First Sentence -

Per the speech therapist's instructions, I don't lift Seraph out of her crib until she says "up" or at least points up.  More often than not, she needs prompting.  Today I was a bit late getting her up.  As soon as I came into sight, she yelled, "UP!!!" Then when I got to the crib she surprised me with her first full sentence: "I need you lift help me to up."

Then when we got downstairs she said, "I need you to help me Dora." Wow. I found the kids' Dora Movie and got her a Dora shirt for good measure.  She's playing along with the Dora Movie and giggling.  Yay!

Footprints

We've been really sick this past week.  Feeling better today.  We rode bikes to the school to check on the class lists. Then Seraph ran over to see the sprinklers.  Bear and Finch were sopping wet in seconds, but Seraph stuck to the outskirts of the water.  Still, she was very brave.

Surgery Date Set for Seraph's Next Open Heart Surgery: August 30th

Angel & Seraph 11 days old
(minutes before Seraph's first open heart surgery)

Beautiful Rabbit (8yrs) holding Seraph & Angel 
the day we brought Seraph home from the 
hospital the first time (1 month old)

Angel & Seraph the night before Seraph's second
open heart surgery (4 months old)

Delightful Finch, Seraph, & Angel 2 months *before*
Seraph's third open heart surgery (3 years old)

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 Seraph's (Fontan) open heart surgery is scheduled for August 30th. We're planning on requesting a day of prayer and fasting for her to be held on the first Sunday in August. More details on that and the surgery later.

This should be her last surgery for 15+ years if all goes well.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

Oh Dear...

• Dear health insurance: Why d'ya have to be so complicated?....just because you'll eventually pay the bills doesn't mean I don't hate you.
• Dear Seraph's Impending Surgeries: there's a thin line between preparing fully and worrying oneself into depression
• Dear Seraph's Heart: Please let go of the creativity and try it the cardiologist's way. kk thx.
• Dear Sexy Haqon: YES!
• Dear Mom: I love you
• Dear Safire: take good care of our Flower :) and send her home happy
• Dear iPad: Sorry your screen is so dirty.  The kids love you
• Dear Bed: I miss you!
• Dear God: Thanks!
• Dear Ani: *hugs*
• Dear Rabbit: you are NOT a teenager.  No need to practice early.
• Dear Grandma V: you still trying to pull my hair??
• Dear html: the H stands for 'headache", right?
• Dear SITS: I wanna play...but the time keeps slipping by...
• Dear "the Glades": thanks for being around when Castle wasn't
• Dear "Psych": you're late!
• Dear headache: please stop coming back
• Dear Food: ok so on video games...I just have to have food in my pouch and then I don't go hungry.  Could we try it like that? so...if there's food in my kitchen that's the same as eating, thx.
• Dear John Sandford and Stephen Moffat: More, please.  (no...like right now!!)
• Dear Internet: they're updating our router so you'll be faster.  <3.  Don't ever stop!
• Dear my-kids'-Cousins: come on over!
• Dear Heart-illustration-I-can't-figure-out-how-to-draw: um...what???
• Dear my-neice's-chemistry: I just don't get you.
• Dear books-that-make-me-cry: I don't care if you're good.  Get lost.
• Dear Moms-that-were-inpatient-w/-me: I can't believe it's been 3 years...
• Dear fellow-heart-moms: I'm sorry
• Dear siblings: come visit!
• Dear money: ....why are you always just smaller than my eyes..
• Dear Kelly and Pippa: Why do people sip wine while they're making dinner?
• Dear Angel: sorry I lost your binky. (I found it again, but DAD says you don't need it.)
• Dear Tylenol: Can we work out some sort autoship/payment plan?
• Dear Bathroom: Clean thyself more regularly.
• Dear Family: thinking about having a naked day once a week so we can cut back on laundry.  Any prefs on which day I pick:
• Dear MsBabyPlan: what's up, girL?? You in Canada now? Miss your cute posts...hope you're knocked up.
• Dear kitchen floor: I *just* swept you...what are all these crumbs....
• Dear Me: *ahem* ...aren't you supposed to be doing something productive right now?...

There must be something going on up there....

I asked my SIL, Safire, to do this with me...and I just noticed she's already posted it.  So, I'm gonna sneak it in. The deal is you just sit down and write for 5 minutes and then you're done - no editing or planning things out.  So, forgive me if it comes out a huge mess.  and here we go!

Cousin H is leaving tomorrow.  She's flying back to visit Safire and her cute family.  We'll miss Cousin H.  She's been coming over more and more.  She takes Beautiful Rabbit swimming.  Seraph LOVES playing with her keys --carries them around the house jangling them like they're some priceless treasure. Strong Bear was brought to tears one time when Cousin H left before he had a chance to say goodbye (he was upstairs and supposed to be in bed asleep.)We haven't seen Cousin C for a while.I guess my thoughts inevitably turn towards August and Seraph's looming surgeries. I give her extra kisses every day.  She's so warm.  So happy. So alive.  Really, really full of life.  Tonight Sexy Haqon threw a rubber ducky over and over and she'd fetch it like a puppy dog.  She'd bring it back in her mouth and clink to it tightly with her teeth as Haqon tried to break it free.  She thought it was the funniest game ever.Yesterday the funniest game ever was me spinning a frisbie on its side (like a quarter).  Fascinating!We took Seraph swimming a few days ago and she loved it!I've been practicing comforting her.  She sings the ABC's while she's crying to self comfort.Time passes so quickly!

Have you done your 20 minutes of reading yet?

 My girlie was bit by the reading faerie at a very young age...

It's not so much have you done your reading....

as hey, turn off your light you're supposed to be in bed SLEEPING!

Her backpack is crazy heavy because of all the library books and personal books she hauls around just in case she has spare time to read.  Now if I could just get her to remember to get her reading minutes signed each night....ya know, so she gets credit for all this reading.