We've come a LONG way...

Just a montage I made some time back. I know, I know that exist is spelled as EXIS on the last frame. I ran out of space. lol. I will pay for additional writing and time to build a better one. Turn your sound on and grab your kleenex because Emma has come a long, long way!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's been awhile and I am suffering from Insomnia. So how about an update?

It's been 6 months since my last post and quite a few things have been going on in our lives and in our world.

First off, a huge hoorah for Emma. Why? She has passed some MAJOR milestones. Milestones that I wasn't sure if they were going to come any time soon and they did!! YAY!! Here they are:

1. Walking by herself without ANY assistance for 10 feet!! This is huge. However, Emma needs to know somebody is close by just in case she loses her balance!

2. She has BIG GIRL TEETH!! OMG!!! She has her permanent teeth coming in and this is wild! I honestly have not really allowed myself to think too far ahead since she was injured, just taking it all day by day, and seeing ADULT teeth coming in was a shock to my system. She is no longer my baby. Can I cry now?????

3. She is afraid of the dark, has imaginary friends (ok, her index finger is her friend and his name is John. Cracks me up!), and is doing all the silly things CHILDREN should do. I know it seems weird that these little things are a milestone and it's things we sometimes take for granted, however, when you have a child who is developmentally delayed the "normal" nuances of childhood are so important. Seeing her imagination bloom is so important.

4. She finished kindergarten.

5. She is going to get her skull repaired. We have waited a long time for this and then we finally get a surgery date. April 15 and guess what? Bless her little heart, but she falls sick. We get a new surgery date of May 13th and what happens? Bronchitis. It's so crazy because Emma isn't a child that is normally sick. So, hopefully in July. I cried and cried after the second cancellation. I feel selfish, but when you have been through what we have gone through every teeny tiny thing that bring a type of normal is important. However, Emma's health and life is much more important.

I just feel extremely blessed each day I have with her. In all her spunky gloriousness, I am very lucky.

I have been having a lot of insomnia lately. Just worrying about the future. Emma will be 6 in August and I am just concerned about what the future holds for us. Some days I want to move back home to Kansas where my family and a huge chunk of my friends are but there are not a lot of resources to help Emma in the small town I am from. The waiting lists are long. I hate Arizona. Every single bad thing that could happen, happened here in Arizona. My first 2 daughters born extremely ill and premature and dying, my oldest brother being murdered and the criminal never caught, Emma being a victim of abuse, the list can go on and on. However, the major plus to Phoenix? Emma's doctors and therapists. I would be a fool to remove Emma from the quality of care she receives here.

So, Arizona we stay. Hopefully, I will find a new job in August when Emma returns to school and my new semester of school starts. I hope to be able to save up enough money to go home to Kansas for a visit. Who knows? Oh and most importantly, when Emma is walking 100% independently and stable, we have to make a trip to Disneyland!!! She would faint from seeing all of her Disney friends!! She falls over from excitement when people from Make a Wish are at the medical clinic dressed as Mickey Mouse, Minnie and Donald Duck!!

Til next time, take care of yourselves.. with love, peace and a positive future..

Jaime and Emma

PS Enjoy the photos from Disney on Ice

A little emotional .. but it is the holidays..

I just read this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081206/ap_on_re_us/secret_santa

And it made me completely weepy eyed.  Ok, scratch that.  I bawled like a baby.  I think about all the kindness that has been extended to me during the tragedy that Emma suffered.  After Emma's trauma, we became homeless, I had to stop working in order to take care of her.  I nearly gave Emma up for adoption because there was no way I could take care of her.  My friend called me one day and I answered the phone in tears.  I was living in a tiny room in my grandmother's mobile home at the time.  The place was filthy, the environment was extremely abusive and I just got out of the hospital for having a mental break down.  Let me tell you, having your life completely disrupted does a lot to a person.  Having Emma be a healthy normal, 11 month old one minute and watch her fighting for her life the next because of a man who should have loved her the most.  It was all overwhelming.  

Anyways, my friend asked me what was wrong.  I told her I was going to give Emma up for adoption and I had a meeting with the adoption agency that day.  I knew I couldn't give Emma what she needed, our housing conditions were appalling, it was just a bad situation.  Well, my friend said she would call me back but not to go to the agency.  

See, this friend, she has seen a lot.  She was at my first 2 babies' funerals when they were born premature.  She saw Emma the day she was born.  She came as soon as she heard what happened to Emma.  She also helped me out when I went into surgery for my tubal ligation.  

Anyways, she called me the next day and said she and a group of her family and friends are going to help us.  I told her no.  I am too proud.  I would do what was right, blah blah blah.  

To make  a long story short, they raised nearly $10,000 so I could get a vehicle and a small apartment.  If it wasn't for them, Emma would be somewhere else.   

Here's the info on the fundraiser:  http://www.foolslife.com/2005_fwtf.htm

So, I always think of the movie "Pay it Forward".   That newspaper article is the epitome of paying it forward.  Now that I am finally back to work full time, although this year I am short, but next year I am going to pick an angel or two from the Angel trees and help out where we have been helped.  

The economy might be bad, but we all have $20 extra to spare. I know I gave a little this year, not able to do as much as I would like.  How about you???

Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness

As a mother raising a child with a Traumatic Brain Injury acquired because of Shaken Baby Syndrome with Impact, please go sign this petition:

http://www.thebrainproject.org/petition.asp and view this website about Sarah Jane.  View her on The Today Show.  Thanks a million!

Oh and yes, those photos are of Emma.  She was shaken and slammed by a caregiver when she was 11 months old.  When I have the time and in reality, the patience, I will post the complete story of with happened to her! 

The Great Southern Feast of November 2008...

Some of you may or may not be aware of my deep love of all foods that are comfort food and ethnic/cultural.  Well, anyways, my family and I had made a trip to Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles in South Phoenix.  Their moniker is "Da Best Food in Da Hood" and let me tell you, oh hell yes it is.  If you ever get the chance to be in Phoenix, head on South to Lo-lo's chicken and waffles and definitely eat the "Lo-Lo's Plate" which is 3 pieces of Southern Fried Chicken with the fabulous waffles.  I am drooling at this memory.  While we were there, we ordered Chicken gizzards with rice and gravy.. and man oh man they was delish.   Plus a huge mason jar of Red Kool Aid or Sweet Tea.  Fabulousness.  

So last night my sister and brother decided "We can make it just as good as Lo-Lo's" and damn skippy, they sure did.  Right now, I am still too full to go into details but all I have to say is.. this is the Great Southern Feast of November 2008.  Remind me, though, to tell you about the Great Apple Butter Fiasco of 2003.  

Until I finish digesting last night's dinner, enjoy the photos from our trip to Lo-Los! 

Love this...

Nuf Said.  Beautiful and it makes me so weepy. 

New Job..

Ok, so I start my new job tomorrow and I am sooo excited!!!

Things are looking so up I can't believe it!!! YAY!!!

So, anyways, I will be working with a very progressive Oncology practice. It's an amazing group and opportunity and I feel very blessed to be a part of this team.

Some of the perks: free massages once a month (sweet), monthly bonuses (whoo hoo!), free lunches and breakfasts twice a week during clinics.

What a sweet deal, huh? Besides the awesome salary, I get to work with the best in the industry.

Proud...

#1- Congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama and VP-Elect Joe Biden.

Obama's victory speech was beautiful. I was truly moved to tears and the overwhelming feeling of excitement and hope has washed over me. I googled Obama's name and the Europeans are swelling with excitement and feel that we can rebuild with them. The world is elated! Obama's speech reminded me why America is such a great country. We CAN unite as a country. I am so proud, this day, to be an American.

#2- Senator McCain. Tonight, he showed grace under disappointment. He was very eloquent and a man I believe can stand strong with President-elect Obama and alongside him can continue to bring his positive traits to the table. I would have had a hard time with my choice this year if McCain had a different running mate other than Sarah Palin, i.e. Joe Lieberman. However, I was proud of Senator McCain tonight and wish him the best of everything and hope that he can bring his expertise and know-how to President-elect Obama.

Our country will grow. We can unite. YES WE CAN!!

I went in tonight and looked in on my sleeping daughter and felt hope and I know that anything is possible in this world.

Good night friends, and I hope that you will all support this new President as he has a hard, hard road ahead of him and huge mess to clean up. He brings a new energy, a hope, and an excitement we need.

I just wanted to link to McCain's Concession speech and Obama's victory speech:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/04/raw-data-text-john-mccains-concession-speech/

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/05/raw-data-barack-obamas-victory-speech/

Vote..

Did you vote? Get out and vote!!

No Way, No How, NO MCCAIN!!!

I can respect when somebody is supporting a candidate based on policies, especially if those policies effect them directly. For myself, I can not respect McCain. I could respect him if it wasn't for his running mate. She is even seperating from HIM. How does that tell you about his leadership. Right now, realistically, we have a candidate who could easily pass on during office if he were to win. What would that leave us with? Palin. I shudder at the thought. She hides behind her son with DS (down syndrome). She has in FACT cut 62% of the funding in Alaska for schools for Special Needs Children, YET she has been trying to sucker us parents of special needs children by saying We have a friend in the White House. Fuck her. This particular blog has it down much better then I EVER will http://specialneeds08.blogspot.com/

What scares me the most is when people are stupid enough to believe that Obama has ties that they claim they can prove (morons) to terrorists. Um, you, community college chica has this info but the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc., doesn't? Please use Snopes before you claim those chain emails are fact.

Because McCain is a war hero doesn't mean he can lead a country. It doesn't. Fact of the matter is, he suffers PTSD.. which scares me. His quick temper scares me. Because Obama is young doesn't mean he CAN'T lead the country. Use your brain, not the chain emails to vote.

So please, vote, but base it on studying the policies not by believing morons who live in trailer parks and can't seem to study on policies.

Please use FACTCHECKERS!!

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/AutismSpectrumDisorders.pdf
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/Read.aspx?guid=949cd3e5-b5a8-4b29-8e4a-591bba44f33e
http://www.johnmccain.com/content/?guid=24dc9c37-e739-4aa3-8a88-ebae650a2f11
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-k-longmore/palin-talks-about-special_b_131758.html

As a parent raising a child with special needs, I can tell you right now I have seen FIRST HAND the effects of Republicans (before the Democrats took over) cutting programs for the special needs population. Medicaid for the disabled have WAIT LISTS for children with special needs. WAIT LISTS!!! Do we want our children to continue to decay under another Bush Administration. Special Needs population does need extra care NOT to be shoved in to corners, institutions, etc. which would HAPPEN!!!

So get out and ROCK THE VOTE