Two Steps Forward, No Steps Back

Hi again from Sara world. The little gal is just improving by leaps and bounds. She took her first two steps this past Saturday night. We've been waiting for it. She has continually gotten stronger and closer to walking. She started standing up on her own with no help. Then she could walk with you holding one hand. Then Saturday night she took a little step to balance herself, and then one more to the cheers of her family.

As with any kid though, she can get around faster by crawling and so she still prefers that. In fact, she was all the way in the back of the house with Jennifer one morning while she got ready, heard Abigail playing the piano all the way in the front of the house and took off to hear the music. She loves to dance and bob her head to music. Trying to get that on video. Especially to Barney songs on TV, much to the chagrin of her older sisters who wouldn't be caught dead watching the purple one, even though they could sing all his songs 3 years ago. Kids....

Sara was released from seeing the heart doctor earlier in August, one doc we never have to see again unless there is a problem.

She is also communicating more and more. Several new sounds this week. She has little sounds and words that she uses and we are learning what they mean. In fact, Jennifer has been teaching her cold. Touching something cold to her, saying brrr cold, making a little sound with her lips. Well, Sara will then blow through her lips making them flap together for cold. Yesterday, grocery shopping, Jennifer looks down at Sara in the buggy, she has her face planted in a bag of frozen corn on the cob and is making her sound for cold. Very funny.

This kid loves to eat. Doesn't have any food allergies so far, and has started drinking milk. Of course with your third you are much more lenient than with your first, so she has eaten more ice cream and candy than our other two ever dreamed of eating at this age. And you should see Sara go when she gets some sweets in her mouth. Giggling, laughing, smiling - how can you not keep them coming.

Contrary to what you may think with us having a blog filled with pics, we are actually not a very good picture taking family. And now that life has become the normal good busy, not the hospital bad busy, we are back to our non-photogenic selves. So I tried to take a bunch last night. And she was not too impressed with the flash.

By the way, these pics were taken around 10:00. Sara has 7 teeth and we think she is working on some molars, so we are in full-bore-teething-lack-of-sleep. Awake from 9-1 last night.
Yeah. fun. We actually have a few cute videos of her eating a piece of chocolate and clapping with joy and throwing all of the clothes out of the laundry basket. But I can't get the technology to cooperate. I'll figure it out.

Summer time horse lessons, leave house at 7am, Sara plays outside in sun during lesson, and this is what you get on way home. Tooooo tired. I am quite sure Jennifer wasn't taking this pic while she was driving. I am quite sure she got Abigail to take it. Maybe if I say that over and over it will come true.

Waiting to take CT Scan one morning. She couldn't have anything to eat and just could not figure out why we were not giving her a bottle. But thankfully, she was still enough she didn't have to be sedated and got to eat really soon after this. The results of the CT scan were great. The brain has developed a whole lot since her last scan. The Neurosurgeon was very pleased, we don't have to go see him for 6 months!

Just a couple of stories that we get every now and then that remind us of how much God has blessed us with Sara and how far she has come. One nurse who had Sara her first few nights in NICU after she was born ran into someone a few weeks ago who sees Sara often. The nurse asked - Is Sara crawling yet? This person said - Crawling? She's about to start walking! Amazing, said the nurse. Her first few nights this nurse thought Sara wouldn't make it at all or would have severe cerebral palsy.

One heartbreaking sight was the day she took her CT scan. There was another mother there whose son was 4 and had the same degree of brain bleeds as Sara and was not able to walk yet or communicate well. He was born a few weeks earlier than Sara. He had a twin sister who was still not able to sit up. And while our hearts were broken for this mom and praying for her, we were overwhelmed at how much God has blessed us. Why us? Why has He been so good to us? I don't have the answer. But I will sing His praises and tell others of His grace, mercy, and love. Seen partly through Sara. Seen fully and gloriously through Jesus and the cross!