4th of July 2008

Emily held the flag for a few seconds that day.

Don't give up!

Yesterday was a HUGE day for my family!!! Emily, the youngest, has been blind all her life. Everywhere we go, she keeps her eyes closed, because she has nothing to look at. She keeps her head down, with no reason to hold it up. People always comment, "Awwww, she's sleeping". 'No, actually she's blind, but she can hear you' has always been my response, then they shudder away in some asinine attempt to avoid catching blindness.
I took her to yet another vision doctor, one who specializes in muscle disorders to get a final opinion, and hopefully some therapeutic advice, or the final confirmation of her diagnosis. Well, apparently, the other doctors wrote her off so quickly, they didn't bother to test her for nearsightedness. They looked for a medical anomaly to explain the lack of vision, always blaming it on Optic Nerve Atrophy, or Cortical Visual Impairment (Translation: I dont know why she can't see). Yesterday an incredibly patient, intelligent doctor took a look at her, asked me if we had a history of nearsightedness in the family, and when I said 'Yes, very much' she smiled and said "Well, she has some random muscular movements, but she is also very nearsighted!"....... WHAT?!?!?!
She said she wasn't going to guarantee glasses would help 100%, but she was sure that without them, there was no doubt Emily wasn't able to see!!!!
As if a miracle happened, my little babe put on her glasses, opened her eyes WIDE and started looking around and smiling!
The moral to this story: Don't give up! Unless there is no heartbeat there is hope! Things change, the brain begins to repair itself, people heal, emotionally and physically! This news couldn't come at a better time!

Back to School, 2008

Valentine's Day

Emmy & Ally on their way to school. Thanks Grandma for the clothes!

Back to school

Wow! I can't believe it's only a week away and my little darlings begin Kindergarden! From the first bus ride they will now begin to have vivid memories of school. It starts here! The first playground fight, the first detention, making friends, learning to read and write. It's amazing they are ready to go off into the world, on their own, without me to discover their own way. They will begin to find what makes them tick, what drives their creativity, what diversity the world offers. First love, first heartache, first report card, first forging of mom's signature. Where will the road lead? What will they become? Ah my little monkeys off you go. It's a huge day for you, but I think it's gonna be bigger for me.