Swallow

October 21, 2008

Swallow

We just got back from Children's Hospital. Waverly had a swallowing study done. She did a great job. She was scared when they strapped her into a big chair. She kept saying "boo boo hurt". But she was calmed by the fact that I could stay there with her (big lead apron on). The test went well. She didn't have any trouble with anything except for the liquid, which is what we have witnessed. She was able to swallow, it just took her longer. There is no need to modify her diet or anything yet. This will provide a good baseline for her next test.

Oliver spent the morning with Matt at the Natural History Museum. He loved walking around the animal room. They had a nice bonding time together.

Comments

SioMcLucky said…

yay wavy! such good news! and how fun for ollie & matt, such a great museum for bonding time :)
Shannon, thank you so much for being so diligent and keeping us posted on all the little trials & tribulations. we really appreciate your effort and ability to be so open with us.
hugs!

October 21, 2008 at 3:43 PM

Welcome to Holland

By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.