Luke says the funniest things - now, get rid of those diapers already!!

When something goes wrong - "Oh, sunken ship!"
As he was ready to put two large sections of a puzzle together - "Prepare your eyeballs, Mom."

And, on the potty training front - it's coming along slowly. We did get a new Dora seat for the toilet, and that seems to interest him. And, a crazy but nice success - he insisted on going potty at Dr. Colan's office today. Complained that the toilet was too big (he did look very uncomfortable) - then, finally decided to stand like a big boy (just barely tall enough. As much as I wanted to tell him to just go in his diaper because it would be so much easier (for me), it was worth the extra effort when he actually went.

Julia is 6!

I know that my mind works in weird ways. I create stress where there doesn't need to be any. But, for a couple of reasons that exist mainly in my own head, this birthday has weighed heavy on my heart for a while. First, although no one can tell us how long we will have Julia with us and medical advances can give her many more healthy years, I've heard that the many Aicardi girls die between the ages of 6-8. So, even though Julia has been very healthy and we've been seeing better seizure control than we've had in years, this birthday marks a scary kind of milestone.

Second, when Julia started kindergarten and began to be more included with her 5K class, I said that my biggest goal for the school year was for Julia to have a friend birthday party. It was really important to me that Julia have a regular birthday party - cake, games, the whole thing. I just wasn't sure to make it all work out. Even the invite list was a bit challenging - after all, I can't just ask Julia which special friends she would like to invite. Luckily, we have been blessed beyond measure to have Julia be a part of a class that includes some truly exceptional kids. Back in December, Julia was invited to her first friend party. Maya Morris will forever be etched in my heart as a very special little girl. Not only was she the first to invite Julia to a birthday party, but I think she truly sees Julia as just another little girl rather than the kid in a wheelchair. I think this because when I called to RSVP for the party, I mentioned that Julia was in a wheelchair just so there would be no surprises. And, that was the first time that Maya's mom had heard that Julia had special needs. I guess Maya had never thought it was important to mention it because it's not the first thing she sees about Julia. Kids are sometimes so much smarter than us grown-ups! Maya's party was at the bowling alley, and Julia and I both had a great time. All of the kids treated Julia like one of the gang - no one made us feel like it was a hassle to set up the bowling ramp when it was Julia's turn (in fact, they all wanted the chance to help Julia bowl).

Julia attended her second party during spring break. The birthday girl was Ashley Schoen, and her birthday is just a few days before Julia's. Another great experience.

And, then Sunday was the day for Julia's celebration. Maya and Ashley both came, along with Aubrey (another 5K friend) and Caitlyn (Julia's best buddy from OHI - to make it more special, this was Caitlyn's first birthday party). The day could not have been better. The girls were so patient and into the activities we had planned. And, so thoughtful. Buying gifts for Julia can be challenging. Yet, each of the girls gave Julia a very well-thought-out gift. From birthday cards that included music to a princess keyboard to a framed scrapbook page with photos of the party guests, each gift was truly a gift from the heart. And, a complete hit with both Julia and her siblings - Alex has tried to adopt the soft MushaBelly bird, Luke thinks the pink and purple 'hairball' is just his thing and Erica has fallen in love with the Abby Cadabby doll.

Such a good day, such a good experience...such a good reminder that the heart of life is good. It gives me happy tears every time I think about it.

Spring is Here?

I took Luke and Erica to the park today. It was *almost* warm. Highlight - swinging. Erica likes to go higher than Luke, although he went "higher than a cow". Oh yeah, evidently I was the cow for comparison. Not sure where he comes up this stuff. I swear they would have stayed in those swings for an hour if I'd have kept pushing them. Although Luke was clear - don't push him as high as Erica. She just giggles like a maniac - push higher = more giggles. She's a daredevil.