sophie is headed into external fixator June 6. ugh. details as they arise but this is the big surgery she needs to hopefully be a walker! she is strong and goes to PT and OT weekly. they are confident she will walk. I am too. SHE doesnt want to walk. she wants to RUN! and let me tell you nothing would bring a tear to my eye faster than seeing my original dream for her come true. I wanted to bring her home because I wanted to see that blonde hair bobbing in the wind while she runs on the beach. this is the first step for her to get there.

want a chance to win a cool camera??

ever think about photography?
wish you had a REALLY nice camera? wish you could take better pictures of your kids and grandkids and dogs and cats? wish you didnt have to spend so much to have such a nice camera? well guess what! YOU have a chance to donate just 20 dollars to help bring a little boy home from Serbia. and in doing so YOU GET A CHANCE TO WIN AN AWESOME CAMERA KIT!!! camera, lens, bag, and more! go to
http://myianna.blogspot.com/2011/11/nikon-d3100-camera-giveaway.html
and donate so YOU can have a chance to win a Nikon D3100! kids sell wrapping paper for schools, and you could spend 20 bucks easily on school and sports fundraisers. you could spend 20 bucks easily buying a fancy coffee every day. but you really have a special opportunity here to spend $20 to give a boy a LIFE! and you could win an awesome camera for doing so! well? what are you waiting for? get on over and donate! lets get this little boy a chance at a real future in a family filled with love, instead of a cold sterile insititution where no one will love him as their own. 20 dollars people. thats all it takes. donate and you could win a camera! but if you dont you still win because you helped give a child the gift of a family! THAT is priceless.

well stella was a no show

we were very disappointed. but some chocolate cake helped. Today we leave at 1045. supposed to arrive at 11 and surgery isnt until 2. Sophie cant eat, which means I cant eat! and man I am hungry! I might have to hide in the kitchen and get a bite of something while she is distracted playing. She is scooting all over, and there are so many things that will change with this surgery. She probably wont be able to scoot. at least not the way she does now. her legs will be better aligned so getting dressed will be easier, thats a good thing. getting her into and out of carts and car seats will be different, I dont know if it will be easier or harder yet, I just know it will be different. I dont know whether to bring the stroller today or carry her? my back is killin me. its raining out and I dont know if Beckys car can hold te monster stroller. and it would just be one more thing to move around and keep track of. so maybe leave it here for the time being. Since surgery isnt till 2 she probably wont be back until 5 or 6 and she will probably be sleepy off and on through the night and I can always come back for it tomorrow. so I guess I will carry her. Better take some ibuprofen though. She can go barefoot I told her because she wont need her boots and I dont wanna carry them around while she is in surgery.I think I can probably throw her straps in the trash. she will need new ones when she gets new boots. and tat wont be for 6 weeks. I have been very nervous about this whole ordeal. the surgery, how will it go? will there be complications? will it be successful? the recovery, how will it go? will she be pissed off? will she be calm? will she be snarly? I just dont know the answers to any of this. but I am ready. she is ready. She is happily playing with her princess doll. I suppose I better start looking at getting my stuff together for the day. thinking to change bags for today. so need to put my purse stuff in backpck. wish us luck! think of our dear sophie! I feel calm, Im sure it will be ok.

tomorrow is Sophie's big day

Tomorrow is Sophie;s big surgery. well the first of many I suppose. She is not at all concerned. She only wants to be sure that she will NOT be awake when they put those pesky casts on! I assured her she wont be. We are excited for the outcome. Putting her own pants on and underpants on will be a possibility. she can never get them over her flopping outward legs. Surgery is scheduled for 2. We need to be there at 11. unfortunately she has to be npo after 1030am, and only clear liquids after midnight tonight. I told her we would stay up late and have a snack. Surgery is scheduled for 3 hours. may be more may be less. hoping for no complications and NO spica.

Today Sophie and I walked for HOURS, or rather I walked and pushed her in stroller for hours. We went to see the liberty bell. we saw lots of history and historical sites. lots of stuff about Ben Franklin. Just wasnt as much fun without Eric. I kept thinking how he would love it there. maybe someday he and I can come back.

Tonight is therapy dog night here at Ronald McDonald house Philadelphia. Sophie is beside herself waiting to see STella. She is a mastiff, and we met her several times before. We are both excited. I love that dog. and hopefully she will relieve some of my worry and stress over doing this whole thing alone. a little doggie snuggle time, a long hot bath and I should be good to go. Sophie is such a good little traveler. she is pretty easy going about anything and everything. She has been happily entertaining herself with a little notebook and pen for almost an hour. but now its almost time for dinner and we are parched from walking all day. Time to go get a drink and some dinner. and then STELLA TME!

upcoming events

sophie and ben both go to Philly for visit to Dr VB at the end of sept. pre op visit for sophie and check up for ben. then, provided we can keep Sophie healthy this time, Osteotomies were scheduled for Oct 11 and now changed to Oct 12. It seems Dr VB's day in the OR has changed from tuesdays to weds. so She is scheduled Oct 12. We will now have a day or two between arrival and surgery so we can actually do something FUN! we usually dont see much more than airport, clinic, and ronald mcdonald house! I think we should hit some museums and have a little fun before she is laid up for weeks. I guess I better start planning meals for when we will be gone.

osteotomies

sophie has a new date for osteotomies. October 11. this date suits me pefectly. she can go on homebound from school, thus not missing anything, and not missing the important first day. It does not involve a summer in casts. It means I wont have to leave the kids unattended here to go. it is a perfect date. now to keep her healthy until then!

wheelchair blues

Sophie's little chair is so cute. and she loves it. but, I am so disappointed in customer service. no twinkerbell. I clearly said I will pay extra for it. they said insurance wouldnt cover it. I said I dont care. she wants twinkerbelle I will pay. and yet we get there and its plain black nylon. someone wrote that we "changed mind" and didnt want it. so now we have to wait for twinkerbelle. rather wait for a quote on twinkerbelle. Maybe I will just make a cover myself then it will be washable and she can have dozens of them. We wanted bus tie downs on the chair. she is 5. clearly she is going to go to school at some point in the 5 years this chair is supposed to last. the chair doesnt have any. we were initially going to get a stroller and said definitely tie downs because definitely she WILL go to school. yet SAME GUY didnt think to ask if we wanted them or order them initially for this chair when we changed chairs. now I need a scrip for them to be added. I need a scrip for her to go to school safely? wtf?? there goes the rest of the school year here(thankfully only two weeks) but I dont know how she will be able to go next year somewhere else without them. so they have to order them. I have to get a scrip and then I have to drive 1.5 hours BACK to their place to have them installed while waiting around an hour. she is FIVE! of course she is going to go to school! you have SEEN HER! she isnt gonna walk there! no school bus tie downs? HELLOOOOOO? seriously they should be mandatory on all kids chairs. this is nuts.

.