January Birthday Fun

For most people, the month after all the fun excitement of the holidays is a little depressing with cold dark days and not a lot to look forward to. Fortunately for our family, January, although bitterly cold and dark, was also filled with plenty of excitement. Brittany was planning her 8th birthday party even before all the Christmas decorations were put away. After much pleading and persuasion she convinced us to let her invite 10 girls for a sleepover. We were certain that a few wouldn't be able to come, but learned you can't count on that! It turned out to be a lot of fun and we were pleasantly surprised at how well behaved they all were. Ben only had to come in our room a few times to say, "That's it. I can't take it anymore! Those girls are being way too loud." I wanted to remind him that last year, half as many boys at his party were twice as loud as the girls were being.

We had just enough time to recover from that party to start the next celebration. Barr's parents flew in again from Denver the night before Brittany's actual birthday. They were able to help bring in the birthday treats for both Brittany's and Brigham's classes. It was an extra special time for Brigham because he had been the star student all week, so on that Friday his family is able to come in to his class. We decided to read a poem to tell him what a special person he is and how much he means to our family. Each person had a turn, including his Grandma and Grandpa Hill. It was a nice surprise for Brigham. Barr then "took us all out to lunch" at the school cafeteria. What a treat that was!

That evening Laurel (my sister) and her family drove down from Michigan and the next morning were joined by Marcia (another sister), her family, my parents, and the Fields (our previous neighbors from Indiana). We were very appreciative that so many people made the effort to come support Brittany on her baptism day, which was also Brigham's 6th birthday. We had to keep reassuring Brigham that yes, we loved him just as much as Brittany since he often felt like she was getting all the attention. It was so much fun to have a house full of people we love and Brigham decided maybe he didn't mind sharing his special day since there were so many cousins and friends to play with. Brittany will have wonderful memories of her baptism and confirmation, as will all of us. Along with the fun memories of Brigham's birthday party which we had afterwards.

The party spirit has definitely left us since for the last week we have been home with the flu/bronchitis. Fortunately the schools were closed on Monday and Tuesday because of sub zero temperatures and have had 2-hour delays Wednesday and today. It's amazing how much tylenol and tissues 4 kids can go through in a week! It's also amazing how starved a mother can get for adult conversation. I was looking forward to a book discussion group at our home, but with the bad weather, only 2 ladies showed up. But that's alright because now I am looking forward to a girl-friend trip to Chicago next week, praying that the snow and flu will stay away!

I received an email from a lady in Northern Ireland whose 13-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with chromosome deletion 9q34.3. That was exciting for us since she is the only contact we have that it the same as Brooke. Reading her life history for her first 13 years made me both sad and grateful. We are so fortunate that Brooke is healthy and such a pleasant, loving little girl, but also realize how uncertain her future is. She is definitely making some big progress with her mobility and her communication. She is now showing she has a preference for things--not quite the terrible 2's, but it's a start! Her favorite thing is "Signing Time" videos where she sees other kids communicating through signs. She is now signing all the time, even if it's just the same 5 or 6 ones over and over again. She tells everyone she sees "nose, baby, cracker, apple, sleepy and snowman" usually in that order. She is also really enjoying a music therapy class that I take her to once a week. I can tell she really wants to sing (especially "Once there was a snowman") and wish I could help her vocalize what's going on in her mind.

We hope you are all having a great beginning to 2007, wherever you may be located. Until we see you or read from you again (or at least until the next blog posting)...

Barr, Becky, Ben, Brittany, Brigham, and Brooke















Brittany's birthday party with friends

Brittany's baptism















Brigham's birthday celebration at his kindergarten class















Brooke getting out in the freshly fallen snow
















Brooke with one of her therapists, Nancy