End of Summer

Another summer comes to a close.  It is always with excitement of whats to come in the new school year for the kids, and sadness that our summer adventures, roaming free, and Miguel going back to work is here.  This summer was distinct in so many ways. 

It started with a wonderful visit from Miguel's parents at the beginning of June.

 Paula turned 6.  We have watched her grow from a tiny baby of 8 lbs 11 oz to a smart, empowered, free spirited little girl.  She brings Miguel and I so much joy, she pushes our buttons, she shocks us with her curiosity and interest in adult things, and we are so proud of her in everyway. 

Her beauty and grace never ceases to amaze!

Then Sara danced in her recital to Toy Story...You've Got a Friend in Me.  We watched in delight at how much she has grown, her true and sincere love of dance, her passion for the "big stage", and her love of the lights, flowers, and applause.  Beyond all the above, she takes our breath away everytime we watch her dance, and we are in awe at how far her arm has come. 

We then went on the trip of a lifetime with Grandma and Grandpa to Disney.  The girls enjoyed so much, as did the adults!

The girls loved all the "magic" of Disney.  The characters, the shows, the ice cream, and the rides...scary and fun ones!

July came and went marked by our beautiful annual trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.  We swam, we laughed, we hiked, Miguel kayaked, we ate s'mores...indulged in ice cream every night, learned about the ghosts of Sleeping Bear Dunes, made the first ever canoe trip with the girls which was a 3 hour trip...and ended with our annual summer visit to our dear friends, Emily, David, Ella, Colton, and Brigetta's house in Grand Rapids.  Our friendship is marked this year by 11 years.  Emily was with us when Miguel and I met, we were lucky enough to visit Emily and David shortly after they bought their first home, we splashed in the waters of Lake Michigan when Ella and Paula were just babies, we got pregnant at the same time with Sara and Colton, we have walked the same walk with food allergies....and here we are, I guess it's been one blessed friendship!  Thank you Emily and David for your hospitality, your patience with three little girls screaming, Sara and mine fear of dogs, and our adventures for blueberries!  Miguel still LOVES Emily's cooking and we are waiting for you to open the bed and breakfast!

We finished the summer with our dearest new addition to our family, Pongito.  I can honestly say, post bad experiance as a child, I never thought I would ever touch an animal again let alone be the owner of a dog.  But here we are, our family suddenly seems so big, and only to get "bigger" as Pongo grows into a full sized retriever!

I can say, that as all humans, there are times that we desire more.  More money, a larger home, more vacations, less work, and more material things.  And as we all do, I can say that I am no different.  But in these desires, I always remember how blessed I truly am, and how I have it all.  A wonderful husband who empowers me and the girls, who loves us dearly, and who inspires us all to find our inner passions and hobbies even if we thought we didn't have any.  I have two healthy, curious, smart, and fun loving girls who I wouldn't trade for the world.  They are truly my everything, and my whole life I wanted a sister and although I never had one, I am so blessed that the girls have each other, through the fights and all!  And now we have Pongito, we can't wait to take him camping, swimming in lake Michigan, walk the bike trails and local forest preserves and watch all of our relationships with him unfold.  Life is beautiful.  And the countdown till next summer begins!

Puppyhood

Last winter, Sara began therapuetic horseback riding.  Much to our worry, we thought that it was going to take a lot to get her to even touch the horse, let alone get on it,  and to agree to wearing pants which is part of the barn's dress code when you are riding.  At this point in Sara's life she had probably braved pants twice in her life, both times being with force due to cold weather.  We went first for a "meet and greet" with the staff and the horses.  They asked Sara to touch the horse and she stuck out one finger and quickly poked the side of the horse, and that was it.  I went home, said some extra prayers, thought some good vibes, in hopes that she would open up to the experiance.  Low and behold, she was sold the first time her three year old self in a tutu with pants underneath got on.  We are touched week in and week out by the volunteers who make the program happen, and moved spiritually by her connection with her beloved Thoka (the horse!). 

In May the barn was doing a special event at a fair.  We went out to see the older children ride, to pass a nice spring day, and enjoy as a family.  We saw the kids ride, and then we walked around the fair and off in the distance I saw a therapy dog booth.  I told Miguel...lets go over and see the dogs.  At this point, Sara was overheated, as she doesn't do extreme climates well, scared and mad because we were at a falconery booth that had the birds, and at the mention of the dogs she firmly said she wasn't going to pet any dogs.  We went to the booth much to her anger, and in two minutes she was on the ground laying on the therapy dogs, petting, face to face...and beyond any of my expectations, becuase this is a child who is TERRIFIED of animals.  It was a beautiful organization called Canine Companions for Independence, and they said that they gave dogs to individuals with all different sorts of disabilities.  We got in the car (as I was secretly loving the dogs to and with a purpose I felt that even I who is also afraid of animals could handle it...) and I told Miguel...hmm...I wonder how Sara would do with a dog. 

We got home and I said well maybe I should fill out the initial application, becuase there are two more applications after that and I thought we might never get past the first application and then there was nothing to think about.  We applied, and shortly after our vacation to Michigan we heard that they do not give companion dogs to children under 5 years old, and if we were still interested to reapply then.  So that ended the puppy hood thoughts.  Until...I told Miguel lets just go to a pet store and see how Sara does with a puppy as the therapy dogs are already older then 2 and very calm, which is much different then a puppy.  Much to our suprise she was wonderful with the puppies at the pet store, very confident, very in charge (bossy:)), and just fine...so our quest continued. 

With no intention of buying we found a breeder who is wonderful, bought the puppy on the spot, and we have the reciept prooving after about 15 days of waiting...tommorrow Pongo will be ours.  I have to say, I am not sure if we are crazy.  We put a lot of thought into this, I did a lot of soul searching, we took the girls begging and pleading in mind, and there is no turning back.  I couldn't help but think outside the box on how special the connection between human and animal can be as we have seen in Sara's therapuetic horseback riding and love for Thoka.  I see her tiny little voice grow in strength and confidence each week.  I see no can nots, for 45 minutes each week there is nothing that she can not do identically to other children.  It is not about how high her arm can reach, about how much it rotates inward, or about how far it can or can not go behind her back...actually it is just pure bliss for her.  And true or not true, I feel that Thoka is probably just as excited to see Sara as she is to see her.  Wouldn't this be wonderful, if this same amazing connection can happen for both girls in our home.  So crazy or not...here we go.  Miguel is anxiously awaiting a buddy to pal around with in the yard while he makes his kayaks and other things.  Sara is hoping to be able to put Pongo in a basket on her bike, regardless of the fact that she is terrified to ride a bike (even with training wheels) and her bike has no basket, and Pongo is going to be a very big dog for a toddler bike basket.  Paula is absolutely in love with animals and can not wait for his tail to wake her up in the mornings hitting the side of her bed.  And me....I am awaiting a transformation for us all as we welcome Pongito into our heart and our home, and I will take loosing a few pounds from the countless walks that we are about to take together as well!

We will keep you posted on our baby boy, our puppy training, and our sanity:)) 

~Betsy

Dog Days of Summer

Every summer, we like to get away, change the sceenary, step away from computers, phones, tv, fighting over toys, and just enjoy together. This past weekend we got back from our annual Sleeping Bear Dunes camping trip.  We stumbled upon Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Glen Arbor/Empire area 3 years ago, and we seem to find our way back every year.  If you haven't been there before it is a beautiful place and was voted Good Morning America's Most Beautiful Place in America.  It really is breath taking and there are so many things to do.  Here is a few of our families captured moments.

Is she not the cutest little thing toothless:)  Our 1st extended hike...1.5 mile Empire Bluff Trail.  It was a bit far for Sara, but Paula tackled it like she had been hiking for years.

Here's "cherry bear" with a bear!  Paula wasn't about to have anything to do with it, but Sara had to go by her namesake, I am still shocked she went any where close to it!

Here's Miguel and his kayak.  It almost didn't get done but he finished the construction of his Greenland Kayak with literally only minutes to spare before we hopped into the car to head North.

Empire beach:)

Every year my hope is that the girls learn something, wether it be about a time long ago through a National Park program, how to start a fire, the Native Americans of the area, how to entertain themselves without Fisher Price, or to feel empowered as young women to go on an adventure or to try something new, and grow from it.  It has been interesting to watch them grow, and change, and learn each year.  So until next year......

FTEA Ride A Thon

This winter Sara embarked upon a new journey.  Truthfully I wasn't sure if I should even investigate local riding centers for her, becuase she is terrified half to death of animals.  When I decided to put a call in, one of the things they told me is that the riders must be wearing pants.  Now you might be thinking....of course she has to wear pants, but this is Sara and she has worn pants very few times in her life and barely ever gives up the tutu and tights.  But I decided that we would give it a try.  It was the therapuetic recreation specialist in me itching to make a come back, reminding me the wonderful things that can happen with rec therapy without the kids even knowing that therapy is occuring.

So I held my breath, we showed up, I prepared for the worse, and she fell in love.  If you are not familiar with therapuetic riding, it is great.  They use the horse in a purposeful but fun way to benefit children and adults with disabilities.  For Sara, it helps her with her core strength.  Having a brachial plexus injury, her overall alignment and strength has been affected.  The gait and the movement of the horse helps with rebuilding her strength as well as her balance.  When she holds the reigns she has to hold her hands in a half way supinated position, and supination is something that all kids with BPI's have difficulty with.  When she pulls the reigns to steer the horse she works on the motion of pulling the arm back in a bent elbow position, but when she hugs the horse and helps with the taking of the horse she works on elbow extension which is something she struggles with.  The Dr. felt that it would also be really good for her shoulder.  She continues to work on confidence and communication skills as she says in the cutest little voice "Walk On" to get her horse to move.  There is nothing she can't do at riding.  She is the most adorable little three year old on I swear the largest horse ever, and she has even added her own flair to the riding when she goes every week in leggings and a tutu....who said that leggings couldn't be considered pants??.....

On May 19th Sara is going to be participating in a ride a thon to benefit FTEA and it's riders.  This experiance has really been an empowering one for her.  For the last three years Sara has been in and out of therapy and Dr.'s appointments where she has had no control over being there or not and what was going to happen at them.  But for the hour she is at therapuetic riding she is not only in control of herself but also of a very large animal.  If this doesn't empower you, I don't know what does.I am so happy she is able to have this experiance at such a lovely place and as a family we look forward to participating in the Ride A Thon.  If you would like to make a pledge please let me know. 

~Betsy

http://www.ftea.org/

Winding Down

I don't know where the time has gone.  Here it is mid April, and I feel like the school year was just starting, that we were just celebrating Christmas, and now here we are at the end of the school year.  I am so proud of the girls and how much they have grown, changed, and matured in one year.  I look back at the pictures from a year ago, and I can hardly believe it is the same child.  Tonight we were going through the old bins of clothing, get ready to purge out, sell, garage sale, donate....and anything else to spring clean.  It is shocking to see how small they once were.

Paulita has become quite the school girl.  She entered school, embraced it, learned how to read, write, add, and subtact.  Much more then I ever imagined from kindergarten and the remembrances of what my kindergarten year was full of playing school, house, blocks, and art projects.  I have smiled at each new discovery made, friendship formed,  and world problem she has taken on.  Paulita remains today, yesterday, and always my free spirit.  Miguel and I just love her to pieces and smile everytime we are reminded at how much she is completely him.  She loves nature, art, camping, planting, science, learning about other countries, and American Girls.  She has become quite the ballerina and has started tap dancing this year.  She says ballet is her favorite activity.  In judo, we have watched her inner tiger emerge, we know that she is not about to let anyone walk all over her.  After Christmas she started taking piano lessons, and tommorrow is her debut in her first recital.  She loves memorizing music and composing her own songs.  We are very proud of our little lady.

Sara is and will always be an inspiration to us.  She has grown leaps and bounds and we are completely in awe with her.  This fall she said goodbye to the days of parent tot ballet and emerged as a passionate ballerina.  One ballet class a week was not enough for this serious little student, so she began taking two days a week, and learning to tap dance.  She fell in love with the stage, the lights, the flowers, and the audience by appearing as the youngest cast member of the Nutcracker preforming at a local university with proffessional dancers.  Not a day goes by when the little princess doesn't beg me to take her to dance and to see her ballet teachers.  She wants to know when she can preform on the big stage in Chicago and every table top, hand rail, and bar that is waist high becomes a ballet bar.  She is soon to make her debut in her first recital, and the countdown has begun.  When she is not dancing she is watching movies about ballerinas, video clips on youtube about proffessional ballerinas, reading biographies about dancers from the library with Mommy, and watching the movie of the Nutcracker memorizing every part she aspires to be and how and when they enter and exit the stage and the positions of all the dancers on the stage......and yes she is only 3. In February she started participating in therapuetic horseback riding.  She quickly fell in love with this also, and the best part it is so good for her.  She continues to make slow and steady progress with her arm, and we couldn't be happier.  She has brought a light to our life, an appreciation of what we take for granted, and is truly in every way my little buddy.

As summer approaches, we look forward to spending time as a family as Miguel is off for the summer.  The girls love being able to spend time with him, and I love having help with the kids!! We hope everyone has a wonderful end of the school year and many fun filled summer adventures.

~ Betsy

Up Cycled fall skirt

I had wanted to create a skirt for Paula out of cargo pants that still fit in the waist but didn't fit in the length.  It has been an ongoing project as I adjusted to my sewing machine "baby pink".  I was happy to have it done, and now we are waiting for some cool weather for her to wear it.  I also made her a matching shirt and a pretty headband.  Can't wait to see her in it!

The Skirt

The shirt with the skirt.

 The Headband

Welcome to Fall

Today is the first day it really feels like fall.  We welcome some cooler temperatures but feel hesitant to welcome winter weather just yet.  We took the kids to the swimming pool last night for the final time of the season.  It had already started cooling down to low 70's but with a cool wind.  Miguel and I let them swim, and happily watched from the side as did the few other parents that were crazy enough, like us, to bring their kids.  After about 40 minutes, both of the girls were ready to come home.  So what are we doing today to welcome fall.....

Harvested homegrown pumpkin gourds.....

made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, decorated the house with the gourds in anticipation of Halloween (only we are 2 months early), we all came down with our first back to school colds, Miguel did a fall cleaning of the yard and put wood chips and I did a fall clean inside the house,I made a great "fall" meal and ate it mid-afternoon...I love doing that on fall weekends....and Sara had a fall snooze.....

We also watched the Polar Express today....but we don't want to wish for the holiday season just yet.  We hope everybody had a nice holiday weekend, and welcome fall........

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was the day, the day my baby went to kindergarten.  I was both excited for her, but yet sad that she is already big enough to go to school.  I felt gracious in the special time that her and I have shared together during these early childhood years.  The opportunity to stay home with her, has been a very special gift.  I never in a million years imagined being a stay at home mom, but Paula was truly love at first sight, and now I could not imagine anything but.

I held her in my arms when she was moments old, I took her to her first story time, and her first playdate.  I witnessed everyone of her temper tantrums, her first pee pee on the potty, and the day she gave up sippy cups.  I took her to her first day of 3 year old preschool as well as stood in awe at her 4 year old preschool graduation.   I remember struggling over the ABC's, sweating over her skipping the number 7 when counting from 1 to 10, pushed her to learn her sounds, and taught her to turn those sounds into reading words.  I saw her dance her first recital, learn to doggy paddle, and do her first throw in judo.  I watched her free spirit, knowing that our world would never box her in, cryed when she pushed the boundries, watched in awe when her independance taught her something new, and could do nothing but say "only MY Paulita!". 

And what could I do but embrace this very special moment.  I told her Paulita...today is your day, and you are going to MOVE MOUNTAINS!  Today is just the beginning.  I felt a little bit nervous, but I told Paulita that there were three very special angels watching over her for me, Mommy's Grandma and Grandpa, and Papi's Abuela.  And what do I hope....I hope that she will have a very special teacher who can see her beauty, her spunk, and her uniqueness.  Who will embrace her challenges, foster her love for learning, and push her to learn more.  I hope her teacher will celebrate her bilingualism and biculturalism.  And I hope she will have fun.

So my Paulita...today is your day, you ARE going to move mountains.  We are very proud of the baby you were, the toddler you were, and the child you are going to become.  The world truly has no limits for you.  I hope you never loose your free spirit.  Here we go......

BPI Clinic Day

On Wednesday we made the trek downtown to Children's Memorial's BPI Clinic.  Going into the appointment, I hoped the Dr. would be happy with what they saw and I hoped that based on her progress we wouldn't have to go back for another year (it had been 8 months since our last visit).  We got the girls all excited about going to Molly's Cupcakes, the novelty cupcake bakery across the street, and the adults excitement was in a restaurant called Sultans Market which is next door to CMH. 

We absolutely love Sara's specialist.  She has such a nice way with the children and families.  We have always appreciated and trusted her expertise and kindness.  The clinic nurse is wonderful as well, but unfortunately we didn't see her this time.  My hopes proved to be in the right place because the Dr. was happy and said she wouldn't be a candidate for any surgeries and that we should come annually from now on.  She also told us that Sara no longer had any restrictions except for something like football where there is an opportunity for strong impact in the shoulder. 

At the moment I took everything for what it was and was very pleased, and I still am.  But when I started thinking about no restrictions, my mind went flying.  NO RESTRICTIONS!  I didn't know if I should laugh, cry, be shocked, seem surprised....no restrictions.  Although she hasn't had complete recovery, this is my girl, and it is her moment to fly.  She will always be in therapy to keep her muscles loose and to continue to stretch her range, but this is who she is and will always be.

Sara has always been very in tune to her BPI and we have always felt that there is no reason to keep her injury a secret from her.  We wanted her to understand why we were going to so many therapies and why we were doing home exercises.  She is also aware of her vascular birthmark on her BPI arm, and she takes people aback when her little two year old voice exclaims that it is her hemangioma when she is asked.  So I began to think about the importance of reminding her in our daily conversations that she can do and be anything she wants to be.  And when I asked her what that would be....she said a tap dancer.   Of course she understood my statement at a very 2 year old level.  But I hope that when she gets to be an adult, that she never has felt the feeling of road blocks or my nervousness with her arm as something that held her back.  So today, and I am sure for her whole life.....we will be telling her that she has the whole world at her fingertips.....and today is her day to fly............

~Love Potion~

Happy Valentines Day!  Today was a pretty quiet Valentines Day in our house, marked by Paulita having strep throat.  I swear we never get sick like this...time for some spring cleaning to get the germs up and out!  When we went to get Paula's prescription, each of the girls could pick a Valentines Day treat.  Sara picked a little princess box of heart shaped chocolate, and Paula a Mickey and Minnie in love lolipop made of marshmellow, to which she didn't like.

I had to get creative with Miguel...becuase I just felt like it wouldn't be Valentines Day without doing something for him.  So....we bought a little candy bar of chocolate at the drug store, but I still wanted to do something more.  At 3:45 it hits me....just moments before he got home from work.  With our new juicer, to which I love and am completely fascinated with....I would make him some "Love Potion", basically a fresh natural juice of strawberries.  Sara preferred to refer to it as a princess pink drink...hey whatever floats your boat!  So I whipped it up and mixed it with some fresh oranges as well for sweetness, and gave it to both girls.  Sara drank it and liked it, but Paula I had to give to her in a medicine dropper to get her to take it.  After I asked each of the girls who they were in love with and they said Mami. 

So we were super psyched with our Valentines Day Love Potion.  Here are some pictures, I wanted to have the photos with out children, but Sara just couldn't wait to try it.  Thought the one was pretty funny becuase you can see her sticking her tongue in it!

I guess all of what I consider "winter holidays" are behind us, and now it is on to spring.  Happy Valentines from our home to yours!

~Mama Betsy

Cut Pj's

So Mama Betsy had an enlightenment from her Mom.  As a mother, I have an obsession with the fact that if my kids are not old enough to sleep with sheets and blankets, then they need to have footed pj's.  When they graduate to a big kid bed with sheets, then they can wear other types of Pj's.  ....maybe I am just a worry wart.  Sara has a toddler bed and we give her a blanket but it is not one that gets tucked in, so she still needs footed Pj's.

I have been ever so religious about getting Sara in her new elbow extension brace splint every night, but one of my complaints was that she couldn't wear the big bulky fleecy pj's becuase her arm wouldn't fit and be comfortable in her splint.  So I was using the super tight long sleeve shirt type of pj's and using socks, but I just didn't feel it was the same warmth wise with the shirt shifting up and the legs to. 

While complaining about this to my Mom....she had an idea....an OH SO WONDERFUL IDEA.  She suggested, using the tight t-shirt pj top under neath the footed pj's, but cutting the sleeve off of the footed pj, so that she could still wear her brace and be WARM.  In case this is confusing, first I cut off the right sleeve of her footed blanket sleeper pj.  I then put on a tight long sleeve pajama top, then the footed blanket sleeper, then the elbow immoblizer splint...and it works WONDERS!  Here is a picture:

She has a red long sleeve t-shirt on under her Princess Pj's.  I would use this same idea for any orthotic that I had that was bulky like this.  If I had a leg splint, I would first put on a tight fitting pair of pj pants (similiar to long johns), then the blanket sleeper with the leg cut off, then the splint.  Thanks Mom!!!

 

Sara also got her purple velcro for her splint on Friday from Mr. Robert.  Mr. Robert the orthotist at Children's is now at the top of Sara's list!!!!

Love from the trenches ~ Mama Bets

Therapy Tennis Ball

Thank you to Betsy W and her February/March OBPI Newsletter I got this idea for a therapy activity.  It is a tennis ball, with a mouth slit into it with an exacto knife.  From there, you decorate the tennis ball with a face, and have the child feed the mouth with whatever you have.  We used coins, but you could use decorative erasers, bingo chips, ect.  This is a strength building activity that requires bilateral use of the hands. 

Both of my girls thought this was a fun activity and wanted to do it, however neither Sara who has a ROBPI or my 4 year old daughter were able to do it on their own.  Both needed assitance, but both wanted to do it multiple times.  I think if my four year old had slightly larger hands she could have done it, but I am not sure that two year old hands are big or strong enough to do it independantly. 

Valentines Day PJ's

With Valentines Day approaching I had decided to buy the girls pajamas as gifts.  This was not my original plan, but while walking through Walmart, Sara spotted out of nowhere....the one and only pair of purple Little Mermaid pajamas that there was no way we could leave Walmart without.  I thought about it and thought that pajamas would be a great way to avoid all of the Valentines Day chocolate that a 2 and 4 year old really do not need.

So then came my predicament.  I was happily going to give them their gifts on Valentines Day, but Paula's school announced a pajama day on Friday.  So far this year, there have been two other pajama days, and I have forgotten to send her in PJ's...the guilt was heavy!  Do I give them the gift early so she could sport her new pj's to school or wait till Monday.  I went in and talked to the teacher this morning, and she said that Paulita has been a VERY good girl at school, so I couldn't hold back.  Here they are....

I also thought new pajamas would be lots of fun with the girls upcoming sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Since today was sooo cold, we stopped and got hot chocolate for the girls and enjoyed their new pj's...it might have to become a tradition.

Happy  "early" Valentines Day!
~Mama Betsy

Valentines Day Children's Shirt

Paula always wants holiday themed clothing.  But, being the frugal minded person I am...I can never rationalize with myself that it is worth it, so she never gets any.  I decided that I would try my hand out at a basic valentines day t-shirt for her.  I used a long sleeve shirt we already had, and bought two shades of pink felt which cost 29 cents each felt sheet.  I printed a free printable template for hearts online, and used those as my patterns to make the hearts in two different sizes.

She was very happy and I think that this along with some pink tights will look very pretty for her Valentines Day party at school.  I think it came out pretty good all in all, and the most important thing is that she is happy.  The felt would easily be enough for two or three more shirts, but Sara isn't interested becuase it is not purple.  If you have more then one child the felt goes a long way.  I love Paula's new girly stage, she is too cute!

Valentines Day Button Magnents

The girls and I decided to start the week out by crafting.  So here is our Monday craft.  Today we made Valentines Day button magnents to give to Grandma and Grandpa for Valentines Day.  They came out really nice.

You will need:

buttons of your choice

hot glue gun

magnent circles for the back

So here are some words of wisdom after completing the project.  Make sure to have everything alligned the way you would like it to be, becuase once the kids stick the button in the hot glue...that is it, it is not moveable.  I wanted Paula to help out, but that also meant accepting that they were not always centered perfectly.  Also, when buying your magnent backings, it does make a different how strong the magnent is.  I didn't know this, and just bought the only pack that was at JoAnn Fabrics, and it won't hold much.  I think it will have to be basically a decoration and next time we make these we will venture out for better magnents. 

Sara's Story

My Sara.  I loved her from the very first moment I found out I was pregnant, I loved her when I found out she was girl, I loved her even more the first time I held her in my arms, and I have loved her every day since.  Many of you know that Sara sustained a birthing injury called a Brachial Plexus Injury as a result of a complication of labor called a shoulder dystocia.  Sara was too large of a baby for me to deliver vaginally.  When I was about to deliver her, her shoulder became stuck between the pelvic bone and the tail bone creating a birthing emergency.  She was stuck.  The doctor chose to pull her by the head in order to deliver her.  This caused a permanent nerve injury to her right arm. 

At birth, her arm was completely paralyzed with the exception of her fingers.  Her thumb was what is considered an indwelling thumb, meaning it was permamantely tucked under her other four fingers.  If you would lift her arm up in the air and let go, it would flop down like speghetti.  Her first few months, actually her first year, was filled with so much fear and anxiety on our behalf.  We had never heard of a brachial plexus injury (BPI).  We were told that she would have a spontaneous recovery within two weeeks of her delivery, which did not occur.  We were left with many many unanswered questions wheen we left the hospital.

When we arrived at home on a Friday, my husband and I spent the whole weekend researching BPI's, what they were, what it meant, and where we could go for treatment.  We stumbled upon a BPI clinic at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and on Monday were scheduled for her first clinic visit later that month.  We immediately began occupational therapy, and she has recieved countless hours of therapy since. 

Today, Sara is 2 years old.  She is like many many other two year olds.  She loves to play, laugh, run, and even have tantrums.  She doesn't miss a beat keeping up with her older sister Paula.  She has therapy two to three times a week, and is such a trooper.  Her arm has shown signifigant improvement and as parents we like to say she has made an 80% recovery, it is not "normal", but she does so well.  We are so gracious when we recount where she has come from and where she is today.  Although we had and still have many ups and downs, we still feel like we have and are moving mountains.  Slowly and with patience has become our motto.

Being a family and parents of a special needs child has really shaped us.  When the going gets tough, and the tough get going, we are still hanging on.  We have tredged through desperate temperatures, snow, tornadoes, heat, and more...screaming children and nap time, to get to our appointments.  We have swallowed frustration, grief, sorrow, and tears to do what is best for our little girl.  In the end, our family has grown closer, accepted and loved each other for who we are, and learned to appreciate the things that we normally don't think about like the ability to move and lift our arms. 

A good friend of mine, who is also part of the BPI community wrote so eloquently, that despite our personal hardship I am able to use my child's and our families experiance to help others.  She couldn't have said it better.  Sara's story to which is so special to us, has helped us reach out to other families in the same or similair situation and advocate for safe birthing practices and awareness of safe birthing and birthing choices.  We appreciate everybody's love and support during Sara's journey.  Many of you do not even know how you have touched our families life.  Those emails or calls just to see how we are doing, have come at just the right moment, when we have needed to be uplifted. Smiles of understanding and celebrating her baby steps have helped us know we are not alone.  Welcome to Sara's Story and our journey.  Please come back often and stay awhile.  If we can help you in any way, let us know.  Our hearts our always open.

Love from the trenches....~Mama Betsy

February is here!  We are a bit "snowed" in, but as happy as can be.  We started the long awaited Valentines Day countdown.  Paula directed me to make it at the begining of January becuase she had so much fun with our Christmas countdown, we almost had to have a countdown to the countdown!  We were suprised when Chicago had an enormous snow storm and Miguel had two days off from work.  We enjoyed having him home, and enjoying snow day type of activities.  Paula loved the snow and Sara opted to a short snow adventure when she learned she couldn't wear her favorite Christmas dress outside in the snow.   Today we did a special Valentines Day M&M graphing project followed by pure bliss with finding what I like to call the "deal of the day", this cute little pink and white fleece for Sara for 2.50. 

 

Valentines Day Countdown

Snow Day

Rosy Cheeks

Our new entrance

Waste Deep Drifts

Valentines Day M&M Graphing

Sara doing M&M graphing

My Fabulous Deal of the Day....2.50 for this cute fleece

We hope that February is a warm, pink and red, love filled month for all! ~ Mama Betsy