Wednesday, January 11, 2012

How is Cicily doing?

I'm never quite sure how to answer this question.  I'm never sure if people want the depressing truth, or if they're just politely making conversation but don't want to be burdened with the truth.  I am always glad people ask, especially when I feel like they really want to know.  Cis was really sick in Oct/Nov.  I was really hoping she'd make it to one more Christmas and to her wish trip.  What a bummer to miss out on your own wish!  She had a series of 3 viruses over a month and her body was just exhausted.  Not to mention the typical pneumonia that follows any virus.  So we had some days of just sleeping, snuggling and reading books.  After multiple antibiotics, steroids, oxygen, etc. at home, Cis bounced back and was able to enjoy some lovely holidays.  It made us realize that her body is getting tired though.  It doesn't recover as well as it used to.
She is also less steady.  I realized the past month while laying by her as she fell asleep that her little body never stops moving unless she's sleeping.  That's a good daily workout!  Her crawling is almost non-existant now, it just doesn't work for her anymore.  She actually is having a hard time balancing enough to sit up too- she'll fall fairly frequently.  She manages to sit up in the bath tub on a good day to play with Sophie, and can do well with my hand on her arm the whole time.
I've actually noticed she doesn't say "yeah" as much anymore.  She still makes the effort but a lot of times it seems like she just can't push the air out strong enough.  She does still have her amazing smile though that lets us know when she's in favor of something!  And, there's her great frown to let us know we've guessed wrong while working out what she wants. 
The thing that makes me the most sad is she actually finally seems to get frustrated now.  She's not quite as easy-going and happy.  Maybe she's just a 5 year old?  Maybe she's tired of not being able to do things she could do when she was 2? 
She still loves watching Dora with Sophie and watching Maya and Sophie be silly just to make her laugh.  She still loves feeding her chickens.  She still loves going to school and fully participating in whatever her amazing teacher Miss Marli has planned.  She still loves playing Barbies, Dora, kitchen, or whatever other fun thing her nurse Michelle plays with her.  She still loves building forts, doing flips, or sleigh-riding with Dad.  And, she still loves reading endless books, singing and talking with Mommy. 

5 comments:

Grubbs Familly said...

I'm so excited about your trip! It's going to be wonderful! You are my hero! I love you and Cis (and Maya and Sophie and Chris) and can't wait to hear about everything!

mashby said...

Wow, not sure how I missed all these updates - I am usually a pro at blog stalking!!! Can't believe the trip is coming up so soon. My Dad told me how Cis wanted to call Grandma and tell her how small the chain was - adorable!!! Looking forward to the party....even with the location change. See ya soon! Love you guys! :)

Camille Hammond said...

I remember with Emily-it was tough because when she started doing something new I just thought she'd continue and add new things to it. I didn't expect those things to go away when I already felt like she had to fight so hard for anything she could do. I'm so glad she's still smiling her amazing smile! If you ever want to talk let me know-I also know that talking about it can just make your heart hurt; it still does mine!

Whitney said...

Thank you so much for the update. Being away from you guys makes it hard to see what's going on for myself, so I enjoy ready the truth and hearing about our beautiful Cicily. Please don't forget to take lots of pictures at Cis' send off party and in Florida. Post them on here so I can enjoy the good times too :)

BTW I love the dresses Cis and Maya are wearing in the nutcracker post.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for being so forthright, Janalyn. We always see a joyful little girl who is wrapped in the love of her family. We can only imagine the heartache of watching her "wane". She is a beautiful, beloved little girl who is blessed with the best family on earth. We love you all!
Lothaire & Connie