Sippy Cup - Check!

We have a lot of goals we are working on with Shelby right now (drinking by herself, eating solid foods, feeding herself, pulling up, standing, crawling, walking, more use of her left arm, vision, etc). With that much going on, it can be hard to dedicate enough time to any one goal. As a result it seems like she progresses in each area, but achieving the actual goal can take a long time. That makes it really nice when we can accomplish one of our goals, and then focus more time on other areas.

I really believe that Shelby is physically capable of achieving many of our listed goals, but pretty much just does them when she is good and ready. For example, yesterday, Shelby decided it would be a good idea to start drinking from a sippy cup on her own. Again, she has been physically able to lift a cup to her mouth for quite a while now, but never showed any desire in (indeed resisted) drinking on her own. But now she does it like it's no big deal.

We also think she's close to a few of her other goals like pulling up consistently, and crawling on hands and knees. I am sure one day we will find her doing both of those like she's been doing it for months.

Pictures to follow.

shunt confusion

Last night was interesting. Shelby went to sleep at 7:30 as usual. Around 9:30, she woke up screaming, wailing, and thrashing around with this weird high-pitched cry. This continued for a couple hours. She seemed exhausted, but completely out of sorts, and we could do nothing to console her. What really had us worried though, was the odd high pitched scream in the middle of her constant crying. Dr. Grant had told us that was one sign of shunt malfunction, so I called Duke Children's and spoke to the neurosurgeon on-call. He could hear her clearly over the phone and said that we should go to the ER in case the shunt was failing. Trip and I ran around the house packing a bag for Shelby and me, and I stuck her in the car and headed to the hospital. As soon as the car started moving, Shelby quit crying and seemed to calm down...I pulled her onto my lap when we got to the hospital trying to figure out what to do. She seemed fine and was even talking and giving me kisses. After a quick phone conversation with Trip, I buckled Shelby back in her car seat and drove home, thinking I could easily head back if she freaked out again. I feel like I know Shelby pretty well and am learning to distinguish between sickness and a shunt malfunction. We don't get as nervous when she vomits or runs a fever these days, but last night's episode has us scratching our heads. I stayed home with her today, and she thankfully seems fine. We head to Duke for a check-up with Dr. Grant on June 13th, and I'll be relieved when we get the results of the CT scan we'll do that day.

Mother's Day weekend shenannigans

These two are always happiest in the morning, in their pj's, bed head and all.

Partners in crime:

Harding: "Shelby, you play and I'll sing." :)

Family shot after H's Saturday morning soccer game:

Not my best, but too cute of Shelby not to include:

What a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. I feel blessed beyond measure to be a mama to my two sweet angels, and to have such a great mom and mother-in-law myself. Mom and Barbara, who are referred to by their grandbabies as "BeBe and MoMo" have helped Trip and me in countless ways since we became parents (especially in the past two years) and enrich the lives of Harding and Shelby. I know we couldn't do it without them. We love you!

Control is an Illusion

I am a planner. I like being in control and knowing how things will turn out. I usually know on Monday exactly what we will be doing the following weekend. Control is an illusion for any parent--I found this out the hard way two days after Shelby was born when we got the results of her MRI. A very influential person in my life reminded me that there is only one keeper when I was having a tough time dealing with this lack of control, and it has helped me a great deal. Coming to grips with the unknowns in Shelby's future is a constant struggle for me, the control freak. Sometimes I get caught up in worry about whether Shelby will ever be able to eat normal food, what school will be like for her, or what level of independence she will have as an adult. Praying, giving myself over to the reality that I am not really in control, that God can handle it much better than I can, and staying in the present with this delightful girl who amazes me every single day are the things that sustain me through those times of fear.