Double Whammie for Kaitlyn

Wow, today by little girl is off to school...her last year in elementary school...yep...she's a SIXTH GRADER!!!! As if that isn't reason enough to have a panic attack she is also turning 11 on Friday. It seems like just yesterday she was off to kindergarten saying things such as , "should she really being teaching kindergarten, how smart is she anyway". She was pitting boy against boy in physical fights on the playground to see just who got to be engaged to her. She was eating scrambled eggs and syrup made daily by my BFF Ann (that makes me sound young and hip, not like I'm trying too hard to be cool..right?)

It's hard to express how grateful I am for this little spitfire of a young lady. She had a rough start in life and has battled her share of health issues but she doesn't let it stop her. From threatening the nurses at the children's hospital with their life if they poked her one more time, to demanding they get some new toys to entertain her since she's been in the hospital for too long, she is full of spunk. I think I've had more sleepless nights caring for this sweet child than I have all the others put together and yet I wouldn't trade any of it. I love her determination, her ingenuity, her ability to tear up on command to get what she wants from daddy (ok, maybe I'm just jealous of that one), and her generosity. So today I will stand on the corner and watch her embark on another adventure(in sixth grade your mommy doesn't walk you in anymore) and remember my sweet little girl whose spirit is captured in these photos.

this disappeared yesterday

I put this up yesterday and it was just gone. I found it on a different blog later. Weird stuff. This is always a fun day because it is Kaitlyn's birthday (big 9). She has been 13 in my mind for a long line so I guess it is good that her physical age is getting closer to her mental age. We knew she was extra special when she was born, especially since she had a gill. She was born on her Uncle Shad'O's birthday making her even more amazing.(HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAD'O). We are heading for the zoo. Since she doesn't like cake or frosting we are having banana bread in the shape of Winnie the Pooh.

Primary Children's

Kaitlyn had her appointment at Primary Children's yesterday just a day after her visit to her endocrinologist went less then perfect. She needed to have an ultrasound done to take a better look at her thyroid that was vastly different than it was six months ago and to assess if it was necessary to radiate or kill it. I was surprised that they got us in within 24 hours and that the radiologist actually met us in the exam room to go over results. "The good news" he said, "is that there isn't a tumor". What, was that a concern this time?! I guess the Dr didn't want me to have a sleepless night and left it as a "precautionary study". He said she is perfectly normal for someone with a diseased thyroid. I guess that should be comforting but the word "diseased" is always a bit unsettling. They ran some blood tests that will determine if they need to remove it, destroy it or wait and watch a bit longer. They would prefer to keep it working as is but since her weight isn't improving and her hair is still thinning they may need to be a bit more proactive. She feels great, looks great and will probably end up plugging along just fine. We went to lunch afterward(her favorite, Olive Garden) and she got a new outfit for her birthday next week. It is kind of hard to find pants that fit that child with her long legs and lack of butt.