Home again

Today marks two full months since we came home. It's great to be back. It took about a month for Greg and me to adjust to normal life; it took Ella about 10 minutes. Leaving Birmingham was hard. "I'll be home for Christmas" playing on the radio on the way to the airport didn't help. I was filled with a mixture of gratitude for what we achieved, fear of the work ahead, and sadness to be leaving Sarah and the wonderful people we'd met. We left Birmingham in a chilly rain and arrived in Baltimore to unseasonably warm weather. That eased the transition a little. Ella traveled well and was sure happy to see our cat Frankie when we got home. Christmas came the next day. All her toys seemed new, even the old ones.

We had a quiet Christmas at home, just the three of us, Frankie, and the enormous stuffed dog, Lucy. Ella brushes Lucy, puts beads around her neck, hugs her, pretends to feed her. She's a good stand-in for Molly who she loved so much in Birmingham.

The holidays were low-key which is just what we needed. Ella tore all the wrapping paper with her left hand. She received some left-hand-only toys which felt natural after all the therapy.

Ella finally saw snow this season a couple of weeks ago. We were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Pennsylvania while Greg was away on business. It was bitterly cold so we had to enjoy it fast, but we did. Ella tasted the snow and got wheelbarrow rides from Grandpa up and down the street. She held an icicle. It's the most wonderful thing, seeing someone have all these experiences for the first time. She got a lot of exercise walking through the snow and we all slept well that night.

Ella has changed so much in the past few months. She's had her first haircut, she is saying "please" and "thank you." When I told her something was broken recently she suggested we "buy new one." She never forgets who gave her a gift, even if it came in the mail. She spins around and makes herself dizzy. She plays "flower shop" and can identify the 15 varieties of silk flowers we have. She absolutely loves food -- real and pretend. Grandma and Grandpa bought her a grocery cart which was an enormous hit. It's great to see her pushing it with two hands without being reminded. But it's most fun to see her "shopping" and stuffing that crazy doll into the cart.

Ella sits on the sink to brush her teeth before her bath every night. Here she's showing off for Grandpa using two hands. She's eating all her meals with her left hand for now without much objection. She takes caps off pens and Chapstick using both hands. She's discovered she can do so many things that wouldn't have been possible without all the hard work in Birmingham.

Finally, I wanted to post this photo taken recently at Cylburn Arboretum near our house. The first photo on the blog was taken at Cylburn so it seems appropriate. I think it speaks for itself.

Thank you to our family, friends, therapists, neighbors, colleagues -- everyone who has supported us during the past year. You've made the hard days easier and the joys all the more exciting to share.