We received this thank you note and I just had to share it. I think it captures why we do what we do and the gratitude we have for all of the people that helped us with our Adopt-a-Family program this year.

"Whatever hand you each had in Alex being selected for Secret Santa from Sunnydays is a blessing and deeply appreciated by all.  I only wish you could have been there too!!  The family was beyond shocked and thrilled when Judy marched in with her daughter during my session yesterday with boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of gift wrapped gifts for Alex and gift cards for each family member for $50 a piece to target ($300!). The siblings were literally jumping up and down. Mom cried, Judy cried, I cried, Alex cried (from everyone crying and jumping up and down around him...lol) It was the most amazing and touching experience.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Christmas may be a little thin around my house this year but my heart is full of love and gratitude after this!"

Thank you to Cooley LLP and everyone who helped make a difference this holiday season.  Onwards and upwards!


 

I LOVE this picture. It captures their relationship so perfectly. Noah is always there for Cecily and she is always so happy and peaceful when he is around her. They LOVE each other. Now that Cecily can sit-up herself they play together even more.  I don't think anything makes me happier than watching Noah and Cecily make each other laugh.

We had a magical Christmas day. Thank you Bill for asking me to turn off the Blackberry, shut down the laptop and call it a week!

After surprising Noah with an early pick-up from school we spent the day... cuddling... making a gingerbread house... eating... holiday shopping... photo shoots... a visit with Santa... dinner with Daddy... and more holiday shopping. 

We can't wait for tomorrow... more fun! Onwards and upwards!

Thank you! Cecily's Closet's first ever Adopt-A-Family Program was a huge success and we are so very excited! Smiles were big and wide today as we unloaded Santa's Sleigh for more than 30 children and their parents in San Diego! 9 months ago when we decided to form this tiny charity we had a vision. A vision to spread love and hope for a few families in San Diego. Today, we saw that vision realized and it feels amazing. Thank you to Santa, Cooley LLP. This amazing organization and its very caring employees went above and beyond to spoil some very deserving families. Words can't express our gratitude and how shocked we were when we arrived at your offices today to pick up several of the gift baskets. It took 2 vans to fit everything... and it was a squeeze! You have made such a difference for these families and we are so very grateful and blessed to have worked with you! Thank you!

Thank you to our holiday elves, Michele and Girl Scout Troop 3016, Ashley, Cindy and Chris, Kim, Cody and Nicole, Terri and friends, Mom, Dad, Anita, Sherri, Jane and team at Sunny Days, and all of our donors and supporters for helping us celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. 

In addition to the gift baskets and crib baskets, we were also able to provide the agency that supports children with special needs a pile of books, a stash of new toys, and some gently used goods that can be used once the twinkle of Christmas lights fade.  Tis the season to be jolly! Onwards and upwards!

Tis the season to be jolly... and we are! Despite an unbelievable week (2 ER visits, one procedure and a whole lot of chaos in between... we are ALL thriving!) In fact, little Cecily is doing better than ever! I am going to brag about my little ladybug because she is eating (not just tasting) her sweet potato! Sure she is spitting, blowing raspberries and making me earn each bite but she is opening her mouth, letting me put the spoon inside, and she is smiling as Noah and I coax her with her yummy sweet potato! If that is not a reason to celebrate I don't know what is! She even ate some yummy Christmas cookies, some pretzel and her favorite dining choice... ketchup!  Ho Ho Ho

And now for some Noah-isms that I just had to capture. While Cecily slept on Sunday Noah and I made holiday cookies. For those of you that know me - you know I hate to be in the kitchen for any reason at all. I am not very talented - scratch - I have zero talent in the kitchen. When Grammy asked Noah if he wanted her to make the cupcakes for his birthday party Noah paused and said, "hmm... my Mommy just buys those things."

So today I had to laugh when Noah's buddy Max came by to drop off some yummy holiday cookies.

Noah said to me, "but Mom, we already made cookies for Santa."

I said, "Yes, but now we have even more."

Noah's reply, " do you think his are burnt?"

Then we were driving to pick up some holiday presents for Cecily, while Cecily napped with Miss Kim, our wonderful, talented, caring nurse.  I explained to Noah that Christmas is about giving and it was time to pick out something special for Cecily - as Cecily had already picked out his present with Mommy on Saturday.

He was very excited and replied, "I want another baby".  This is a common theme in Noah's conversations and one I find very funny.  I explained again - that we had a lovely family and that we were pretty busy right now and that another baby would take more time and even more money.

Noah replied, "I have some money. You can have it."

And perhaps my all-time favorite was after Noah's birthday party... we admittedly hid a lot of his presents. He had already been spoiled by his Grammy, Grampy, Grandpa Bob and his Aunts and Uncles.  We decided to let him open about 4 - and put the rest away for a rainy day...

As he tore into the presents with delight, he ended up having 3 out of the 4 presents he opened. I thought for sure this would set off a full-fledge tantrum. I braced for whining, pouting and questions of how the large stack of presents had dramatically shrunk in the post-party clean-up.

Noah said, "Mom - I think we should give these to the poor children." 

At that moment I wanted to run to my bedroom and grab ALL of the presents for him. He is a good kid and sometimes in the chaos of our lives I forget what a special boy he is! This week and these Noah-isms will stick with me. Forever.

And to show that he is indeed not 100% perfect... as we were shopping for Cecily I told Noah that the book he chose would cost him $5 dollars.  He replied, "Five dollars! I'm not spending that! Let's use your money!"

We had a crazy week. We got some good news, some ok news and had a fair amount of ups and downs. But... all I remember is that Cecily ate her sweet potato, Noah said some darling things and oh yes - Cecily is sitting now unassisted! How's that for the first 12 days of December! Onwards and upwards!


 

 

This is a very cool opportunity for low income families. In order to qualify you must meet the family income guidelines.  Application deadline is December 31, 2010
 
Link for application:    http://www.hollyrod.org/#/holiday-2010/4545650338
 
What are the eligibility requirements??
 
1. The individual you are applying for must have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum (as identified in diagnosis report).
2. Reside in the United States of America .
3. Be non-verbal or minimally verbal (as identified in speech pathology report).
4. Be in financial need: Gross income not to exceed $35,000 single income family or $50,000 two-income family (as identified by documentation).
5. Have access to a computer and an iTunes account (some programs must be downloaded on a computer and transferred to the iPad due to size).
6. A professional on your team (i.e., speech pathologist, doctor, teacher) must be willing to take responsibility of the gift card that downloads the applications.
 
For more information please visit the foundation's website: www.hollyrod.org

This is Cecily at 3am... happy as a little bug on the rug looking cute as pie if I do say so myself! We had to sleep deprive our little angel for her EEG on Monday and we're anxiously awaiting the results. This was quite a week for our family.  Cecily had a surgery on the first, then we had Noah's birthday party with his friends, and then a surprise trip to the ER to replace Cecily's j-tube, again.  That's three tube changes in just under two months... I have been scratching my head and wondering what we're doing wrong. I know guilt is a useless emotion but I feel that clearly we (or I) must be doing something wrong.  I just pray and hope that this tube stays in place. I don't want another morning like this past Sunday.

But alas... we could dwell on the chaos of the last few days but then we'd miss the most amazing moment of my life as a Mom to Cecily. We are still teaching her sign language. She honestly seems to love it and some days she sits infront of the computer like a proper little student, and other days she gets distracted but still smiles and bounces to the music. This week she added more words to her growing vocabulary and she signed "I love You" Mama several times. She does the love with one hand intead of two... but sometimes she draws out the sound llllluuuvvv with it and I am positive that is what she is saying.  I always sign "I Love you" and I am quite manic as I sing or shout it while dancing around to get her attention. She has an equal enthusiasm and I don't think words can express how excited I was when she told me in her own way that she loves me! I picked her up and squeezed her as her little hand continued to beat against her tiny chest.  Magic!  Onwards and upwards!

Cecily's Closet completed our sixth room makeover!  We had a blast with this room and we are very grateful to Jon Ray of PaintGreen and Emily Dolton of Inside Emily Dolton's Head for their tremendous help in making Henry's room a magical place.  Learn more about Henry and how his spirit encourages his Mom, his teacher and others to be their very best.   We love this room and we hope you do too!  Onwards and upwards!