Reds, Purple and Blue

Tom arrived home Friday evening to some girls that were screaming and jumping up and down when he pulled in the driveway.  At bedtime Casey wanted daddy to put her to bed and Emily wanted me to put her to bed.  She specifically told Tom that she did not want him to do it.  I noticed as each day went by that he was gone she became a little more clingy to me, and while she was excited to see him, she was used to only me tucking her in at night even when he returned.  After they were tucked, hugged, and kissed, Tom and I sat on the patio drank a couple of beers, smoked a cigar and caught up - relishing in the relief that the stress of the past few months was finally over. 

Saturday was low-key for all of us.  Golf, the pool, catching up on mail, and going to the library was the extent of our exertion.  I finished the evening by painting my nails and curling up with a book on my iPad and some wine in my glass. 

Today Tom is taking Casey to her first Reds game and she is way excited!!  I think she might be building something in her head about what a baseball game is like.  Tom thought so, too so he bought the cheap seat tickets.  I'm pretty sure she'll only last 2 or 3 innings before she's bored out of her mind and crestfallen when she realizes baseball is actually a slow paced game and she won't be able to actually talk to Joey Votto (who is her designated favorite player even though she knows nothing about the game).  She has been talking for weeks about needing a Joey Votto t-shirt to wear for today and I indulged her only because he just signed a 10 year contract with the Reds.  (It's nice knowing the shirt will be relevant for a while, so I bought it a size too big to get maximum use :)  I can't wait to hear how this outing goes!  Tom has been charged with taking lots of pictures for me, so I'll post them in the next blog.  There are many, many, many times Casey has had to sit through doctor and therapy appointments, countless tests and procedures and home visits from early intervention specialists for her sister.  Tom and I each try to just do one-on-one special things with Casey when we can.  As a member of our family a lot is asked of her in the way of patience and sacrifice sometimes.  I hope one day she looks back at these special days with fondness more than she looks back at the endless appointments she has been told to sit quietly through. 

Just e-mailed to me from the ball park!

I have promised to paint Emily's nails while Tom and Casey are at the game.  She has been asking me to paint her nails for a week now.  Even as I type this I shake my head, amazed, that she is able to make such a specific request.  I asked her this morning what color she wanted and she told me purple on her fingers and blue on her toes.  This is just cool stuff to witness.  For me anyway.  For a typical 4 year old, this is not news.  Even my 3 year old niece can tell me a story about how she likes to play with princesses and that she doesn't like Dora any more.  But that's not our Emily.  Even though her communication is more simplified, she is learning to share her opinion and observations more and more.  With her nails painted purple and blue respectively, she is trying to sing along with The Wiggles on TV right now as I type.  Again, I stop and observe that she is memorizing the songs and motions - that's got to mean some potential for learning, I'm sure.  Doesn't it??  I don't go through each day hanging on everything she does and wondering what it means for her future, but I do catch myself giving a mental high five when sister gets something.  Her diagnosis is so unknown; we just have no idea what her potential for learning and communicating will be.  But if she learns her colors by looking at them on her fingers or learns songs and expressions from 4 dudes singing on a DVD, then we will embrace it and try to apply those methods to help learn other things.

Her simple request for painted nails also makes me realize I don't have to worry so much about some fears I had in the months after she was born.  I worried that Emily would not be able to do typical kid things.  That her limitations would dominate her life.  But as I see how excited she is for me to paint her tiny little fingers and toes, I know deep down that she will most definitely want to do those typical little girl things that I had once worried would never be for her.  I look into the crystal ball in my head and see Casey, Emily and I at the spa getting our nails done together or watching Tom drive off with Emily taking her to her first Reds game.  And she does play with princesses and dolls in her own way.   In fact, I heard the bathroom door shut a few minutes ago and suspected she was up to no good.  I had my phone in hand because Tom sent me a picture of Casey arriving at the ballpark.  I opened up the door to see Emily sitting her doll, Abby, on the potty.  Luckily I saved Abby from the potential plunge she might have gotten, but not before I snapped a quick picture and gave a big mental high five for such great pretending and role playing :)

Yeah, we're doing typical little girl stuff here today - playing with dolls, going to a Reds game with daddy and painting nails Purple and Blue.  Color me happy.