“Walkin’ in a winter wonderland!”

Happy holidays everyone! If you’re not having a white Christmas where you are, you should head on over to Pompey where it is quite literally, a winter Wonderland. Pictures to follow.
I was just checking out this blog, and it’s been AGES since I’ve updated. I mean, I didn’t even give you a Thanksgiving update. Here it is… Steve carved his first bird…

And Katie hosted a post-Thanksgiving dinner at her house that Martha Stewart would be proud of. A great time was had by all.
What’s new with Sarai in the past 6 weeks? Well, a couple things. First of all, I should probably tell you just so we’re all on the same page here, that Sarai was officially diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. It’s not an easy pill to swallow, but we’ve known it was coming for ages (since she was a month old actually) but it’s still not easy to accept. The doctor who finally gave us the “diagnosis” said about three times in conversation, “Well, you know, with any child with CP….” before I finally interrupted him and said, “So you’re saying she has CP? Because you’re the first person to say that.” He looked like he got a little nervous, then told me what I already know; It doesn’t change a single thing. She’s doing great, she’s got the motivation to move, she’s got personality to boot, and he is confident that she’ll walk someday.

So even with a not-great diagnosis (which I’m not even sure is official), we left the appointment feeling pretty optimistic. He wanted us to see an orthopedist because he was concerned her spine may be curving a little… “you know, with any child with CP.” So we went to an orthopedist.

We were told by Sarai’s occupational therapist that the orthopedist might scare us a little (that he may want a lot of bracing to get her standing/walking/sitting). I went in with an open mind and prepared for anything. This is how our conversation went.
Dr: So what’s going on with your daughter?

Me: Well, she was a preemie, she has PVL and recently one of her doctors said she has CP, but I’m not sure if that’s official yet and I’m not used to hearing it, so I don’t know.

Dr: Well, that IS what she has.

Me: Well, I know, but I’m not used to it and I haven’t seen it in writing.

Dr: But that IS what she has.

Me: Ok….. ?

Dr: Let’s take a look at her.


I put her on the table and not 10 seconds later the doctor literally threw his hands up and said, “She looks GREAT!”

He said , “You’re going to have to keep an eye on this one, she’s going to be trouble! I can tell! She’s going to be a walker!” He was not at all concerned that her spine was curving, but said it is something that could happen in the future, so we’ll keep following up with him. He also didn’t think any bracing would be helpful to her, that the more time she spends exploring her world on the floor in a natural way the better. Amen, mister! I like that guy!

Sarai did get a prone stander.

The stander will help her to bear weight in her hips in proper alignment. She seems to like it, for short periods at a time. Yvonne got her a license plate for it…

… just in case we mix it up with anyone else’s prone stander in the house. (Thanks Yvonne, we love it!)

We’ve come to realize that Sarai really loves music, and not your typical lullabies, but popular hip hop and RnB.  I can’t get this girl to watch Little Bear or The Wonder Pets, but she’ll sit still for the AMTV: Morning Hot Mix for a Beyonce video! 

The other day, while she lay mesmerized by Rihanna, I started running around getting things done in the house.  I thought, “She’s being so good, she’s so quite!”  Next thing I hear is, “swish, swish, swish…” and this is what I saw… 

(Trying to make her getaway!)

She’s turning into quite the Christmas rascal.  And I love it!

You are just going to have to wait for Santa, little lady!

Other than all that (isn’t that enough?) I’ve been busy, busy with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. I’ve baked no less than 3 million cookies and even made some homemade body scrub for Sarai’s wonderful therapists.

We don’t have any snow in Orange County, but we’re getting our fill this weekend in Syracuse! Just in time for Santa. I can’t believe tomorrow’s Christmas Eve! We’ve got a busy couple days ahead filled with family and food, and I’m going to love every minute of it. In the spirit of the holiday season, here’s a new twist on a Christmas oldie…

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
(or a cat)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief,

and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

Yadda, yadda, yadda....

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

“I go where the wind blows, you can't tame a wild rose, welcome to my crazy life!”

Hi friends and family! I hope you all had a great Halloween! We rocked the Warwick Haloween Parade with Vanessa and her family. All the kids were SO cute! Sarai was dressed up as a Sarai-berry/cute fruit/Strawberry Shortcake and looked adorable.

Sarai’s cousin had his first birthday last weekend at a bounce house, what a riot that was! The adults were enjoying it more than the kids. I took Sarai in to a couple of the houses and bounced with her, she was in her glory. Then I took her down this giant slide, I was shaking at the top afraid I would drop her, but she LOVED that too!

She’s going to be a roller coaster ridin’ girl!

And the most exciting news of all… Sarai got her glasses! (Did I tell you she was getting glasses?? Well, she was and she’s got them.) They’re supposed to try and help keep her eyes working together more regularly. She looks so cute, but I’ve got to be honest… she looks a little like George Costanza.

I think the glasses will give us a good opportunity for Sarai to learn what “NO!” means. That was one of the questions the pediatrician asked us a few months back, if she understood “no” but we had to admit, Sarai’s not mobile enough to really get into things, so we rarely ever have to tell her “no.” Well, after just a few minutes with the glasses on…

“Sarai, NO!”

“No, Sarai!”

“NO!”

“I SAID NO!”

Lots of practice with “no!”

Here’s where it gets interesting… Just after those last pics were taken, after she had only had her glasses on for about an hour, I realized that a lens was missing (a screw was loose, fell out, and the lens too). I looked all over the floor and when I didn’t find it right away I IMMEDIATLEY thought she had swallowed it. Adam and I turned the apartment upside down, crawling on our hands and knees, pulling apart furniture and toys that she wasn’t even anywhere near. We looked EVERYWHERE and after an hour thought she really must have swallowed it. We called the doctor and when they didn’t call back for over an hour, and it got to be 9pm, we just said, “Better safe than sorry, and with our luck, she really did swallow it,” and we schlepped to the emergency room in our PJ’s. Sarai was behaving normally, she wasn’t coughing or having a hard time breathing, but they did a chest xray (even though glass wouldn’t show up on the film and they said the screw was probably too small to also) and observed her for a few hours. They sent us home with a clear xray and said, “Let us know if she starts vomiting or having a hard time breathing.” Needless to say I didn’t sleep too great last night.

This morning I got up and did my regular routine, Sarai was fine, went to get in the shower and I found the lens!!!.... IN MY BRA!!!!

Wouldn’t you know, the last place we looked! Oops.

So we spent the evening in the ER, and the lens was in my shirt the whole time. Oye. When I woke Adam up and told him where I found it he just growled and gave me a “to the moon, Alice!” fist pump. Not bad, considering I probably would have shot him in the balls if we spent the night in the hospital looking for something that was in his underwear.

Then I went to leave for work this morning and thought I forgot my phone. I came back in and asked Yvonne if she had seen it. She said, “Check your bra.” Yeah, she fits right in. ; )

(Just love that outfit!  Thanks Christin!)

“And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile, cause girl you're amazing just the way you are!"

 Howdy friends! Thought I’d check in and post a few pics of my lady-loo. (And of course if you didn’t already see the video I made for Sarai on facebook, it’s on the blog post before this one, Oct. 4th.)


We spent a quick couple days in Syracuse visiting with the fam over Columbus Day weekend. Unfortunately, Adam couldn’t come, so Sarai and I hit the road as a duo. And GG was there staying with my mom, so Sarai and GG got to get to know each other a little better.

It was the most beautiful weekend! The weather was just picture-fall-perfect. We got some good pics with Aunt Katie…

Spent a little time in the yard playing…

We were swinging….

And just tasting the fresh Pompey air…

Poor baby was fighting a cold all weekend, so she was more than a little grumpy. No idea where she got the cold from, probably wasn’t because I had her outside in leaf piles…

Nothing like a little fall foliage to rile up a seasonal cold. No, actually that was something she had been fighting for a few weeks. Adam brought Sarai to the doctor a couple weeks ago and they said it was just “something she needs to get past.” But on our way home from Syracuse she had a terrible cough that wouldn’t quit. We went straight to the doctor before coming home and the doctor looked like she felt she wanted to say Sarai had asthma. Her exact words were, “I don’t want to call it chronic yet, buuuut….” She’s been back on the nebulizer all week and that seems to be working and she seems tons better. So it’s something we’ll keep an eye on.

Back to our weekend activities! We went to a playground and Sarai had her first trip down a slide!

(By the looks of my hair, we went about 150mph down that slide!)

She swinged (swang?) in the real swings and had a ball…

And who knew she was a mini Mozart! She sat in her bumbo playing the piano for at least 30 minutes.

Can she get any cuter? You don’t have to answer that.

So things are good. Work is good. Home is good. We are LOVING our babysitter Yvonne. She is amazing. Two of her daughters were here briefly on Friday and one of them said to me, “Are you Sarai’s mom?” And I said, “Yes,” then jokingly, “Why? Did you think I was her older sister?” and she said, “YES!” So now, I love her too. All the providers are really happy with how well Sarai is doing. She’s babbling more and more, she’s starting to take her socks off her feet, and it seems like she’s clapping her hands when you tell her to! You go girl!

Oh, and how could I (almost) forget??  She definitely got her first tooth!  It's on the top, on her right.  And it looks like she's got three right there and ready, but they're not through yet.  These teeth are really in no hurry.

Have an awesome week, and here are some bonus pics…

Eskimo kisses from Grandpa Bill

Stranger danger!  "I don't know that butterfly!"

"Kidding!  I love that butterfly!"

No idea what she's doing with her leg. 

Adorable shrug made for Sarai by her Aunt Sasha!  We love it!

Floor games with Aunt Katie!