TBI

First Week Down

August 9, 2013

We made it to Friday….barely.

To say Elena and I are exhausted is an understatement.  It has been an incredibly long week but we made it.  You better believe Elena and I have spent an entire hour this morning doing nothing but simply cuddling, kissing and hugging on the couch.  Our entire week has been go, go, go so we have thoroughly enjoyed our time together this morning.  She still has another therapy in an hour and our afternoon is packed with a trip downtown to pick up some things up at the office and an appointment with our architect.  Soooo, this break is short-lived.

Elena was a champ this week.  I swear we must be the luckiest parents on the planet.  We put Elena through so much and yet, she always goes with the flow.  Tuesday was our first day at the Jackson Center.  I was in a frenzy to get out of the house on time.  The 40 minute drive was easy.  Handing my baby off to practically strangers, was not.  I could hear Elena’s protests (hysterics, rather) from the waiting room.  I chitchatted with the other Moms for a bit before deciding I couldn’t handle listening to her cry for the entire three hours.  The Moms all assured me their children did the same for the first few weeks, but I hustled off to sit at Starbucks for an hour.  She was quiet when I came back, which gave me a bit of assurance.  The report at the end of the first day was mixed.  She did cry, a lot.  But, they said she relented and participated in a majority of the therapies.  I think the scariest part for her is being handled by a bunch of people she doesn’t know.  In my mind, that would be incredibly scary too, especially considering she relies on the sound of their voice and their touch.  Poor baby.  We raced home for a quick nap before another therapy later that afternoon.

Thursday was better, well and worse.  She cried harder, sooner when I handed her over.  So, I immediately darted out of the door and off to Starbucks.  Again, she was quiet when I came back.  They said she cried for about 30 minutes pretty hard then did really well with the therapies they put her through.  We again raced home for a nap before an appointment with her Vision Teacher.

All in all, I can’t believe how well she did for her first week.  She easily could have cried for the entire three hours.  She easily could have cried through the two additional therapies I put her through in the afternoons.  But, per usual she adjusted.  She’s two…not many two year olds can last through three hours of anything, let alone a rigorous work out and tasks that are incredibly difficult for her.  So, I’m proud of my little gal this week.  We made it, no doubt with the help of your prayers, emails and texts!  Thank you!

And next week….her first day of her other “school”…Mother’s Day Out!

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This is Elena. Our Light. You can see all the goodness and joy that shines from those deep blue eyes. She loves sneezes, yawns, industrial toilet flushes, automatic paper towel dispensers and The Star Spangled Banner. Music is her everything, specifically Moana, Frozen (really all Disney), Queen & Taylor Swift. Nothing makes her squeal quite like swimming, fast boat rides and her two brothers in trouble. In addition to her megawatt smile, Elena reminds us to cherish the smallest of victories, to live in the present, and to daily dwell in a posture of gratitude for every breath and every blessing.  

More About Our Story

I’m Emmalee, an ordinary gal born and raised in the Heartland. Wife to Chad, and Mom to Elena, Calvin & Turner, I spend most my days ridin’ dirty (literally so much trash) in my minivan carting kids to and fro. When I’m not being a Momager, I excel at self-care, cooking gourmet meals my kids won’t eat and deep-diving all the feelings. Most days, my attitude is gratitude, just taking life one step at a time.

Emmalee & Elena

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