Saturday, March 26, 2016

Sneezies vs. Seizies

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We were driving to the Seattle area today for a gymnastics meet and Elisabeth looked so cute holding her new goose, James. Naturally, I turned around to snap some photos.

That's when I sneezed.

Sometimes, unexpected sounds trigger seizures in Elisabeth. This was one of those times.

I felt horrible and climbed behind me in the van to comfort her.

"I'm sorry my sneezy gave you a seizie," rolled off my tongue. I didn't mean to rhyme, but with Elisabeth I often times use baby-talk and it just came out that way. I said it a few more times and then realized how very 'Dr. Seuss' it sounded.

I wonder if the Who's down in Whoville had sneezies that caused seizies??

Monday, March 14, 2016

Keep Calm and Carry On

Let me start by saying that I rarely feel overwhelmed. Rarely.

But, I will admit that last week, for a brief while, I felt a bit like life was raining down hard.

We learned of a dangerous situation that Alexandra has been dealing with at her middle school. The details are too graphic and horrible to write here, but simply put, her life was being threatened by another student.

As the facts emerged I felt sick to my stomach.

That day, I opened a cupboard in the kitchen (which has family pictures lining the inside).
This picture stood out to me:

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Alexandra's kindergarten photo. It made me a little sad to realize that the innocence of childhood doesn't last forever. Life comes at us. Everyone of us. Alexandra was not naive to the ways of the world, the dangers of it, but I never would have wanted her to face first hand what she has in the past weeks.

As it is, a police report has been filed and the young man involved is being charged with a criminal misdemeanor.

And...

While all of that was happening, Elisabeth fell ill. She wasn't breathing well and had a terrible cough. After taking her to the ER they diagnosed her with pneumonia. My heart broke to see her so sick, so miserable.
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We have always known she is at high risk of pneumonia due to her severe scoliosis, but up until this point she had avoided it.
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Trying to protect Alexandra and trying to get Elisabeth well, all while I kept up with work and the symphony and managing every day routines in our home seemed like too much.

But that is life. It comes at you hard sometimes. One of the most important lessons I have learned in my years of mothering Elisabeth is to keep calm and carry on. It does no good to crumble, to hide, to wallow in self pity. Rather, you need to conquer each challenge and obstacle as it comes your way. And brighter days are always just around the corner.

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[Blossoms in our yard.]
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Elisabeth has made a speedy recovery. And while she is not 100% well yet, she is breathing better and even has the energy to sit up and play.

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[Elisabeth this morning.] 

Keep calm and carry on, I say.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Gymnastics Meet #5

Rose City Challenge 
~ Beaverton, OR ~
March 5, 2016

Another great meet for Lorelai! She is continuing to show growth as a gymnast and most importantly, is keeping a great attitude. Her coaches - as well as Donald and I - are pleased as punch! And Lorelai is quite happy with the results of her focus and work, too. 

The most exciting part of this gymnastics meet was that Lorelai scored above 32 - earning her way to state! Lorelai is over the moon! We all are. At the beginning of the competitive season she was regressing, unable to get past some mental blocks. But look at her now! 

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Scores: 

Vault: 7.85
Bars: 8.3
Beam: 8.15
Floor: 8.1   

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Good job, sweet Lorelai!!! 

And a picture of our drive to the meet this weekend...it was absolutely picturesque!

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