Sunshine

Yes, we have done it. We closed on our new house on May 25th. The girls finished up kindergarten. We packed up 10 years and 2 kids and moved. We became landlords when a new family moved into our old house on July 1st. Then, on July 10th, with a garage still full of unpacked boxes, we packed again and headed out of town for another 4-week summer camp at the Conductive Learning Center for Eden. The house we stayed in last summer was not available, so we are at a hotel this time. It's definitely pricier, so we are planning to head home on the weekends to save money. This is good on the one hand, because I will be able to get a little more unpacking done at the new house, but bad on the other hand because we are doing So. Much. Packing.

Camp is going really, really great, and we are actually having a nice time. Holland is doing her own day camps over the next few weeks to keep her busy with something fun and productive to do. This week she did "Clay Everyday". The kids made sculptures out of sand clay, chocolate clay, fruit scented clay, and glitter clay. She has brought home some really great projects and is really excited about making a new friend. Next week she is going to a gymnastics camp (same as last year), and she is super-excited about that as well.

I have been hitting the gym with a vengeance, and it feels GREAT for both my body, and my spirit.

This year is definitely easier because we know where everything is and have been able to settle into a routine a lot more quickly. Eden is happier because she is in a class with older kids (she is the youngest). Last year she was with the 3-6 year old group. There was a "crier" in her class (he was very sweet, but had a hard time adjusting), and it made it a lot more stressful for Eden. She did well, but even now remembers last year as being really "loud." A lot of this has to do with the fact that she has one cochlear implant, and it is a lot harder for her to hear in environments with a lot of background noise. This year the kids are older (6-8 years, I'd guess), and the overall setting seems a lot more calm, quiet, and organized. Eden is enjoying the fact that it seems like "school" and she is learning at the same time she is "exercising." Her class theme this year is "Have you ever wondered?" The kids are learning unique facts about animals, science, and nature. She has been super excited to go to class every day, and has a lot of information to share at the end of each day. She is also working hard, with a LOT of practice standing and walking. Today she walked out of class with her walker, and it was the best I ever saw her walk.

We really miss the "cheese house," but the pool at the hotel has been a major hit...especially because I have been able to master my technique at taking both kids (both who are non-swimmers, and one who is a non-walker and precarious sitter) to the pool by myself safely. It takes a great deal of patience, planning, stamina, and confidence (I often have an audience), but we've got it down now, and it's a blast.

These girls of mine, they keep me on my toes, but they are so cute and funny and cool that they make everyday brighter.

Here's just one example of why...

Eden's school, CLC, is affiliated with the PETO institute in Hungary. Several of the conductors for the program come from Hungary to work at the school. Two of the Hungarian conductors are in the United States for the very first time this summer. I was telling Eden about this yesterday. The conversation went like this:

Billie: It must be interesting for them to visit the US for the first time. It is very different here than in Hungary.
Eden: Well, do they have a sun?
Billie: Yes, they share the same sun as us.
Eden: Do they have ground?
Billie: Yes, they have a ground.
Eden: Do they have green grass?
Billie: Yes, I am sure they have green grass.
Eden: Well, do they have green trees?
Billie: Yes, they have green trees.
Eden: Well then, what's different? It sounds the same to me!

Oh they make me laugh!!

Still Alive!

Last Day of Kindergarten!

Goodbye 2010-2011 school year! Can't say that I am sad to see you go...

Looking forward to SUMMER vacation, moving into our new house very soon (!), heading to Grand Rapids in July for another 4-week session of Conductive Education for Eden, and a fresh start at a new school for first grade in the fall!

Home Sweet New Home?!

We found a new house!!!

Our current house has been on the market since July of last year and is just not going to sell for the price we need. Because of current market conditions, we would have to take a pretty significant loss, and we are not in the position financially to be able to do that. Recently, the opportunity to lease our house to a family who would like to rent for a couple of years, with the hope that they will then be in a better position to purchase, presented itself. Doing so would allow us to go ahead and purchase a new house that would be more suited to our needs before the girls start first grade.

I am not 100% comfortable with this...the idea of two mortgages is pretty daunting, particularly when thinking about all of the "what ifs." What if the renters don't make their payment, or leave us in a lurch??? Yikes. We really can't afford two houses.

When the offer first came up, I told them we needed some time to think about it. Then, just a couple of days later, we had a showing scheduled for our house. In the meantime, I had a house bookmarked online that I kept going back to. It had "disability features" listed as one of it's selling points, and I was intrigued as to what that meant. I had driven by the house a few time, and had driven John and my mom past. It looked good from the outside.

Somehow, the stars aligned...a new possible opportunity for leasing our house was on the table...a showing was scheduled on our house...we decided that we should go take a look at this other house. I told myself that I just wanted to an idea of what was out there. I was thinking along the lines of "what if someone made an offer on our house?" We didn't have any prospects in mind. I had been to look at several houses and hadn't really seen anything that would meet our needs. Even houses that looked to have good potential online would have numerous little *things* that wouldn't work for us. Mostly, the houses I was looking at were either too small, not laid out well, or had at least one or several *steps* making them less accessible. There were also issues with me (or John) not liking the neighborhood, not liking the yard, too much work needing to be put into it, etc, etc... I really hadn't had any luck finding something that I really felt would be *the one* so I wasn't too worried that our house wasn't selling.

So we went to look at this house. It was a Sunday, and we had to be out of our house for a showing, so John and the girls came with me for the first time. We knew shortly after entering that this was IT. It was the first house that I had been in that really felt like it could be our home.

It is 4 miles from our current home, in the same school district (good), but at a different elementary school (also good). We love the layout...all one floor with no steps at all. There is a ramp in the garage, and another to the back doorwall, making it wheelchair accessible. The doors and hallways are extra-wide, with pocket doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms. One of the bathrooms has a barrier free shower, with a built in bench seat, hand-rails, and two shower heads...one high and one low. All of that work already done!!! Almost too good to be true. On top of that, the kitchen was recently redone with all new cabinets and counter tops. I'm sold. I have to have it. This kind of house doesn't come along everyday.

We made an offer, and it was accepted. We met the family interested in leasing our current house, and they signed a 2-year lease. We are well into the process of obtaining a second mortgage. We are hoping to close by the end of May, spend the month of June packing and moving, and be completely moved out and moved in by July 1st.

This is such a huge, life-altering commitment and change. We can't help but be completely freaked out, stressed, and apprehensive. But at the same time we are also feeling really excited and hopeful. I have visions of Eden being able to go anywhere in the house, whenever she wants, independently. Being able to play with her toys in the playroom, go get in her bed at night, and never having to worry about the other kids running upstairs to play without her. As she gets older, I have visions of her using a walker to go to the bathroom and learning to transfer herself, independently. I see her as a teenager and young adult, being able to use the bench and rails in the shower to bathe herself, independently. This house will help us achieve those goals.

I feel sentimental about our current home. This is our first house and we have lived here for 10 years. It is our home. We have been through SO much here, having babies and raising them for almost 7 years. I will definitely be sad to leave. But I have such huge hopes and dreams for the new house. I feel like it is a place where we can watch our girls turn into big kids, then pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults, while we grow old together. These past 10 years have gone by so fast. In another 10 Holland and Eden will be 17...in high school, at the same age John and I were when we started dating. Another 10 years, and I am sure I will feel as sentimental about the new house and I do now about the old.

So here we go!!! Wish us luck as we make our way on a new adventure, a new house, a new home, and a new journey toward independence for Holland and Eden!

One Day at a Time

Just one more day until Team Holland and Eden heads out for our 6th annual March for Babies! If you are interested in supporting our team and helping us reach our goal, now is the time to make your donations. Thank you so much for your support in our efforts over the years!

As soon as this big event is behind us, I will fill you in on the details of our recent major, exciting, life-changing news...

Before you ask...NO, I'm not pregnant.

Hoppy Easter!

Marching for Babies

It's that time of year again! In a little more than two weeks, Team Holland and Eden will once again be hitting the street to March for Babies.

I watched this video for the first time in a long time and was surprised at the emotion I felt looking at pictures of the girls in the NICU. Holland and Eden will turn 7 this summer, and in some ways I feel so far removed from that time in our lives. But, when I take the time to pause and reflect, I am instantly transported back there and I feel...lucky and strong. I cannot believe that we survived such an ordeal, and that we are now fairly emotionally intact and happy.

We have committed to doing the walk again this year as a celebration of our beautiful girls, with the continued hope that our donations will be put to good use, and someday fewer babies will be born too soon.

Please support Team Holland and Eden as we walk in our 6th March for Babies, and help us reach our goal!

Is It Spring Yet?

I am sure that people get tired of reading about my sick kids, probably just as much as I get sick of writing about it, but here we are again.

Eden has been sick all week with a fever, sore throat, and severe congestion. It appears to be viral, seeing as how the strep test was negative and the antibiotics don't seem to be helping. She missed the whole week of school, and today is the first day that is finally feeling a little better. Just as she seems to be on the upswing, Holland caught it. She complained of a headache and sore throat yesterday morning, but didn't have a fever and was playing cheerfully, so I sent her to school. Bad call. They called me an hour later to pick her up. By the time I got her home her fever was up to 102.3 and she was miserable. So, it appears that we are looking at another 3-4 days of misery, assuming she has the same illness as Eden.

Have I mentioned that we are ready for Spring and a break in all this sickness we have had this winter??? I think that we have had a really bad cold/flu season this year, just based on the sheer number of serious illnesses we have had. However, my girls are growing up and getting stronger, and at least these yucky viruses don't put us in the hospital anymore. I am thankful that we aren't spending the whole winter inpatient!

There have been a few breaks between sicknesses, and some major developments that bear mentioning...

I became a brunette! Chances are that I will probably go back to blonde in the summer, but it's fun for a change of pace.


We went to a Pinkalicious cupcake social and saw Pinkalicious The Musical. We bought the soundtrack and it is a MAJOR hit at our house. I had those songs stuck in my head for weeks.





We did EuroPeds (see previous post).


Eden got a new manual wheelchair, a Zippie Zone...in pink of course. It took 6 months to complete the process, but it was fully covered between our private insurance and CSHC. We haven't had a whole lot of time to practice using it yet, but she is already pretty good at pushing and steering it. Our long-term goal is that she will continue to use her power chair when we are outdoors or for longer distances, but will use the manual chair in smaller settings (like at school). So far, we are happy with it. Eden sits well in it and it is pretty easy for her to maneuver. It puts her a eye-level with her peers, and while slightly tall for her now, will eventually be good for her learning to transfer (particularly to the potty) independently. I will post a more thorough review in the future when we have had more of a chance to use it.




Holland got a new bike and we have had a couple of nice days to ride it!



Both girls got new glasses! Eden picked out a pair of pink and purple Flexon frames, which we hope will be good because they are flexible and will not need as many adjustments as her old pair. They look beautiful on her, but the jury is still out on whether they will hold up for her. We shall see. Holland picked out a pair of chunky blue frames, that are very stylish and certainly make a bold statement...very her. I was honestly a little hesitant about them because I worried they were too heavy for her delicate features and would hide her face too much, but I decided to let her choose. She has always had definitely opinions on what she likes, mindless of what other people might think, and I really admire her for that. Now that I have had a week to get used to them, I really like them. I think they suit her and she gets a lot of compliments:-) Of course, they are both just so cute anyway...if I do say so myself.