"Maybe she grew up!"

Our little Emily is just thriving and conquering new things everyday. It's amazing to me sometimes as I watch her learn how to do things the fight she has in her. I always believed she was a fighter from the beginning as she struggled just to live when she was born. So this morning like many mornings, I watched as she tried desperately to put on her "daily" shoe. (She loves to put a shoe on everyday and walk around the house. But only just one shoe. Even my brother as he was here a few weeks ago, made the comment, "Does she always walk around with just one shoe?") So this morning I watched as she picked out the shoe of the day, which was a black Sunday dress shoe. She tried and tried to put this shoe on without success. After several attempts she would get upset and throw herself on the floor in frustration. Of course as a mother, you want to help your child, so I would call to her telling her to come here and mommy will help. She would get up from the floor, look in my direction and continue on with trying to get the shoe on by herself. Again, after several more attempts and failures she would get upset and throw herself on the floor in frustration. I tried getting her to come over to me but it was as if she was taking a time out, as she would lay there in silence staring at the shoe in her hand. I waited to see what she would do next. After a minute or so, she got up from the floor and at that point I am thinking, "Ok, finally she will come over to me to get help." But no, she went right on to try again. After what seemed like 10 tries, she finally figured it out and slid her foot in the shoe and buckled it with success!!! 

Here she is a few weeks ago, with her red shoe on.

And her white shoe.

Now I know this is a simple thing to many, and to many of you, your kids probably do this all the time at this age that Emily is. In fact, I remember watching my older girls learning how to do this at about this same age as well. But the determination that Emily has just amazes me, especially when I think back on this tiny little spirit and body struggling to survive in the NICU at 1 pound 4 ounces. Having gone through several blood transfusions, heart surgery, getting poked with needles all day for months, being on a ventilator, C pap and oxygen, having multiple tubes down her throat, learning how to suck and drink milk, (which we were told she wouldn't learn how to do and so she would have to have a feeding tube inserted in her stomach), having eye exams with her eyes being clamped open weekly and being told she could be partially blind, finding out she had a grade 2 brain hemorrhage and the effects it could have on her and her future and many more heart wrenching things she had to go through to survive.

Then seeing her today. Blossoming, thriving and learning new things daily...she amazes me. She is our little miracle. And this example of her wanting to put this shoe on all by herself and trying again and again till she succeeded, for me, was just pure joy to watch. I love being "in the moment" with my kids. I have really tried to focus on "being there"with them, living in the moment. I just can't hold them close enough, or long enough and I find myself truly grateful for the moments I have with them. I hate that they are growing so fast. My heart is full of gratitude as I hold my kids and play with them watching them learn new things. I am so grateful to my Savior for his sacrifices for me and the many blessings I have been given because of Him. For we have been so blessed!

Here is Emily playing on a slide at McDonalds. I think she went up and down this thing at least 100 times!! 

Uh oh! Guess who learned how to climb all the way to the top of the bunk bed...Emily!

 I asked, "How did she get up there?"

Avery replied, "Maybe she grew up!"

Please just don't grow up too fast girls...promise!?