Below is the email letter that I sent out to family and friends... I wanted to post it here too, just in case I missed anyone unintentionally.
Much love,
Alicia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been one year today since we learned that an MRI of Sophia's
brain was "abnormal". Less
than a week later, she was given thelikely diagnosis of cerebral palsy with
right hemiplegia. The past year has been
a whirlwind-- in so many ways-- but especially emotionally. Initial fear and devastation gave way to
acceptance and a true sense of belief in God's plan for our little girl and for
our family. Perhaps most importantly, we
held on to JOY. How could we not with
our beautiful, loving little girls?! I
have never lost sight of my greatest blessings.
Sidling up to joy is PRIDE. Pride
in Isabelle because she sees only her sister and what she can do. Pride in Sophia because she knows no
bounds. Pride that swells in my heart
each and everyday becausethey are mine and because she is defying the
odds. One year ago, we did not know if
Sophia's diagnosis was degenerative. We
did not know if she wouldever do what comes so easily to so many... roll, sit,
crawl, walk, talk. We did not know how
impacted her cognitive skills would be.
And one year later, she continues to amaze us... with her ready smile,
her infectious laugh, her sassy personality, her drive to get what she wants,
and all of the milestones-- big and small-- that she has worked so hard to achieve. She can now roll over, she can sit up, she
can get herself around by scooting, she can sign almost 30 signs to help her
communicate, she has learned how to get into sitting and kneeling
independently, she is attempting to crawl, she can stand with support, she can
take steps with assistance from an adult or her walker. While there is still so much that we don't
know, wedo know that we are all moving forward and Sophie is rockin' it! She is simply amazing! She is our warrior! She is smart, she is loving, and she is
happy!
Finally, I want to share a quote (one of many I wrote down for future reference-- a bit of self-help and therapy if you will :) It is taken from a book that I highly, highly recommend to any and all of you--Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected by Kelle Hampton.
"The thing is, we don't really know what the future looks
like. And that thought takes my breath
away just as much as it calms me into a place where I am forced to enjoy this
very moment."
How very true that is for all of
us... I am so grateful that I get to live this life and enjoy all of these
moments.
Love,
Alicia
