We are dog people. Which is why we have three, as crazy as that may seem.
Anyways, yesterday afternoon I was cleaning out the refrigerator and there was a leftover steak that Donald had grilled up while the girls and I were out of town. Instead of tossing it, he suggested we cut it up and give it to the dogs.
But I did better than that.
I cut it into a gazillion tiny pieces and sprinkled them all over the yard while the dogs were in the house. Then we set them out on the big hunt! It was soooooo entertaining to watch! And it kept them busy for a good long while as they sniffed out every inch of the backyard! Plus, it's probably good for them to use their innate smelling skills, right?
My mom recently spent a day at Universal Studios visiting TheWizarding World of Harry Potter. That's when she saw it... a shirt with a large 9 and 3/4 on it. She had read the books and knew - as any Harry Potter fan would know - that it was referring to Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station in London, but what immediately popped into her head was that it should represent an age.
That's when the wheels started turning...
Elisabeth is 9...
Her birthday was September 24th...
Jump ahead 9 months to get to 3/4 of the way through the year...
On June 24th she would be precisely 9 and 3/4.
My mom then realized we would be in California visiting on that exact day!
The next thing we knew a party was in the works!
An
Elisabeth-is-nine-and-three-quarters party!
The decor:
A Harry Potter garland was draped above the fireplace.
Details like a snow globe and hanging Hogwarts emblems were throughout the house.
Paper goods with the different house emblems:
The cake:
It was baked with love by Lorelai.
She designed it with the Hogwarts crest.
(I took the official house sorting quiz and was placed in Ravenclaw!)
Games:
1) Balance the balloon on the wand.
2) Drop the knuts (pennies) in the butterbeer mug.
3) Guess how much money is in the Chocolate Frogs box. (There was nine and a three quarter dollars!)
4) Pin the glasses on Harry Potter.
5) Guess the number of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans in the Honeydukes jar.
6) And... bottle flipping with a Pumpkin Juice bottle!
I've recited it to Elisabeth at bedtime, during medical procedures, at school, in the car, you name it.
In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon...
I'm confident that Elisabeth, though non-verbal, knows every word to Goodnight Moon. And that's a good thing, for in those words there is familiarity and comfort and rhythm.
But this Spring I had a thought...that perhaps Elisabeth would like to hear a new story.
To some it might seem silly to read a book to a child that doesn't have much comprehension. But it's not about the story exactly. It's about the emotion and the excitement that comes with reading aloud. You see, telling a story is much different than every day conversation. When you tell a story your voice changes; the tone expresses feelings like surprise, suspense, sorrow, and joy. I knew that if I began reading books to Elisabeth she would find happiness in it; that she would know the words were for her and experience the story in her own way.
The first book I chose was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. We poked our way through, reading a few pages here and a few pages there. And I noticed something: when I read to her I could see a look of focus in her eyes. Eventually, we made it all the way through the wardrobe door and back, experiencing the wonders of Narnia together.
The next book I chose to read Elisabeth is one that I cherish: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I find this book to be nothing short of genius: simple enough for a child yet deep enough for the greatest scholar. Plus, there is something about those illustrations that speaks to my soul.
We finished The Little Prince today. Elisabeth was sound asleep in my arms as I read the last words, but even in her sleep, I think she heard me.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the
heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the
eye.”
[Elisabeth's profile on her ultrasound picture at 16 weeks gestation and now, ten years later.]
April 24, 2007
On this day in 2007 my heart broke.
"She has hydrocephalus," they said.
And for the rest of the day I tried to remember (while sobbing) what the word was.
I can recall thinking how this word-that-I-can't-remember will now be part of my life forever.
Hydrocephalus.
I didn't think I was strong enough to face it.
I felt pain like I had never before experienced.
April 24, 2017
On this day my heart is happy.
She does have hydrocephalus...and epilepsy and cerebral palsy, and cortical blindness, and severe brain damage, and a feeding tube, and a wheelchair, and rods in her spine, and on and on...
And I can now easily remember each diagnosis and surgery and medication, and the many hospitals and doctors and therapists.
Elisabeth.
I was strong enough after all.
And I feel joy like I have never before experienced.
This column is written with the intent of keeping a record of my day to day experiences, thoughts, and inspirations. I reserve the right to post as I please. Happy reading.
