And just a few days to go....

Wow, we are at the 6 month anniversary of having Maya. (Jan. 13 was the day!!) I can't believe it. Somehow it seems a lifetime ago that we got her, yet I know during the waiting it seemed a lifetime that we were waiting. And now here she is...settling into family.... Learning new words each day, testing in different ways each day, giggling, smiles, security, coming to me for comfort to give her loves and kisses when she is hurt, etc. It is an amazing journey. Half the time she has been home she has been in a cast and at 1:30 on Wednesday the cast is coming off!! Praise God, we are so excited. Rich and I are still baffled that her foot that was slightly turned in was considered a special need, yet rejoice that it was as we were able to bring her home so quickly from the time of referral to picking her up. What will she do on Wednesday when her cast is off and we leave Children's Hospital without a new one on? Each time we have gone to Children's a new cast has gone on. We talk about it each day and do the countdown, but does she get it? I will have the camera and video camera to document it at the sheer joy of her having that freedom. One of the things I am most excited about is her being able to come home and take a bath. Not for the convenience of not having to give her a 'spit' bath on the counter, but the complete joy she has in baths. She loves them. The picture here of her is her in the bath the night before surgery in November. We went down the 16th and had a pre-op appt. and the doctor let her come home for the night without the cast as surgery was at 6 a.m. and there was no need to recast since surgery was in the morning. Nothing put pure joy for Maya to be in a bath. It shows that it is the little things that matter. She has been a trooper during this whole time of having the cast and I am so happy for her to be free from it and run, hop, skip, climb and jump without the cast!!