Merry Christmas!

I hope Santa was as good to all of you as he was to me! I had a very fun Christmas, except for my sinus and ear infection. That has not been fun. But I was feeling a little better just in time to open presents Christmas morning! Santa Claus brought me some big blocks to climb all over and, oh yes, blow bubbles on! They were a lot of fun! And I figured out very quickly that they are another item that slide well on the wood floors, which means I can use them to get through the house. Mommy says they just match her living room so well!

Two of the gifts Papa got me were a big hit too! One was a Disney Princess tunnel that I can crawl through. I love it! And the fabric makes good noises when I scratch it with my fingers. The other was a homemade present...Papa put two rolls of toilet paper on a clothes hanger, so now I can unroll every bit of it and it's all mine! I can't get in trouble for it like I do when I sneak into the potty room! Mommy hung it in my room but I haven't unrolled it all yet. Papa will be sure to get a clean-up phone call when I do! :o)

On a side note, I had an eye appointment on Thursday, and it took several people to hold me still while Dr. Blumenfeld looked in my eyes. I was running out of things to do to escape, so I blew as many raspberries as I could when the doctor was close to my face. He sat up, wiped his eyes, and said, "Well, that worked!" Mommy thinks I figured out that it worked too, because when Dr. Blumenfeld came back for a second look a few minutes later, I went right to the raspberry trick again! But he got a good look anyway, and he said I still have a slight astigmatism in both eyes, but it has not gotten any worse since he first told us about it a couple of years ago. And my eyes were not crossing, so the surgery was a success. I don't have to come back for six whole months!

And about my ear infection: Mommy knew I had one because my hair keeps getting stuck to the drainage on the outside of my ear. But believe it or not, that's a very good thing! I have had several ear infections since I got my ear tubes, but there was never any drainage. Never! And that is the whole point of the ear tubes. But now here we are, after geting a "real" set of ear tubes from our new ENT, and the first ear infection I have, ta da! There's drainage! That means they are doing their job and my ear infection has not been painful! Hooray!

Another Busy Week!

Here's some day by day stuff, since it's been so long since I've written and so much has happened this week! Get comfortable, there's a lot to read!

Saturday, Dec. 8:

Mommy was sick with food poisoning so Daddy took care of me all day. My clothes actually matched (sort of), and he even brushed my hair and put it in a pony tail...that is no minor accomplishment! Mommy said she was going crazy in the bedroom because I sounded like I was in such a good mood and she wanted to play with me, but she was just too tired. She felt better later and we got to play some before I went to bed. And good news for Mommy...I decided to stay in a great mood all week! Mommy thinks I'm sleeping better at night now and so I'm less irritable during the day. Most of the time.

Sunday, Dec. 9:

We got our pictures taken for Christmas, and I thought the snowman was the funniest darn thing ever! The picture that Mommy and Daddy chose to get was the one with my nice smile; the others were the crazy, squinty eyed, count all my teeth smiles! The snowman originally had a top hat on, but I kept biting it and then I threw it, so we just left it off. The pictures have been a big hit with everyone, and Mommy said she can't stop looking at it! Below is another picture, this one with snowflakes, that Mommy just got a small wallet size for her and Daddy. It's too cute too! Then we went to see Santa and I really wasn't impressed. I think I was tired of having my picture taken. So I just sat on his lap and stared at Mommy and Daddy like, "No more pictures, please!" I'm sure he'll bring me fun toys anyway.

Tuesday, 12/11:

I am showing new feelings about people I care about. When Mommy puts me in Daddy's truck and says good bye in the morning, she waves until we drive away. In the past, I never cared really. But now, I watch her the whole time we are backing out of the driveway. And then when I can't see her anymore, I get mad and throw my toy. Daddy says I calm down pretty quickly though. Then when he gets me to school, I hang on to his shirt collar and I don't want to let go. But he passes me to Miss Maria, and then I'm okay. When Mommy comes to pick me up, I am very excited to see her and I throw myself in her arms and hang on tight! It's like a hug, I guess! Mommy says it's nice to see that really care about people who are special to me. But don't think this means I don't like school. Because they said I have had great days since coming back after my surgery. I've been happy and silly! And I'm still that way at home! Mommy, Daddy, and I played together for a long time, over an hour, and I never got mad. Their batteries were wearing out, but not mine! I just kept going! Here is some video of me playing with Daddy.

Wednesday, 12/12:

I had a visit with my genetics doctor, Dr. Pollack. Not much to say about this appointment, other than she was really thrilled about how well I've been doing, and that I am like a different child since the last visit six months ago! She said again how I've just exceeded all of her expectations! Mommy likes to hear that, because we get tired of hearing and talking about delays all of the time. Let's talk about all of things I can do! My milestones may be more like inchstones, but I'm getting there!

Thursday, 12/13:

Santa Claus came to my school to visit today, but I was not in a great mood because the air conditioner was broken. It was sooo hot! So I just pulled his beard, and then when he was nice and gave me a book anyway, I blew bubbles on it and then I threw it! Mommy says I'm pushing my luck with Santa this year, and it's a good thing he loves me as much as she does! Well, almost as much! :o) I was so hot that during nap time, I crawled over to the cold tile floor and layed on it like a puppy dog. Finally, they fixed the air and I was much happier!

Friday, 12/14:

My first behavior therapy session in a loooong time. I almost got discharged, but then after my surgery, I regressed a little bit and started hitting myself and banging my head again. So we are going to keep working on that. But I'm only hurting myself 1/10th as frequently as I was when we first started behavior modification 6 months ago. That's a big step! Tonight we went to my Uncle Craig's 50th birthday party, and it was fun for me because it meant balloons! I fell asleep in my Pack and Play crib, and slept most of the time. It was nice for everyone else because it meant they got to stay late and have fun, dancing and singing karaoke.

Saturday, 12/15:

Rianne and Aunt Tracie came to visit, and I haven't seen them since the Wiggles concert a whole month ago! Daddy got some tennis balls to put on my walker today, and boy, do I move faster now! I spent 10 minutes doing laps inside the house. I loved it! Unfortunately, Spike is a little confused, and he keeps biting at the tennis balls to try and run away with them. My silliness has continued today, too...check me out with a basket on my head! I crack me up. Papa babysat me tonight while Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 5th/10th anniversary. It was actually yesterday, but they moved their dinner to tonight so they could have fun with the rest of the family at Uncle Craig's birthday bash. Mommy had a ton of fun, so she was glad they made that choice!

Everyone Loves My Walker

Mommy and Daddy took me outside to practice using my new walker in the driveway last night. It was so much fun! Except Mommy stayed right on my heels in case I fell. It made her very nervous that I would bust my head on the concrete. She put Daddy in charge for a minute so she could get some video of me walking around. Guess she didn't think he was watching closely enough, because he got in trouble while she was recording. Oops. :o)



When my walker came, it was in a pretty small box, so Mommy figured maybe some assembly was required. But when she opened the box, she pulled it out all assembled! It's that tiny! Even my friend Thomas thought my walker was fun, and he actually walks faster without it! It will take some getting used to, since I'm still learning how to steer it, but I do love it!



Here's me, running away to the circus!





And here I am, asking "Ummm, Mommy? Where is my walker going?"

Oh, there it is! Silly Thomas! :o)

What a Week!

Monday:
My Grandma Candy had her brain surgery and did fantastic! So I heard...Papa took care of me in the morning, drove me to school, drove to the hospital, waited until Grandma Candy was out of surgery successfully, then drove back to school and took me home. He stayed with me until Mommy and Daddy came home. Phew! Anyway, Mommy said the waiting room was packed full of people who love Grandma Candy and were there to support her and Grandpa Chuck. At first, Grandma Candy wasn't going to tell anyone she was going to have surgery. She didn't want it to be "a big deal." But she looked very happy to know that so many people were thinking of her while she was getting her"golf ball" removed. Those are her words, not mine! :o)

Oh, and my walker came today! I am zooming all around with it! And I like to sit down next to it, grab it at the bottom, and flip it over with a loud bang. Just because I can.

Tuesday:
Mommy kept me home from school, and Papa came with us to the ENT appointment. They tested my hearing like they always do when I have tubes placed, but we actually got an answer this time instead of "She was uncooperative." Don't worry, I was still uncooperative this time. But this audiologist was better than the others. She said that I have the mildest of mild hearing loss, and she doesn't even want to call it that. She'd rather say, "Emily doesn't have perfect hearing." Sounds better to me! Then the ENT said everything looked good and I don't have to come back for six whole months! Mommy mentioned to her that ever since my surgery, some baby food is coming out of my nose while I eat. She said it's not harmful as long as it's just a small amount, it will just take time for me to learn how to swallow with an open airway now! It is weird though...banana pudding, yellow snot; smashed peas, green snot; blue raspberry yogurt...well, you get the idea! Oh, and Mommy told her that I have been having some bloody snot, which is usually a precursor to the nosebleed season. Darn it.

Then we went to the hospital to visit Grandma Candy. I stayed in the waiting area with Aunt Suzi (Grandpa Chuck's sister) while Papa and Mommy visited in Neuro ICU. She looked fantastic! And it doesn't look like they really had to shave her head either. She has already noticed a vast improvement in her vision. She said she feels great and is supposed to be moved out of ICU soon.

Wednesday:
I went to school today and had a great, fun day! Mommy came and picked me up and my teachers had taken great care to keep me clean because they said I looked so pretty today. Which of course, I did. But then on the way home, I got a horrible nosebleed. Mommy had to pull over on the side of a busy road for 15 minutes. The blood was going back into my throat some because I was on an incline in my car seat, but Mommy was afraid to take me out in case a car ran into us. Finally, my nose stopped bleeding, and we drove the rest of the way home. It was not fun! There was blood on Mommy's arm and face, and all over me and my "clean & pretty" clothes. I guess it's just that time of year again! But I'm better now and I have been playing all afternoon! Daddy is visiting Grandma Candy, who is no longer in ICU and should go home first thing tomorrow morning! Great job, Grandma! We are all so proud of you!