, that was the only room in my last house that was a different color. When Emma began to show signs of sight around a year old, I noticed that she loved to feel the wall in her room when I had her laying on the changing table. She always loved to feel the wall and would always reach for it each night when I'd carry her into her bedroom to put her down. I realized she knew where she was based on the color. It made the hours of taping and painting (and colorful language) even more worth it.

Emma's First Room

When we moved, I thought about painting her room again like her last room. I kept thinking about how she could recognize her room from the color, but it wasn't as high of a priority as unpacking and getting everything out of my storage unit. Then I realized, during my ex's first week of summer visitation in July, that the perfect time to do it would be during his other week of summer visitation in August since the storage unit was now empty. This meant I needed to pick out paint and decide what I was going to do so I could get everything ready to paint the morning after she left. That way, it would have plenty of time to dry and air out before I put everything back and she came home. Or at least that was my plan...

Once I started looking at paint colors, I looked at the colors of her furniture, bedding, and bathroom accessories for ideas. I knew I was planning on painting her bedroom, bathroom, and playroom in a matching color scheme... but I wasn't a fan of how her bedding clashed with the colors I was leaning toward. So I started looking for bedding and found a set I adored!!! And to my surprise, it even included PINK! When I went to buy it, I found out that it was on clearance - EVERYWHERE. My excitement turned into disappointment quickly when I realized it was because the set was sold out and only a few accessories were still available. I checked everywhere, but no luck. I then started a search for something similar and found something that I still liked in the same color scheme, it just didn't have elephants on all of it like the first one (but there was still one elephant). Now her room would be the blue from her furniture and bathroom accessories, the white that was the trim color in the house, and the pink and grey from her new bedding. Now that the colors were chosen, it was time to decide what color would go where and get the supplies!

The colors:

Top --> Bottom: Summit Gray, Childlike, Stream, Pure White (Sherwin-Williams)

I decided to go a bit more extravagant with the painting simply because I like to make things special for Emma. This is why the project took longer than anticipated... even with plenty of help. So, without further ado, here are Emma's new playroom, bathroom, and bedroom (before/after):

Playroom:

Before

After

Bathroom:

Before 

After

Bedroom:

Before

After

Now that this project is over, I think it's time to finish unpacking. Maybe by the end of this month, I'll be done. Until then, I have three beautiful rooms for my baby girl that I'm proud of cause they make her smile.

Without geometry, life is pointless.

For those of you that know me well, using a pun for the title is only surprising because it's only the first one. I felt a math pun was fitting to some degree since this post includes Emma counting. For those of you that don't know me as well, my sincerest apologies. Just think of my attempt at humor as a plateau - for a plateau is a high form of flattery. (Ok, I'm done with the puns... for now.)

I wanted to give a quick update to say that Emma has really become a sponge and is saying so much now that I hear new words daily. I've now lost count on how many words she can say and understand and I couldn't be more thrilled about it! And considering how much I love numbers, that too is impressive. The only thing I have kept count of now is how many bad words she has said - thankfully it is just one, and it was just an error in enunciation. We are working on how she says the "EEP" at the end of "sheep" because it currently sounds more like "IT" at times.

 

While I see Emma daily and witness the progress first hand, it is always a nice reminder to hear from those that haven't seen her as frequently about how amazed they are by her growth. For over a year, Emma has been working on learning her ABC's and counting to ten. When you would say a letter or number to her, she would make a sound back to you for the next number or letter that followed - sometimes the sound that was similar to the correct one. Within the last three months, she has really improved to where she says almost every letter and number correctly every time.

 

 

In addition to her improvements in speech, she is also becoming much more aware of her surroundings and curious about inspecting things she sees. I love to watch her mind work and see her curiosity drive her to do things she wouldn't do even six months ago. This last week, Emma went to see fireworks for the first time at the "Red, White, & Lewisville" show for the holiday. She really seemed to appreciate the experience and was only startled a couple of times when there were some louder fireworks. With the large number of people, cars, dogs, and fireworks, I was happy that she enjoyed watching all the action and was still wanting to say her ABCs and count all the way home after the show ended. She also went to the SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium and was delighted to watch all the fish, rays, turtles and sharks as they swam around. She was still apprehensive about touching the starfish as they were unfamiliar, but I'm sure she'll warm up to that too in time. Next we will be going back to the pool to see how she likes swimming this summer as compared to last summer. She already loves her sunglasses, so now we need to get her out so she can use them!

Moving...

At the end of March, I was looking how the housing market was better and interest rates were low. I had wanted out of my house ever since my ex said he wanted the divorce, but had to wait for the divorce to finalize as I had bought it before the marriage and therefore it was separate property. So I decided it was time to take the plunge and get away from the house of bad memories into a new place that would be better for Emma. My house was a nice place, but not very conducive to Emma learning to walk in her gait trainer as it was mostly carpet and there weren't many places that were open for very far without walls or furniture to work around. So I told a few people that I was entertaining the idea, and one of them found a new development only a few miles from where we lived. I went to look and decided to commit to the change. Once I saw the floor plan and found out I could have flooring in the majority of the house that would help Emma use her gait trainer, I knew I had to see if I could make it work. So I spoke to my realtor and put my house on the market. I'm lucky I had her because I had to move fast as there was only one house left in the development that had the floor plan I liked and it was due to be completed in about two months. So over a weekend, I moved about 40% of everything we had in the house into storage with the help of some of my friends. Then, after some spring cleaning, it was time to open the doors for potential buyers to come and take a gander. Once it was listed, I happily signed the contract on my new house! Only thing that stood between Emma and her new house was the sale of our current house.

That Friday, April 5th, it opened for showings at 4:00 PM and, in the first three hours, had over ten showings and one offer for just over asking price. The next morning, I went to Cars & Coffee at Classic BMW while over ten more showings took place. Within forty-five minutes of the showings starting, there was another offer. This one was cash and for even more! My realtor met me at the car show and I signed the paperwork. I was both shocked and relieved that it had sold so quickly. Next thing to do was inspection. Luckily, nothing really big came up so there were just some easy fixes to take care of. I can't thank my realtor enough for everything she did - she is AMAZING!!!

The old house with me signing the closing documents.

At that point, I had just over a month before we had to be out of our current home. There was a ten day period after we had to move out before our new house was scheduled to be completed. The plan was to move in with my parents until the house was ready. It would be a challenge with Emma and the two dogs, but I knew it would be worth it for our new home.

Then came the weekend that changed my plans. Emma would be with my ex and I was going to pack up as much of the house and put it in the POD I had rented, but then Emma had her seizure. My weekend of packing and moving turned into a weekend at the hospital that wore me out emotionally and physically. Since I made very little progress on the move, I decided I would hire movers to pack and move our stuff into the POD so that I didn't stress myself out while Emma and I adjusted to her new diagnosis of epilepsy. We were down to two weeks left before the move and there was still so much to do. I focused on taking care of her and myself and told myself that it will all get done that last weekend after I close when I'm moving out.

And it did all work out that weekend. Not everything fit in the POD, so I had to have some help from a friend to move the rest to the storage unit where the rest of the stuff was. The last load was put in the storage unit at 5:45 PM and I was back ready for Emma to come home at 6:00 PM. I was exhausted and dreading doing it again the following weekend, but then the fun began. While I had been approved for the loan, there was some miscommunication between the builder and lender which caused delays with the appraiser. The delay moved the closing date of the new house from May 24th to June 4th. So instead of having a three day holiday weekend where I already had someone lined up to help me with Emma while I got everything moved, I now had to take off work and do it in a day. To top it all off, I was sick and on heavy medication that knocked me out that entire week of closing/moving.

The good news is we're in "Emma's House" now and loving it! Even after living there two full weeks, it still feels a little strange. But I'm so grateful that it all worked out and that we are out of the house of bad memories and can start fresh with a clean slate. I'm already planning how I'm going to decorate the house for Halloween, Christmas, and her birthday next February... But I still have some unpacking to do first. One step at a time...

2012

Looking back, this year has been packed full of so many changes for both Emma and me. It's hard to believe that so many changes could happen in one calendar year, but here we are at the end of 2012 looking back at how far we've come.

After all the presents, the birthday girl enjoyed some yummy milk!

I think back to January when Emma was unable to see her surroundings and I am astonished at how much her vision has improved. She was moved into her third and final helmet. At that time, she was seeing her Occupational Therapist (OT) six times a month and her Vision Impairment Therapist (VI) twice a month. At that time, she was working to gain the strength to hold her head upright when held in a supported sitting position. In February, we celebrated her first birthday. The best birthday gift was she began showing signs of sight. March was filled with doctor's appointments and therapy. Emma also had her most recent MRI on 3/14/12 so we are looking forward to the next one to see her progress over this last year. Her cardiologist also stated her ventricular septal defect (VSD) was healing well and he removed her 30 minute time limit for meals.

My little Easter bunny.

April was an important month for both of us - for Emma because she received her feeding chair which made it possible for her to sit unassisted during meal time so that she could start working on learning how to eat like a big girl. It was also the month my divorce finalized in court - something I had been looking forward to ever since Emma's father told me he wanted the divorce on 12/1/10. In May, we went to her first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Reunion which was an incredible experience. Seeing all of those amazing children and their families gave me so much hope and encouragement that Emma and I were doing everything right. June was a normal month of therapy and growth. She began to show signs of tolerance as her therapist and I began working with her on assisted standing. She has always been a good sport about everything we help her with, but Emma did sneak out to see her first movie in theaters as a nice stress reliever.

 

July was busier as she got in the pool for the first time to prepare for the beaches in Hawaii later that month. It was our first vacation together and one I will never forget! The best part was when she laughed for the first time. Emma also really started doing well sitting unassisted for longer periods of time. In August, Emma had her picture taken to be a part of the Gallery of Hope. Visually she showed improvement with a decrease in her nystagmus (tendency for her eyes to shift side-to-side constantly which impeeds her vision). At the end of August, Emma switched VI therapists. She took some time to warm to her new therapist, but she has been doing well with her every since. Orally, she began eating a new brand of baby food with chunks in it that she would tollerate. In September, the best thing that happened in Emma's world was she was phased out of her last helmet! Baby Stig would be but a faint memory only proven by the many pictures that I have of her in them. She had also worked up her endurance for sitting unassisted to over 15 minutes.

October was one of the best months for me for many reasons. Emma began Physical Therapy (PT), which would allow her OT to work primarily on her oral challenges and give her more support on both her motor and oral skills. This meant Emma's schedule went from eight sessions a month to ten - OT four times a month, PT four times a month, and VI twice a month. Emma also began to show some real independence at times by pushing hands away that were trying to feed her something she didn't want as well as grabbing hands and pulling them to her when they were trying to tickle her. And of course, I turned 30. I know the decade ahead will be better than the one I've left behind so I'm anxious to get started! November was another big month for Emma as she began Speech Pathology Therapy (SP). This added two more sessions of therapy a month to Emma's ever growing dance card. To accomodate all her thearapists and my work schedule, we ended up moving all thearapies to Tuesdays. This would make for a very busy day for her, but no more physically demanding than if they were spread out due to the focus of each therapy. We also took our second vacation together - this one was a road trip to Austin for the inaugural Formula 1 race. It was great to see how well she would handle road trips - which she did beautifully other than having a leaky diaper less than ten minutes after we left the house. We also went to see the unveiling of the Gallery of Hope that she was a part of - which ended up on the local news! Everything that happened this year just kept building all the way through December. At this point, Emma can say twenty words and understands and additional eighteen more words/phrases. And then, to top off everything, I had Emma for Christmas. That said, not much else I can say at this point to make this post better.

Looking forward to a wonderful 2013!