Emma's 1st Horseback Riding Lesson!

It was a week of "firsts" for Emma! On Friday morning she lost her FIRST TOOTH and the following morning she had her FIRST HORSEBACK RIDING LESSON! Our oldest baby is now officially a big girl! (I will post pictures of her first tooth very SOON). Greg took the following pictures with his Blackberry and emailed them to me so I ended up posting them out of sequence~but, I think that he captured some great pictures of Emma. :) Her teacher's name is Dwayne and her horse was Whiskey. She did a WONDERFUL job and we were all very proud of her...even Sophie! :) Emma will be taking lessons once a week. She loves horses and it will be good "therapy" for her as well....

"What-Not Pictures"!!!

A SLUMBER PARTY THAT LASTED 5 MINUTES...(A CALM) EMMA CATCHING A STORY WITH HER DADDY.

LOTS OF TOGETHERNESS THIS WEEK! :)

JACK WAS COLD & TIRED?

"MORNING CRAFT TIME"

SOPHIE LOVES TO DO PUZZLES....JUST LIKE EMMA!

EMMA HAS HER 1ST LOOSE TOOTH!!! :) :(

A Dirty Bird

Sometimes you see something SO FUNNY that you just HAVE to take a picture!!

Emma has a habit of dressing her stuffed animals in doll's clothing.

Last night I met Big Bird at the kitchen table & he was sporting a suede vest.He looked like he belonged in some swinging night club. :) Maybe he was trying to look suave for Grover or Oscar?!

Medical Intervention

LOOK at Emma's eyes. Look again and notice her genuine smile.

Greg and I have been talking for awhile, a LONG while about putting Emma on anxiety medication. It was not a decision that we made lightly and we changed our minds about it almost daily. After all she is very young. But, after therapy alone was not healing her heart we began t0 realize that we needed to figure out the next step. I think that having Emma's diagnosis' (Autism and RAD/PTSD) helped ease our decision. That and the fact that my dear friend started HER daughter on medication recently AND it is HELPING her. So, I took Emma to yet another specialist about a month ago and Emma began taking a low dose of Buspar. We have gradually increased her nightly dosage.

Guess what?! Emma responded IMMEDIATELY to the medicine. We noticed a difference on the first full day. So have her teachers AND her babysitter. It is a miracle. It is amazing. She is still my Emma....but, the cobwebs have been brushed away and the chains that were holding her down are gone. She is talking nonstop-real conversations. She is calm. She is affectionate. She laughs. She is more in control of her emotions. Emma is just so happy. I only wish that we had done this SOONER! :)

We call it her "Feelings Medicine". And, yes I sing a few words from that old 70's song Feelings to her while I get her dosage ready. I do. But, she still thinks that I am funny for now...so whatever works! :)

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Greg and I took the girls to Charleston, SC for Christmas this year. We had a wonderful time during our much needed family vacation! :)



On our 6:00 AM flight

We had an UNEXPECTED 4 hour delay in Chicago

Visiting Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

Emma has her arm under Sophie's neck in this picture, she said "I want to lay by my sister"

Happy Christmas Eve from Charleston

Lunch on Sullivan's Island on Christmas Eve Ft. Moultrie

We stopped by a local park so that the girls could blow off some steam. They loved running around and screaming instead of whipsering and standing still ;)

Hanging out @ The Blind Tiger w/ Mommy & Daddy

They ALWAYS sat together in this chair while watching TV in the condo
E & S loved sharing a room with a trundle bed

Walking around Dorchester (site of old town around the 1680's)...they thought that the leaves and twigs were funny

What we found when we sent them to brush their teeth