Julianne's update...

Julianne had her doctors appointment on Tuesday. Not just any regular doctors appointment. This is the appointment we have been on a waiting list to get to for months. It is with another neurologist. A neurologist, that I am told, is "thorough" and specializes in developmental delays and such. I must tell you, however, that I googled this doctor, and was worried that he was going to be very old. THAT worried me. I feared he would be "old school" and not up to date on the new and improved way of medicine.

As a mother....I think about my child having to struggle from here on out to do everything. Struggle to try to make sense of letters and numbers. Try to make your way through school when you can't remember anything from day to day. Struggle to get a job as an adult, because education was so hard, what kind of job will she be able to do? Her personal relationships will be strained...people will not understand, and I fear she will be alone, without friends. How will she help her own children with homework? and so on, and so on and so on.

But, then I remember that this is Julianne we are talking about. The child whom everybody loves. The little girl who is so sweet and funny and dripping with cuteness. She can charm the skin off a snake. My sweet girl who just goes on and on, and who lives every day as it comes. If anybody has a chance to overcome this disability, it is her. People love her. And I think that because she is so lovable, she gets that little extra help from those who help her.....because they love her too.

How could you NOT love this....

Well the Doctor was a very nice man, and Jeff and I were both impressed. Julianne, of course, was a social butterfly who charmed the socks off of him!

After a long, and extensive battery of testing and questions, we were given his opinion.

He feels she has a cognitive deficit, and probably a low IQ.

As sad as this makes me, I agree, probably.

He said the words mental retardation....that she wasn't as bad as that...blah blah blah....but that she probably will never be at the same level as her peers. Her curve of learning will always be below theirs.

Always.

He wants her to try stopping the ADHD medicine, and see how she does.

We are in for a long haul of work trying to get her what she needs.

Poor baby. She doesn't deserve this kind of hard road to walk.

New Hair Do's...

Hair Lotion...

Ha ha! That is what Julianne was calling the pasty glue substance they were putting in her hair today for her "big brain test". The EEG. But Julianne and I referred to it as "The Big Brain Test". She did Sooooooooooooo good. Well, she wouldn't close her eyes for anything, but she sat still for the lady to put in all 24 electrodes full of "hair lotion", as Julianne called it. And she laid still for about an hour and a half....with just minimal wiggling. Now, we wait to find out if it shows anything. Here are some pictures.


Before leaving home:


Before getting started:


Just about to begin...


Thank God! I get to sit up now!

Shanna.....

I was driving home from work tonight, and I was listening to some talk radio show. The girl that was talking, had this very cool laugh. It was the kind of laugh that when you hear it, it makes you giggle, just because it is so cute... Well, I realized that this girl laughed just like Shanna. I LOVE Shanna's laugh. It is so cute, and funny, and sweet, and silly and it just exudes joy. I think Shanna is a such great gal. And she has grown so much since my joining of the Walewski family. She was so young. Actually, if I remember correctly, she had just got her license while I was visiting Michigan for Thanksgiving, the year before our marriage. But maybe she was younger, I am not sure. I always knew that if the Render's were coming over to Grandma June's while we were there, that there would for sure be laughter. I love laughter. I love laughing. And I love Shanna's laugh.

Back to my drive home from work. After my mind wandered off to the past Holiday visits with Shanna's laughter track running through my mind, I had a SHOCK of a thought..and wondered...

DID SHANNA HAVE HER BABY YET? When is she due??? If so.....would somebody PLEASE call me and tell me? :)

You are going to be such a great Mom, Shanna. In my opinion, humor....and laughter....will make parenting more joyous....and fun. I can't wait to see pics of little Samples.

Love you!
Chrissy

Allison...

Just a pretty picture I took while I was tucking her in the other night. She's such a pretty girl.

The Pet Blessing...

Yesterday it was the "Pet Blessing" at the kids school...in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. It was a half day of school with dismissal at 12:30. But at 12:15, they had the "pet blessing" in the parking lot. This is the first year we actually had a pet to get blessed. The kids were excited. Alena was most excited that we got to do this....but unfortunately, her teacher didn't let anybody in her class go stand by her parents, and pets....and I felt very sad about that.

Well, Chili, our dog....is crazy. He honestly, is nuts, and I should have researched his breed a little bit more before getting him. I guess I skipped over the chapter that said they barked every second while outside and that they would dig holes to china, and that they loved to kill birds or anything they can catch and them bring them into your kitchen. Oh gosh.....I can't even tell you the story of the latest dead thing....it is so gross.

Anyway...........Father Mike said something like, "If everybody could be quiet for a few seconds while I say the prayer"....and then guess what? Chili goes ballistic and barks in a crazy manner....and all I could do was just smile, and think to myself, "I hate this freaking dog."

Here are some pictures from the "pet blessing". Notice how Mason and Audrey were not respecting the "cones".