Our Little Angel

2nd Day of School

Today appeared to be a better morning for Annabel. Now that she is on an antibiotic, I believe that she is feeling better. Tara dropped her off this morning curious to see how Annabel reacts to us leaving her again. When Tara was unloading her from the car, her teacher walked up and Annabel gave her a huge smile..... relief for us!! At that point I knew that I was making the right decision. I am anxious now to get through the day to find out what her reaction will be after school. I spoke with the bus company and was able to arrange for the bus to start transporting her this afternoon. 3:15 rolls around and it is time for Annabel to be loading the bus. I was told that she would probably be one of the first to be dropped off so I estimated her arrival around 3:30-3:45. At 4:00, I started to get nervous because the bus had not arrived. At this point Tara is pacing the house and looking out the front door waiting to see Annabel. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer so I called the school and they informed me that they were running late due to a lack of wheelchair ramp on the first bus. At this time I hear a horn honk in the front driveway and my adrenaline starts to rush nervous of how Annabel will react.... She was soo happy when we saw her on the bus and the lady said that she was just singing away the whole way home as if she knew what was going on. It was incredible... a complete 360 from the day before!!! She is just as happy as can be and is smiling for everyone. God has truly blessed my family with this precious angel.

March 18,2008: Annabel's 1st Day of School

I can't believe that she has lived long enough to start school. Today is a day that I have looked forward to for awhile now. It is an incredible opportunity for her to interact with other children as well as be surrounded by people that aren't her family. My daughter, Tara, is having a difficult time letting her go to school, but, once Annabel gets used to the routine, I think everyone will feel more comfortable about it. I could not get everything setup for her to ride the bus so Tara and I dropped her off this morning. It was nice to have some free time during the day to get all my errands done, but I had mixed feelings about how she was adapting. Finally 3:15 came around and I got to pick up the little angel and find out how her day went. Once her eyes made contact with me she started wailing.... her heart was broken as if she thought she would never see me again. Tara came over a little while later and Annabel was all smiles and laughs for her. To think that doctors and statistics show that children with Trisomy 18 have problems mentally... this little girl is a lot smarter than we think! Her gastro doctor called today and has setup an appointment to have a Gpeg put in her next week... he is uncertain if it is just the Gpeg or if he will have to perform a fundoplication instead. At least we are moving in a positive direction to help her with feeding and emptying.