The past few days gave Christina lots of time to catch some sunshine. Christina loves playing outside and when the weather cooperates outside it is. Christina enjoyed the park and had a few good laughs as I tried to fit down the slide.

The gait trainer gave Christina a good workout also. I am always amazed how well she can go in her gait trainer. It is nice to have her choose to walk in the gait trainer.

Thursday was the last day of speech therapy for this round. Christina will start again soon for the summer session.

The swing has continued to be a favorite. I have made a few more adjustments and I think we have the swing perfected. We also tried a homemade kick board. Christina did not mind laying on it, but she did fuss when I wanted her to scoot along the floor. As typical Christina behavior she fussed and whined a little as she pushed and pulled herself around the floor. With a smile between cries, Christina made me very proud.

Christina has also continued to be talkative as ever. She loves talking on the phone. We take time each day to make at least one phone call.

Christina is such an outdoor lover that with the rain and wind today she was ecstatic to be outside. The brief time we were outdoors the wind picked up and blew rain on Christina's face, she squealed and squirmed trying to lick the rain drops.

May 3rd is National Children's Mental health Awareness Day.

May is National Childhood Stroke Awareness Month.

An inspiring read, wanted to share.

March of Dimes - March for Babies

What a week.

Christina being sick really took a toll on the princess. With the round of flu she picked up it really upset her belly. Christina became very dehydrated and ended up going to Urgent Care and then to the Emergency Room. After several hours in the ER the doctor wanted to admit her. A couple hours later Christina was in a room taking a much needed nap.

I won't go into detail, but let's say once again when mom/dad tell the nurses Christina is difficult to get a line started, they mean it. With a dose of Versed, three people holding her down, one person sticking only two lines blew before getting the IV started on number three. Let me see that commercial again for the hospital telling me how quick, and wonderful of a job they do. At least there is only ONE mistake at a time.

After lots of fluids via IV and a round of meds via the IV Christina was on track to back to normal. With lots of hugs and kisses and some make shift playtime in the hospital room Christina was discharged by lunch time on Tuesday.

Christina was very hungry and once the OK came from the doc she ate with huge bites. Today, Wednesday, Christina is much better and seems back to her normal self. We're still wondering whether Christina should go to school tomorrow. It is a safe bet if we ask her she will say yes. Christina really enjoys school.

Happy Easter!!!

It has been three full days Christina has been sick. The princess is getting better and with some luck and a guiding hand from above my princess will be up to par. It is a safe assumption as of tonight that she will not go to school tomorrow.

The weekend was pretty mellow with Christina being sick. The flu Christina picked up really kicked her butt. Poor thing was in so much pain and burning up. It is incentive for me to better focus my efforts.

I began working on the project again. It had been since September if I recall since I last added to it. It is hard to focus after a couple of paragraphs. I made it as far as month one, the PVL diagnosis. I pause as I think about several things, the project, Christina's diagnosis, today, tomorrow.

Some information to share...
Live everyday to the fullest.
Enjoy everyday like tomorrow never comes.
Savor every memory.

These are not due to some religious anything. It has nothing to do with today being a religious holiday. It simply is. A child can open your eyes if you let them. And ears. Christina's diagnosis was my perk up. I am not sure how to describe the thoughts running in my head right now.

Next topic. It was nice to open the windows today. It helped to alleviate the load of all the laundry with the fresh air.

Pictures are almost done for the week also. I'm getting better at this. ;)

Enjoy the day.

Christina is slowly getting better. Her fever was down this morning and gone so far this afternoon. For the first time since Thursday she ate solid food. Christina has also been able to keep some Pediasure down this morning.

Christina is down for a nap in her bed so we'll see how it goes. Hoping she is back to herself soon.

Thinking about the time in the NICU.

For all the children in NICU without a finger to grab. A hug for you.

Christina is sick. The poor little girl became very sick on the car ride to the doctor appointment. To summarize, she became violently ill and her belly hurts a lot.

Christina was very cuddly and in pretty good spirits most of the morning despite the incident in the car. Unfortunately, the flu bug started to get the best of her and things became more uncomfortable. On the way back, Christina's fever went up and her belly hurt more.

More vomit several times on the way home. With a couple of stops to clean up we made it back. Christina became very sick very fast and she went straight to the doctor here in town.

The rest of the afternoon and evening got a little better. Shortly after bedtime the little princess' belly became upset again.

Lots of cuddles and plenty of rest are going to make this better.

Christina continues to keep us proud. Her doctor appointment went as well as expected(see other post). She does not like the pokes and prods, but the news was good. Christina is doing well and better than anyone expected when they first saw her in the hospital.

Christina has been back to her good 'ol self. Talking and walking seem non-stop.

We received a sample wheelchair to try. It is not for Christina to use, bu8t more for us to see how it works and how well it maneuvers around the house.

Last weekend Christina played outside a lot. Walking, gait trainer, stroller walks are the popular activities. Inside Christina was a HUGE fan of swinging. Using her blue chair(rehab2go chair) and teh swing stuff, Chrisitna was able to sit upright, be strapped in, swing without barriers, hold on to handles. The combo worked great. As soon as I figure out how to post video I will. The first time we tried it Christina had so much fun it brought a tear to my eye. I let her swing as long as she wanted with the occasional re-adjust to keep her sitting tall. The princess enjoyed 45 minutes.

Christina's teeth have not been bothering her lately. Good or bad, I'm not sure. They have not poked through so she will go through it again.

Although the benefits from the Phenol and Botox have been wonderful again this round, it has also shown in Christina's trunk and neck. It does not seem to slow her down at all though.

The next appointment with the developmental doctor is coming up. We only have to go once a year, yea. There will be tests that do not show how much Christina knows. It is frustrating to see. For those who need some explanation I will give it a try... Christina is not able to quickly(if at all) point, touch, grab, push, pull various items that are used during a test. Example: layout several cards with pictures and ask Christina to point or pickup one of the cards with a particular picture. Christina can see the cards, decide which card is correct, make an attempt to grab or point said card. Christina has difficulty controlling her movement so as she tries to move her arm and hand into place it can be jolty(for lack of a better word). Christina needs extra time to get her muscles to do as she wishes. And the muscles have a tough time hearing/listening to her instructions. If the card is laying flat on the table, it is very difficult for Christina to grab the card. If she tries to point her arm may stop before reaching the target card, give it time and she will get there. But Christina may push or touch other cards while reaching her goal. The tests do not take into consideration physical setbacks.

Let's end on a happier note:

Christina has been doing wonderful in school. Her communication device came and we are looking forward to see how Christina does. Christina is going to use an iPad for her device with communication software. She has used an iPad before in speech and does well.