An anniversary I can't help but notice even if I don't want to
Today is the third anniversary of Mia's accident. It's a sad day, but at the same time, we're so happy she's alive that even though we think about 18 April 2003 with quite a lot of anger because of its awfulness, we're also grateful that it wasn't worse. Anyway, in case you're interested, here and here are pictures of Mia in the hospital - they're not pleasant, so be warned. In case you're a newcomer to the blog and wondering what the heck I'm talking about, this is the story of Mia's accident.
It's been a pretty good year, all things considered. Mia has made a lot of progress, and Norah was born, and she's doing well too. The nice thing about Mia is that in this past year she has become much more enthusiastic about doing things and trying new things. When she first came home from the hospital and started re-learning stuff, she was very reluctant and fought her therapists and parents all the way. This gradually has changed, and although she is still resistant to many things - like new foods - she has accepted that she has a lot of work to do and is often very eager to do it. Her walking, for instance - when we first started with walking, she was not happy at all about it. Now, she is very excited to get into her gait trainer and she zips around. She still has to figure some things out about walking, and when her physical therapist and I force her to walk on her own (like this, except with me instead of the woman) she screams bloody murder, but she is still making progress in that area. She is also using a lot more words and trying to repeat them when we say them to her, and she has used a few on her own, without prompting, which is cool. She says "bowl" when she sees it in her book, without Krys telling her, and she says "cow" and signs it when she sees it in her book. There are other small examples, too, and it's good to see. She's trying to say two-syllable words, too, and although she's often inaccurate, at least we can tell sort of what she's saying.
We will, of course, keep working with her. I think that school has helped her a lot, because it gives her an opportunity to see other kids in action. We're still hoping that Norah inspires her a bit more. Norah is crawling like a crazy person, and she's almost ready to crawl on her hands and knees (she gets up on them and rocks back and forth, because she's not quite certain what to do), so we're hoping that Mia sees her and tries a bit harder to do some things. We'll see.
So it's a bad day, but we try not to let it get us down. Mia is very healthy and the sweetest girl in the world (Norah hasn't reached her level of sweetness yet, although I'm sure she will) and everyone who meets her falls in love with her, so we're thankful for that. It doesn't mean that I can't think sadly about the day three years ago and wish I hadn't been out driving with Mia.
It's been a pretty good year, all things considered. Mia has made a lot of progress, and Norah was born, and she's doing well too. The nice thing about Mia is that in this past year she has become much more enthusiastic about doing things and trying new things. When she first came home from the hospital and started re-learning stuff, she was very reluctant and fought her therapists and parents all the way. This gradually has changed, and although she is still resistant to many things - like new foods - she has accepted that she has a lot of work to do and is often very eager to do it. Her walking, for instance - when we first started with walking, she was not happy at all about it. Now, she is very excited to get into her gait trainer and she zips around. She still has to figure some things out about walking, and when her physical therapist and I force her to walk on her own (like this, except with me instead of the woman) she screams bloody murder, but she is still making progress in that area. She is also using a lot more words and trying to repeat them when we say them to her, and she has used a few on her own, without prompting, which is cool. She says "bowl" when she sees it in her book, without Krys telling her, and she says "cow" and signs it when she sees it in her book. There are other small examples, too, and it's good to see. She's trying to say two-syllable words, too, and although she's often inaccurate, at least we can tell sort of what she's saying.
We will, of course, keep working with her. I think that school has helped her a lot, because it gives her an opportunity to see other kids in action. We're still hoping that Norah inspires her a bit more. Norah is crawling like a crazy person, and she's almost ready to crawl on her hands and knees (she gets up on them and rocks back and forth, because she's not quite certain what to do), so we're hoping that Mia sees her and tries a bit harder to do some things. We'll see.
So it's a bad day, but we try not to let it get us down. Mia is very healthy and the sweetest girl in the world (Norah hasn't reached her level of sweetness yet, although I'm sure she will) and everyone who meets her falls in love with her, so we're thankful for that. It doesn't mean that I can't think sadly about the day three years ago and wish I hadn't been out driving with Mia.
posted by Greg at
7:50 AM
1 Comments:
Mia may have been unlucky to have been in the car crash, and received such injuries, but she is obviously really lucky to have such good parents. I can imagine nothing harder than having to manage your own feelings of grief and still be able to support your child's development, whilst keeping some life for yourself...
By
Custancia, at 19/4/06 1:24 PM
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