Wednesday, June 8, 2011

More impressed doctors...

On Tuesday, Anderson went for his year developmental screening at Vanderbilt. At first, a nurse practitioner came in and did most of the screening. She played with him in the floor and then asked me a series of questions. She then left the room and told me she was going to go score the screening and she would be right back. When she came back in, she brought a doctor with her-Not just any doctor, but a doctor who had taken care of Anderson after he was born. Since his condition is not very common, she remembered exactly who he was...and when she walked in the room, her mouth literally dropped open.

She then did a few more little tests on him, and just kept shaking her head in disbelief. She told me she was amazed at how well he is doing. I said, "I know. When he was 4 days old you guys told us he wouldn't be able to do much of anything." She looked me dead in the eye and said, "I know. I remember."

I told her how pleased Jamie and I are with the progress he is making and how well he is doing. She then said, "You should be. You have no idea how pleased you should be. This kid is amazing!"

:) I think I walked out of that office with the biggest smile on my face. The doctor tried to attribute his progress to Jamie and I working with him- BUT we don't take ANY credit at all...we know who deserves all the credit and glory! Thank you Father for this child who is a blessing to so many!

Monday, June 6, 2011

A Magical Time

Our family just returned from a week long trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. My entire family went (15 total) and we had a wonderful time! We are exhausted and still trying to recover, but already looking ahead to when we can go back again.




It's such a magical place. They really don't skimp on anything- everything is over the top! The girls both loved getting to eat supper with all of the Disney Princesses. They also loved the water park. Karlie was actually big enough to ride some of the roller coasters - she has absolutely NO FEAR! That girl is my new riding buddy! Kinsley, on the other hand, is a bit more cautious about what she will or will not ride. But she had a great time even without the roller coasters. Neither of the girls were too fond of the characters- I kind of figured since they both get creeped out every Halloween. Anderson, however, absolutely LOVED the characters.




Our trip worked out where we were there for Anderson's 1st birthday. It was a wonderful day! He got to meet many characters, including his favorite- Mickey Mouse. He had a special hat and button that said it was his birthday and everyone who worked at the park would stop and wish him a happy birthday. At supper that night, we got to eat with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. The waitress brought out a cupcake with 1 candle and we all sang Happy Birthday to him. He also got a card signed by all the characters. It was a wonderful night.



Both mine and Jamie's favorite part was the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom. TinkerBell flew right over us out of Cinderella's castle, and the whole show just made me feel like a kid all over again. I stood there mesmerized. I actually caught myself tearing up, thinking about the challenges and surgeries that Anderson has already faced in his short life, and thinking about how he has done so well with everything, and how God has blessed us tremendously over the last year...I couldn't think of a bigger celebration than being at Magic Kingdom for the Fireworks spectacular, and I couldn't think of another child or year that deserved such a grand celebration.




We had a wonderful time with many memories made. I will leave you with just a few pictures...