Uh-oh

Last night I was downstairs with Whitney setting up a show for her to watch for a few minutes. I must have hit the wrong button on the remote or something because the whole TV screen filled with snow. I looked at Whitney and said, "Uh-Oh!"

Whitney smiled and said, "Uh-Oh," right back at me. She said it confidently and perfectly and I couldn't help but smile.

Over six years ago when Melanie and I were still adjusting to Whitney's diagnosis and care schedule, we met with the folks in the local Early Intervention program to set Whit's first group of goals. Melanie and I considered different physical and speech goals. We were so new and had been told such limiting things by the doctors. I was trying to think of words that maybe in a year or so Whitney could learn to say. I've always thought it's funny when a toddler drops something and says, "Uh-Oh." And I thought it would be fun to have Whitney learn this as one of her first words. So I think Whitney's first Individual Education Plan actually had "learn the word uh-oh" listed. The therapist probably put it down just to humor me as a newbie special needs parent. As we learned more about 1p36 Deletion Syndrome and all it would mean to Whitney and her progress, other goals became much more important. But I never really forgot about that one first goal.

So as Whitney and I said uh-oh back and forth to each other last night I reflected on how much we've all learned and how far we've come. Whitney now expresses herself very effectively using ASL, which is something I hadn't even begun to consider back then. She walks all by herself even though the doctors told us she never would. She goes to school, plays with her friends, loves to read books (with me reading of course). She even paints! She's come so far and done so much.

And last night she told me "uh-oh." How far we've come, kiddo. How far we've truly come.

School Lunch

The number one concern on my mind when Whit started first grade this fall was if she'd eat well at school and thus survive the day without starving. Melanie and I both felt the best way to ensure that Whitney ate well was to start packing lunches full of familiar foods Whitney enjoys at home.

Silly Mom and Dad. I don't know why I thought that would work. Before we knew it, Whitney's lunches were coming home virtually untouched. She would arrive in the afternoons totally starving and nothing we did seemed to help. Our frustration and concern kept getting worse.

Then one day we got a note home from Whit's teacher that Whitney wouldn't eat her lunch again, but she got up from the table and walked to another student's school lunch and stole a tater tot to eat. Huh, well, that certainly was a surprise.

So the next day Melanie and I sent a couple dollars with Whitney to buy school lunch instead of sending a brown bag lunch from home. The results were amazing! Her teacher reported that Whitney was so excited to stand in the lunch line with the other kids. She got her own tray of sweet and sour chicken with rice which is a pretty challenging and unfamiliar food for Whit. She ate some of the chicken and all of the rice! That's way more eating than her usual couple of nibbles from her favorite sandwich and chips.

So Melanie and I don't have to pack a lunch in the mornings anymore, and Whitney eats better than ever by going through the lunch line. Some days will go better than ever, but what a relief to find the secret to making her eat at school.

Raising Whitney has filled our life with the unexpected. Just when we think we know what's best for her, she goes and does what she wants and it turns out even better.

About the picture: Whitney's 2010 school photo