This year you’ve learned to read (just the other day you read “The Lorax” to me almost entirely on your own), you’ve made lots of new friends and done great work as a kindergartener at school, you now swim like a fish, and you’ve worked super hard in therapy.

We are oh so very very proud of you, little big girl, and we are so happy you are part of our lives. We love you forever and always, and hope you have a birthday that is as wonderful and amazing as you are.

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years. It seems like just yesterday we held you in our arms, sleeping peacefully after the tough work of being born.

Precious and peaceful, screaming and shouting, laughing and dancing, running and jumping, talking and singing, hugging and cuddling, joyful and tragic, we love you so dearly, our little big man!

I hope your day is magical and amazing, because you certainly are.

On that day you were so small and frail, yet also so very very strong. And the strength of mind and body you showed in your first few minutes of life has persisted and grown. You are so very strong, so exceptionally smart, and so touchingly beautiful, my girl. Not a day goes by when we don’t pause and consciously consider how very proud we are of you and all you have achieved. And every day holds the strong promise that you will achieve even more.

You have achieved so much this year. But three things stand out. First, you have learned to swim. When we enrolled you in the local infant aquatics class you were practically afraid of the water, and unwilling to put head under. It was a struggle, but over the course of six weeks of daily lessons you learned to overcome your fears and “swim, float, swim” your way across the pool. Swimming now brings you great joy — you appear so utterly confident and happy when you are in the water — and we are proud of how much physical confidence, skill, and grace you have gained from this experience.

Second, you have learned to read. You can now read entire books (the “Bob” series has been especially fun for you), and are eager to read words on signs when you see them. As a result you started kindergarten early this year, joining the “Grizzlies” class at Sunset Daycare half way through the year. And despite joining in “late”, your teachers report that you’re doing great, keeping up, and even teaching the other kids a thing or two. It makes us so proud to know that you’ll be entering “real” kindergarten this Fall well ahead in reading and math. Go Anna go!

Third, you’ve demonstrated that you can be a fantastic big sister to your brother. It brings us such joy to see you two talking to each other and playing with each other. He loves you so very much, and looks up to you, and you return the love with a caring, tender heart.

Thank you, Anna, for being part of our family, for letting us love you, and for giving us so much love in return. Happy birthday, little big girl! We love you!

It seemed like only yesterday that you were born. I remember holding you in my arms, touching your soft face, amazed at how perfect you were, and how happy we were to have you join our family.

How the time has flown! How you have grown! You look like an adorable little old man in your big boy clothes, stomping and running and “Daddy, big jump”-ing around the room. Fearless, and totally heedless of gravity you roll and wiggle and climb your way around and over and through any obstacle like the little monkey you are.

Your vocabulary is stunning at times (“pyramid”), and you are nearly speaking in full sentences (“Anna, I watching the balloons”, “Daddy, please read me book”). You know all your colors, and can count all the way to 12 in English and sometimes in Spanish too. Your ABCs are not far behind. Your teachers have been amazed. We constantly hear people tell us how smart you are, how polite and “present” you are, and it is a joy to see how many new things you are learning each and every day.

You bring joy into any room. No one can resist your amazing smile. You adore your big sister and your cat Max (“I go pet him. Give him huggies.”), and most days they adore you right back. You look forward to meeting your friends each day at daycare (especially little Winter, whom Anna assures you you will marry some day).

We miss our baby boy, and your momma cried the day you got your first haircut. But we also shed proud tears as we think of how much you have grown, how much you have accomplished in this last year, and how much we look forward to watching you become.

Precious and peaceful, screaming and shouting, laughing and dancing, talking and singing, hugging and cuddling, we love you so dearly, our little big man!

Thank you, Noah, for being part of our family, for letting us love you, and for giving us so much love in return. Happy birthday, little one! We love you!

Four long and too short years ago you were born into this world. Our firstborn, our much beloved daughter, and our favorite girl in the whole world.

This past year seems a blur, filled with so much activity. You’ve spent your time this past year learning to ride horses and having fun learning gymnastics. So much energy! Naps have become a thing of the past this past year. It wasn’t too long ago when we were worried if you’d ever learn to run and jump, and now it seems that running and jumping are all you ever want to do. Which makes us as proud as we are tired.

You’ve done a great job in preschool this past year, and we’re amazed you’re already learning to read. Soon you’ll be reading to us and your little brother whom you alternately adore and despise, in roughly proper measure.

Two casting camps and a trip to Alabama were highlights of the year as we continue to work to make your left side stronger. Thank you for putting up with all that, and with the constant reminders and exercises we make you go through each day.

Four going on fourteen, your parents frequently say. Precocious and demanding and joyous and laughing and screaming and kicking and beautiful and snuggling and saying such grown-up things.

Thank you, Anna, for being part of our family, for letting us love you, and for giving us so much love in return. Happy birthday, little one! We love you!

You arrived a little early, eager to meet your momma and daddy and your big sister and your beloved Max, and to start to get to know the world. Like your sister you were strong and vital from your very first moments, and you remain so to this day — such an active, curious, rambunctious little boy.

What an amazing person you are. There is such a sense of peace and presence about you. And joy! A basic, fundamental happiness.  Your smile is a weapon you wield quickly and eagerly, and to devastating effect alongside your beautiful blue eyes. Together, they melt hearts and seem to solve any hurt.

In your constant learning, you teach us new things every day. Your enthusiasm and optimism and curiosity bring us all such joy. More than anything you constantly remind us to relax and see the world through your new eyes and enjoy these first learnings once again. It is such a joy to embrace you and your sister and each other and appreciate each new moment together.

Thank you, Noah, for joining our family and for and teaching us so much. Happy birthday, dearest boy. We love you, and are so very proud.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/enssle

We’re just catching up, and we’ve got some more recent photos and videos coming soon, so watch this space!

Anna’s Casting Part II: Our last post ended with Anna having her leg casted to help stretch her tight Achilles tendon. Almost 2 weeks post casting and we can say that it was a real success! When Anna had her first cast removed the following Monday, we already saw improvements in her flexibility. They measure flexibility in terms of degrees past neutral (think of neutral as your toes pointing up to the ceiling if you are sitting with your legs out in front of you) with both a straight leg and a bent knee. When we started Anna was minus 10 degrees with a straight leg and neutral with her knee bent. After the first cast she was almost neutral with a straight leg and 10 degrees past neutral (good!) with her knee bent. After the second cast, Anna was 10 degrees past neutral with a straight leg and 20 degrees past neutral with her knee bent. “Normal” flexibility is defined as 20 degrees past neutral, so we were very excited with the outcome. We’re getting a new brace within the next week or so that will hopefully help to maintain this new flexibility.

I re-read my post from the night before the initial casting; it turns out I was worried about nothing. The process was actually not bad at all (of course, I’m not the one who had a cast on her leg). Anna did everything she would normally do without a cast (some stuff she even did better with the cast than without) – climbing, running, jumping, etc. On the first couple of nights after she received a new cast she complained a little about leg pain. We were told by her PT that this was normal, and that we should give her Tylenol/Motrin to help the pain. After that she didn’t complain at all. Anna was completely freaked out by the cast saw the first time the cast was removed, but didn’t shed a tear during the removal of the second. I’d have to say the one drawback to the entire process was the inability to bathe. Three year olds are stinky beings, and I swear Anna played in the dirt more during those 2 weeks than normal. She left a definite ring around the tub when we were finally able to take a full-fledged bath after 2 weeks of sponge baths!

This past week Anna has been attending a “Helping Hands” camp at the Mapleton Center in Boulder. This is basically a constraint therapy camp where all the campers wear casts on their unaffected hands in an attempt to encourage increased use of the affected hands/arms. This is the first year that the Mapleton Center has offered this camp, and the turnout was a bit lower than they expected. I hope that they continue to offer it in the coming years because Anna is LOVING it! The low turnout has been great for us. There are 3 kids at the camp – 3 little girls ages 3-5 – and 4 adults (2 OTs and 2 volunteers) to manage them. We get the best of both worlds – the benefits of a group setting while still getting the one on one attention from the therapists! Anyway, they practice dressing in the mornings, do all sorts of crafts, spend time outdoors, bake, and play with one another. All the activities are designed to work on particular fine motor skills with the affected hand. She’s had such a great time, and I know she’s working hard by the simple fact that she falls asleep on the way home (it is a rare day when Anna falls asleep in the car). For Mom, it is nice to meet other parents whose children have hemiparesis. We’re planning on getting together after the last day of camp to compare notes!

Noah is now 6 months old! I cannot believe that so much time has passed. It seems like such a short time ago since he was born, but at the same time it seems like forever. The little man is really progressing! We believe it won’t be long before he’s mobile. He’s holding himself up with his arms and tucking his knees under him. We should probably get busy with the childproofing now! YIKES!

Noah had his 6-month check up last week. He weighs 17 lbs. 10 oz. (75th percentile) and is 27 1/2″ long (90th percentile). I was rather surprised that his weight earned him a ranking in only the 75th percentile. He’s a heavy guy!! He’s apparently fallen off his growth curve a little, but the doctor didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about. Anna did exactly the same thing at 6 months. Noah is teething like a madman; he chews on everything in sight and drools all over. For the last couple of weeks hee also seems to have had some sort of GI infection that, when mixed with the teething, has made us go through diapers, wipes and A&D ointment like they are going out of style.

Oh, I almost forgot! Noah has been sleeping in his own room since June 29th. Although we’ve had some ups and downs since he moved from our room, he’s been sleeping much better (and longer)! Last night he slept from 7pm to 6am, and then went back to sleep until 6:45 (when I had to wake him). Sleep does amazing things for his disposition too. He’s a much happier little guy when he gets enough rest! Naps remain a challenge for us, but he’s been doing much better at home in his own bed. If only we could get him to sleep at daycare.

T minus 30…our trip to Alabama is rapidly approaching! I’m a little more relaxed about the trip this time around, but I’m sure I’ll turn into a complete basket case soon. We find out about housing at the end of this month, which makes me a little nervous. I’d much rather know earlier that we have a confirmed place to stay. We’ve been prepping Anna for our trip to AL. We have the same therapist we had when we were there last year. Anna keeps telling us that she just really misses Reggie. I hope she still feels that way when we cast her for a month and make her do difficult things with her left hand. Anna was a very different little girl the last time we were there. She’s definitely come into her own over the past year, and I hope her independent streak doesn’t affect the therapy program (and ultimately, the outcome).