Cookie, please!

I haven't posted on any of the blogs for almost 2 months. One reason is I spent 29 days in Oregon. (Last of July and most of August!) My kids graciously sent me to visit my dearest friend for my birthday and I spent 19 glorious days with the Kings in Coos Bay. We had a fabulous time! I spent 12 days at home before returning...this time WITH my children...to spend another 10 days. This post is about something Julia did while we were there.

One of the things that we did during the second visit was participate in a Music is for Kidz production at the church the Kings pastor there. Julia was able to be a fully integrated member of the cast and it was wonderful to see her interacting with new children and adults. On Saturday, after a week of practices, we had a pizza party for all the kids and helpers. Everyone crowded downstairs into the multi-purpose room and Amy Jo made the following announcement:

"Listen up everybody...you may have seconds on the pizza, but you have to show an adult your empty plate before you can have a cookie."

There was the normal hustle-bustle of 25 children and 8-10 adult helpers as she told the kids this. Julia did not seem to pay attention to Amy Jo and those of you who know Julia well understand how distracted she is by any visual or auditory stimulation.

Julia got her piece of pizza and sat down at one of the tables to eat. A few minutes she walked into the kitchen and up to Amy Jo and me. She handed Amy Jo her empty plate and then patted my arm. Pointing to the cookies (0n the other counter) she asked me "Pease?" (Her approxomation of the word please.)

We were floored! Julia not only heard Amy Jo's announcement, but she processed it, understood it, and after a 10 minute delay remembered and acted on it! WOW!!!!

Oh...and Amy Jo gave her TWO cookies!!!!!!!!!!

Ite back...

Today Julia shook her finger at me and told me "Ite back!" She was going to the next room for a book. When she came back to us she smiled and proudly announced "Mama...Oo-ee-uh ite back!" (Mama, Julia right back!)

We burst into gales of laughter...these little things probably don't seem like much to the parents of typically developing children but to us they are pure joy! We are thankful for EVERY BIT of deliberate communication we get from our Julia!

Fetch and Carry...

Last night Julia did the neatest thing! I was upstairs in my bathroom cleaning and I said to Julia: "Julia, please go down to the laundry room and get mommy the broom." I didn't expect her to do this, but I try to talk to her like I do all the children and involve her in what we're doing. I kept cleaning and she headed out onto the landing. The lower floor was dark and so she came back to me and said "dahk." I said "It's ok, Julia." A few minutes later I heard banging and a triumphant Julia came into my room carrying the broom! As small as this seems these are the steps it took for her to do this:

• Hear and process my request
• Go out and see that it is dark downstairs
• Come back and tell me that it is dark
• Go back out and climb down the stairs
• Go through the living room, dining room and down the hall in the dark
• Open the laundry room door
• Turn on the light (I found evidence of this)
• Select the broom from our tools that include a mop, a broom and a push broom and several other cleaning implements
• Carry the broom back through the house and up the stairs
• Present it to me

Pretty awesome for any 5 year old...especially our special one! Go, Julia!

More fun at the park...

Julia has a great time at the park...

I uff ooo!

Two days ago I was standing at the stove cooking dinner and Julia came over and hugged my leg. This is a common occurrence...but what she did next is not. She said "Mom-eee...I uff ooo." To an untrained ear this may sound like a lot of nonsense syllables but I understood them immediately. After working on getting her to repeat "I love you" to me for the last couple of years I know her enunciation very well. And although "I uff ooo" may seem like a long way from "I love you" to me it was clear and perfect!

You stink!!!

No doubt about it...Julia has this great sense of humor! Today Victoria got Julia up from her nap and she had a dirty diaper. Victoria was changing Julia's diaper and teasing her by saying "Oooh, Julia...you stink!" Quick as a blink Julia yelled back "NO! YOU 'tink!!!" We were all suprised and kept egging her on. Julia got to laughing and telling us that we "'tink"!

Will this behavior be funny in 10 years? Probably not...but today it was hilarious!!!

Julia celebrates Julia!

The funniest thing happened yesterday. Victoria was browsing through Julia's website. Julia came over and wanted to get up on her lap. Victoria picked her up and kept looking at the pages on the website. Julia sat there for a minute, just grooving to the music when suddenly she became very excited. She started shouting "Ooo-eee-uh! Bay-be Ooo-eee-uh! Meeee! Meee!" She had seen a picture of herself as a baby on the page and identified herself! She was so funny...clapping, shouting, laughing and pointing to herself.

Victoria took her through the pages and she amazed us by identifing -by name- the vast majority of people in the pictures...even folks that we don't know well or see often. It was a very "connected" moment for her cognitively. Not only was she able to pull up the information mentally, she was able to verbally express what she was thinking.

Yay!!!! Go, JULIA!!!

More than a little scary...

On January 5th I noticed that Julia was running a fever. After several hours of fever that didn't respond to medication David and I decided that we had better take her in to the emergency room. This was not something I was looking forward to...I figured that they would tell me she had the flu and to keep her hydrated.

Thank God we took her in! I will spare you all the details of our 14 hours in the ER, but the final diagnoses was that Julia had a ruptured appendix. At 4:00 PM (diagnoses at 2:30 PM) on the 6th she had surgery to remove her appendix and clean up the infection that had already filled her abdominal cavity. We were so blessed that the surgeon on call was a fabulous doctor...one of the best! And also thankful that the ER physician is a wonderful doctor! She stayed after her shift to make sure that Julia's tests were completed and that she received proper treatment!

Julia stayed in the hospital for 8 days on IV antibiotics. This was a loooonngg time! I stayed with her and did not leave the hospital at all until we went home. Thank God for my great family...my older daughters took care of Olivia and ran the house! Our church family provided meals for us for the entire time that Julia was in the hospital...no mean feat for a family of 8!

One of the great things that happened while Julia was in the hospital was that she was introduced to Greta, a canine companion who visits the children who are staying there. Greta's handler encouraged me to apply for a canine companion for Julia. Julia really does need a watch dog...she gets away from us and one incident even involved the police...that's another post. So, now we are in the planning stages of Julia receiving her very own canine companion! What a blessing! Her companion will help us to keep track of her whereabouts, bring her home if she gets away from us, track her by scent if she is out of sight, protect her around strangers and water and alert us if she needs help.

Many thanks to everyone who sent cards and food, who prayed for and with us, who took my family to church while I was at the hospital, who called and laughed and cried and rejoiced with us. We would not be complete without each of you!

Most of all we say thank you to our Lord Jesus...Dr. Marr told us that "12 hours would have made a difference in the outcome." He didn't interpret that for me, but just the sound of it is scary...thank you Jesus for keeping your hand on Julia! Except for a scar on her tummy you would never know that she was desperately ill just a few weeks ago!

Well...it's about time!

It has been over a year since I last posted on Julia's blog. Shame on me! So many great moments have come and gone that I know I will never remember...if only I had immortalized them on this blog before they slid away into the ether. Does this mean I will do better next time? Probably not. Time is so scarce around here!

Julia is making incredible progress. Her website is a great way to keep up with her, and only requires that I update twice a year to be current and not feel guilty. However, that update was due in January, and it is March...go figure!

Julia has lost 6 teeth now. She definitely has that little girl snaggletoothed smile. She is not a baby at all any more...except for the diapers. No bottles, sippy cups, binkies...all the paraphernalia of babyhood is gone. I do use Baby Magic Original scent lotion on her after every bath, though, and will continue to do that till she's a teenager! Love that stuff...and I am thankful for an opportunity to indulge!

School is great. Julia is in her third year in Miss Lisa's class. I love the fact that she is with the same teacher's and, for the most part, the same students year after year. She loves school and busses both directions now. She was allowed to attend full sessions starting last fall...a full 4 hours of school daily. When she began at Jessie Baker her attention span and stamina were so low that she could only function for an hour and a half of school every day. Now she goes the whole time and is a fully integrated member of her class.

Speech is improving daily. We are so thankful for all of her communication. Julia is a very persistent and deliberate communicator. She knows what she wants to say and doesn't give up till we "get it". Yesterday David was playing with her and he tickled her under her arm. Julia immediately said (clear as a bell) "Ahm-pit...dad...stop!" We died laughing.

I have always been concerned that Julia would not be able to express to us when she didn't want something. That "no" was something she didn't truly understand. It's funny, but my personal motto has always been "Don't borrow tomorrow's trouble." Spending ANY time worrying about that was definitely borrowing tomorrow's trouble! Julia fully understands how to say "No!" and what it means! We can ask her to do something...give a kiss, for example...and she will shout "NO!" and run the other way. Or we can ask if she wants something...like going outside...and she is quick to say "Yahss!" She will even second-guess herself and change her answer if she realizes she's saying no to something she really does want...like Pepsi! So, our Miss Julia is a great communicator...and we are very thankful!