Anna is slowly getting her weight back, thank goodness! She is now 21lbs 9oz. Anna is trying new words and understanding more signs...she is now in a signing class too. Her eyes have changed and are no longer brilliant blue, more like a grey or green...maybe hazel, I guess we will see...I wanted to post a poem we found...its about a child with a disability, but I thought it sounded very much like our world as well, a baby born too early... It's called...
Welcome to Holland, Hope you enjoy it...By Emily Perl Kingsley
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome To Holland”.
“Holland?!?” you say, “What do you mean “Holland”??? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills…Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy…and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned”.
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But…if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things…about Holland.
by Emily Perl Kingsley
Welcome to Holland, Hope you enjoy it...By Emily Perl Kingsley
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome To Holland”.
“Holland?!?” you say, “What do you mean “Holland”??? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills…Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy…and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned”.
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But…if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things…about Holland.
by Emily Perl Kingsley
21 months old
our little Anna has been sick quite a bit lately...before and after Christmas. Results? She lost 2 pounds and dropped to 20lbs 4oz. This was a huge loss and it was so sad to see her legs get so skinny, she always had such strong thighs. Hoping that now with her appetitie regained, she will be gaining it back quickly. She had a horrible cough and a bad ear infection, we got a hold of it quickly though and had her on a nebulizer in just the first few days. Eventually they had to put her on a steroid to stop the wheezing, but she sounds great now. We also discovered that she is allergic to the Cephlosporin she was on...she got hives...so they changed her to augmentin. Shes doing fine on this one so far. She is slowly still expanding her vocabulary. She said "clue" and "o'clock", she imitates the words on tv. She also says shoe, spoon, broom and bubble. She will be starting her sign language class in a couple weeks to help her expand her language of communication. She is really enjoying being chased and playing hide and seek or peek a boo. She has such a crazy giggle, its infectious! Will have to get some photos up in a week or two, not now when she is so skinny and sick looking :(
Happy New Year!! What a year it has been for our little Anna, how far she has come!!
Christmas was a little off this year...Anna not really into the opening present thing...but by afternoon she was trying out her new toys. In Ny, she received many things too and she really had a great Christmas, thank you everyone.
She is Blessed with a huge family who love her dearly. As the year ended and a new one began, I am thankful for how much she has accomplished this year. Just a year ago, she was only 14 lbs and sick with RSV, and still many more illnesses after that. She is growing nicely now and really starting to have a personality, though at times she can have quite the temper! She has more energy than most babies I think, or maybe I'm just too old to remember them going going going....but I think its more her than me. Hoping this year to meet more milestones, like talking, eating more foods, drinking out of a cup, and maybe moving into a bed....possibly in her own room, lol.
Merry Christmas to all, and a very Happy New Year! We are so Blessed to have her in our lives. Love you "Pooks".
She is Blessed with a huge family who love her dearly. As the year ended and a new one began, I am thankful for how much she has accomplished this year. Just a year ago, she was only 14 lbs and sick with RSV, and still many more illnesses after that. She is growing nicely now and really starting to have a personality, though at times she can have quite the temper! She has more energy than most babies I think, or maybe I'm just too old to remember them going going going....but I think its more her than me. Hoping this year to meet more milestones, like talking, eating more foods, drinking out of a cup, and maybe moving into a bed....possibly in her own room, lol.
Merry Christmas to all, and a very Happy New Year! We are so Blessed to have her in our lives. Love you "Pooks".
12/24/12
Woke up this morning feeling...sentimental I guess. Looking at Anna lying next to me on my pillow made me so happy to be her mommy. I looked at my little girl, who will never look like me, (except if her hair darkens, lol)...and then I see how much she resembles Amanda and her daddy. I thought of my best friend, who has a son who doesnt look one thing like her, and she gave birth to him, and realize its not the most important thing and I shouldnt worry about that....For Anna, I am her constant and her security, the reason she is lying practically on top of me at the moment. I know when she is hurt, she runs to me; I know when she is sick, I am the only one she wants to hold her and make her feel better. I know even if she isnt able to give me a kiss or a hug, that she loves me by what she does...She loves to run her fingers through my wet hair, She loves to touch my face and look into my eyes, She loves to rub my ring when she drinks her bottle or as she falls asleep. She is completely distraught if I leave her sight and smiles like a crocodile when I return. I am Blessed everyday by my beautiful child that God has picked especially for me. She is gorgeous, she has an amazing smile, she has more energy than any toddler I know, she is inquisitive, she is strong and fast, I could watch her go all day...and at the end of the day, it is me, her mommy who will hold her hand as she falls asleep, and that is more than her words could ever say.
2 years ago, she was just a thought, a hope and a prayer and here she is... thank you Jesus for our gift. Christmas is so very happy this year, cannot wait until she gets to her presents! Forgot how exciting little ones can be in our home at the holidays!
2 years ago, she was just a thought, a hope and a prayer and here she is... thank you Jesus for our gift. Christmas is so very happy this year, cannot wait until she gets to her presents! Forgot how exciting little ones can be in our home at the holidays!
Christmas is a bit of a challenge this year with a little one that has to touch everything so the house is a little more plain than the normal Kempton home...but we have our tree and took her photos at home so she would be comfortable...she is trying to say more words, some only we can figure out, but at least she is progressing. She says, ball, book, bubble, mama, dada, bottle, I'm stuck, she knows some sign language like "bath" and eat. We are so excited to see what she does Christmas morning!! Love to All!!
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