A Friend

Eden got this letter from a first grade girl that she met on the playground yesterday. She was literally beaming when I picked her up from school. Last night she wrote a letter back that said, "To Abby, Yes I will, Love Eden!" Inside she drew a picture of a flower.

So thankful for parents who raise sweet kids.

And They're Off!

Holland and Eden's first day of 1st grade...I've got a good feeling...

Play Ball!!

Look what HOLLAND can do!

It's easy, on this blog, to focus more on Eden's progress and accomplishments, and to sometimes gloss over what Holland can do. It's a blog. I only update a couple of times a month, and generally highlight only the most monumental events in our lives. Eden's disability is obviously more severe, and everything major milestone she reaches is celebrated as spectacular - which it is! She has to work SO hard to achieve the things that come so easily for most of us, and we rejoice so much in Eden's accomplishments.

But I don't want to overlook the wonderful and amazing things that Holland is learning and accomplishing as well. Holland has a disability too. She was diagnosed with mild hypotonic cerebral palsy when she was two years old and just learning to walk. She also has a mild left hemiplegia - meaning that the left side of her body is more affected and has developed more slowly than her right. She has made really great progress physically over the past few years, and is able to run, jump, climb, and generally do most of what other kids her age can do. It is easy for us to forget that Holland even has CP when it's just the four of us, because we have only Eden to compare her to. The only time it really becomes apparent to us is when we see her around her peers, particularly when engaging in a physical activity.

Holland has a hard time keeping up with other kids her age. When she runs, she still pumps with her right hand fisted, and with her left hand open out in space. We have to remind her to "use your left hand!!" She does a great job of climbing up the play structures at the playground, but has a hard time getting herself back down. When playing a drum beat, she can move her right hand about twice as fast as she can her left. She still has a hard time dressing and undressing herself, let alone her dolls and Barbies. She gets tired pretty easily, and at events that require a lot of walking, will still ask to be carried at least part of the time. Writing is also a challenge - she is able to write and draw nicely, but tires quickly and gives up easily. Attention and anxiety are also issues that we deal with - nothing severe enough to warrant formal diagnosis at this point, but challenges nonetheless.

I say all of that just to highlight the fact that Holland's accomplishments are a BIG DEAL to us too! She might not have to work quite as hard as Eden to do simple tasks, but she still has to work a lot harder than your average kid.

This summer, like last, Holland did two weeks of gymnastics camp and two weeks of art camp while Eden was at CLC. I was particularly impressed with how well she did at gymnastics this year. She was able to run completely across the gym, on a squishy padded floor, without falling! She was able to jump really high with BOTH feet on the trampoline, without falling! She was able to hold herself up longer on the bars! She was able to hold herself up on the rope swing! And probably the most notable difference was that this year she could walk the length of the balance beam without falling - she couldn't do this at ALL last year!!! :-)

Check it out!!




She also brought home some really cool art projects, and seemed to do a good job of making friends.

An elephant made out of glitter clay...



A bird, in his natural habitat, made from sand clay...



And a pencil sketch of her family...



Way to go Holland! We are so proud of you and think you are amazing too!

Stepping It Up!!

Just 3 weeks into her summer camp program at CLC, Eden walked out of her classroom at the end of the day pushing a Kaye walker with NO support. I was stunned, amazed, and oh so proud. I still am. It takes my breath away.

Her progress these past 4 weeks has truly exceeded all of our expectations. Walking with this Kaye walker was a long term goal in the back of my mind...something I had hoped we would work toward into her teen years. To see her doing it now, at the age of 7, is more than I had dared to hope.

I am so thankful to the staff at CLC for their dedication to helping kids like Eden achieve their fullest potential. It truly is an amazing place.

They have asked us not to take pictures or videos at the school, so we made this at the hotel tonight after dinner. Eden was excited to share, and said, "Are you going to post it to YouTube?" Then she said, "I am going to be very brave and smile for the video."

So here is Eden walking...very bravely, and with a smile.

Seven!!!!!!!

Happy 7th Birthday to our beautiful girls! I cannot believe it has been seven years. It truly boggles my mind. Where has the time gone???

To celebrate we went on an overnight trip to Chicago and hit the American Girl Store. We also had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, saw a surprise performance of the Pinkalicious Musical, and went to the top of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower - who knew?). Thank you to our wonderful family and friends who sent cards and birthday money to help make Holland and Eden's birthday wishes come true. It was all worth it to see their faces light up and to hear their squeals of excitement. It was so adorable to see Eden talking to her doll, showing her how to drive her power chair, and to see the look of pure joy on her face when people told her "Your doll looks just like you!" It made my heart so happy to hear Holland say with complete excitement, "This is the BEST day of MY LIFE!!!"

Holland reminded me today that I needed to put pictures on the blog and told me that I should write "This is the day that Holland and Eden got their very first American Girl Dolls." So here it is!

This is the day that Holland and Eden got their very first American Girl Dolls!

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!