Bounced Back and Singing On TV

Kennedy's surgery to close her button/stoma went very well. She was sore for a few days after (to be expected) but is doing great. Today was our city's annual "Empty Stocking Fund" - an all day televised type of fundraiser where local children/choirs go on and sing and people call in with pledges to provide holiday gifts for less fortunate families. It's now in its 71st year I believe. She had some tears prior to going on stage because Mommy forgot her lip gloss (bad mother, bad mother...). She did come around and sang well with her choir, though. Here is a photo taken after the performance:

Surgery Monday

Well, we are off to Liverpool to visit with Jeanie & MacKenzie for the weekend and then to the IWK on Monday for Kennedy's big surgery - G-Tube CLOSURE!!! I'm so excited for her; she's been counting down the days "only 3 days left with my button, mama!" It's so cute. So wish us luck and to all our American readers, hope you have a great Thanksgiving next week!

Cookie Monster

Today is a VERY exciting day in our house. Ms. Kennedy ate a cookie for the first time in her LIFE. Not only did she eat "one," she proceeded to then eat two more of these large, molasses, jam-in-the-middle-on-top type of cookies. I am so incredibly proud of how far she's come, I could just cry. It's amazing how a cookie can make someone THIS happy.

This is her first cookie after school today - it took her almost 55 minutes to chew, swallow and finish the whole thing.



This is her third cookie, tonight after Girl Guides, this one she finished in less than 20 minutes - quite an improvement!

Who knows what will be next on this adventure - peanut butter sandwiches? cream-filled donuts? chocolate cake? The possibilities are endless. This is all so exciting and comes one day after I get the call from the children's hospital that she has an O.R. date of November 19th to have her gastrostomy closed.

These little things are just so amazingly huge. It really is all about perspective.