Update!

Hi Everyone,
We have been really busy with school and taking Julia to doctors' appointments so I haven't been able to update the blog. Also, I am filling in for a school counselor who is on maternity leave until mid-March.

We were able to meet with Emily (New Day graduate) and her family for dinner a couple of weeks ago. She lives in Louisiana now, but her Aunt lives in the Dallas area. Julia and Emily hadn't seen each other since July and after about ten minutes of getting re-acquainted, it was like old times. I think it was weird for them to see each other in their new setting at first.

We took Julia to her first appointment at Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas last week. She was examined, x-rayed, and then cast in a mold for a back brace. She was a trooper going through all of the manipulations for making the brace. She has kyphosis which means her back curves outward, not sideways. The doctor said hers is more pronounced than most. She hasn't had any problems yet, but he said she definitely needs to wear the brace to help the curve lessen. He didn't rule out surgery for her in the future, but wants to start conservatively. The brace is not going to be comfortable and it's going to be difficult for her to wear especially at first. Without intervention, her spinal cord could become compressed in her lower back as she grows and she could possibly lose sensation in her lower half. We will pray that the brace helps and surgery won't be needed. God works miracles all the time as we have seen at New Day foster home.

She will be having eye surgery on the 10th of February to loosen the muscles that control her eyes. Without that surgery, she would lose vision in her left eye. The pediatric opthamologist told us that she had already lost some vision, but would be able to get it back by wearing a patch on her other eye for several hours a day.

As you can see, there is a lot in store for our sweet Julia. On the lighter side, her birthday is this Tuesday and she will turn 6 years old. She is so excited because she is also star student of the week in her class! Her baptism is next Saturday and the whole parish is invited since they all helped bring her home.

I hope to update more often once the next couple of weeks pass. Thank you for checking in on us; I love to hear from all of you. Even though I haven't been able to update as much, I have been keeping up with you and your blogs. Blessings to all of you, Michelle

Julia's First Day of School

Hi Everyone, Julia started Kindergarten today and loved it! When she arrived, she looked around and asked where to sit. She was at the green table with three other students. She had met them previously when we took her to the class Christmas party. They were excited she was there so Mark and I took a picture or two then slipped out. Later in the day, her teacher e-mailed and said she was having a great day! She was so excited when she came home and was very anxious to do her homework. She had to write her numbers from 0 - 10. Her friends had drawn her pictures to put in her take-home folder and she earned two stars for behavior today. The only downside of today was that she was very tired and was in bed by 7:20pm. Thank you to Mrs. Esposito for a wonderful first day for Julia!