Time to Dance

Monday was Sophia's first day of dance lessons. I know this is not that big of a deal...most little girls take dance lessons at one time or another, but it was a really big deal to me. You see, when I gave birth to my two beautiful twin daughters, I envisioned two little girls in tutus...two dancers. The thought of leaving Grace behind crushed me.

At first, I searched and searched for a dance class that would include Grace. Whether she would be helped by me or someone else, I wanted her to be included. We spend so much time, energy and money on Grace's therapies, it just seemed to make sense that she would be included in this. I didn't want her to be left out of the "fun stuff".

I have finally come to the realization that although Grace and Sophia look identical, and not considering the fact the Grace has cerebral palsy, they are not identical. They are two separate individuals with two separate journeys...and no one should be left behind. So...Sophia loves to dance and she is now in a dance class. It is our afternoon...time that just Sophia and I get to be together, just the two of us. I love this time...and I love my girls.

Grace has of course, been saying "Mommy I want to go to dance lessons" and I tell her "Grace there will be time for that later"...and there will be. I plan on starting her in the Fall.

Time and Attention

Today was beautiful. We played outside with some neighborhood friends. We live on such a great street. There are some wonderful families and it is always so much fun. We rode bicycles and tricycles, wrote with chalk on the sidewalk, played hide-and-go-seek and just hung out with our friends. When it was finally time to go in, we gathered, bikes, chalk, blankets and left-over snacks and went inside to prepare for dinner. I placed Grace on the front steps as I was getting everything inside. She sat there quietly waiting to be walked inside but I noticed after a few minutes how she was trying to inch herself over so she could pull the leaves on the hedges that poked through the railing on the steps. I watched as she leaned as far as she could, catching herself if she started to fall. Mack and Sophie helped gather our items and talked about dinner as we made plans. I wondered if she felt left out. Did she feel sad that we were all running about and she was left alone on the steps? Did she mind this or was her only focus on how many leaves she could grab. Should I do things differently? Should I have helped her picked up the toys/cups/bicycle helmets and then help her walk inside and place them in there respective places? Should I slow down and payed more attention? There seems to never be enough time or attention....

Wordless Wednesday

Lil' Mack Freestylin"

Grace got a cool keyboard for Christmas (thanks Jerry and Neville..it's hit) with a mic. Mack is quite the rapper. Listen to the words...there is a good message.

Wordless Wednesday

Bad Dreams

Last night, around 11:00, Grace woke up crying and screaming. It's pretty normal for her to wake up a few times each night but this sounded different. I went in and picked her up, trying to console her. She was crying and would not open her eyes or respond to my questions. It seemed that she was having a bad dream and couldn't wake up. I took her in my room and held her until she calmed...she never opened her eyes. Was it a bad dream? What was it about? Does she dream the same as my other two children? When she dreams, do her nightmares include her physical limitations and her inability to move the way she wants? Will this become a part of her nightmares as she gets older? I know it is part of mine....