July is here!

The month of July is here! We have used our pool about 3 times, the air conditioner has not been on in the house, the skies are overcast and I am the whitest I have ever have been this time of year. All in all we don't complain too much because we have managed to have 3 successful end of the school year parties without rain and Kourtney has remained very comfortable in this weather with her hands all bandaged up.

The 4 of us went into Vancouver for Canada Day. We stayed at a luxurious downtown hotel, went to the Canada Day Parade and then watched the fireworks. We once again were faced with the challenge of maneuvering Kourtney and her wheelchair through the crowds of people. We sought refuge in our favourite stores, Lush and Lululemon and enjoyed seeing what they had to offer. At one point in the hotel we all crashed on our respective beds and rested. I don't think we realize how our family goes into autopilot to organize surgeries, have parties, maintain the house and yard so when we crash, we crash.

The next day we went to Children's Hospital for Kourtney's thumbs reveal. Dr Courtemanche was his chipper self and talked Kourtney through the first bandage change. Her first thumb was stuck to the bandages, raw and sore. Her other thumb and wrist was completely healed and almost ready for use next week. She did very well. She stuck her head into my shoulder so she couldn't see what was happening. To the untrained eye her little thumbs were a bit of a sorry sight. Shaelyn was a little weak-kneed by the sight and put off by the stench of the 10 day old bandages coming off. We actually thought she was in the waiting room but she did sneak into the room and decided to watch. (That kid has seen so much I am wondering what is in store for her life?) But to the rest of us, seeing Kourtney's thumbs were a monumental sign of Independence for Kourtney. We did not take pictures as they were covered back up very quickly.

We got home at noon and once again all of crashed on our bed at home. We ended up going for a long walk. Kourtney even walked for quite a while on her own while the rest of us took turns driving her wheelchair. We took Lexi off her leash through one of Abbotsford's many wooded trails and she did not hesitate running through the streams and through the moss. Our cute little pet is a hiking dog which made Todd happy.

Once again I am almost astonished how far Kourtney has come since last summer. She wouldn't even walk down the street without fighting us and now her goal is to do a 2.5 km walk in the fall. The more she walks during the day, the straighter she becomes. It has been a long haul, caused a lot of tears but through the struggles endurance has been built into our character. We as a family have learned what it means to rise above the challenges. We need to crash when we need to so that the autopilot can be refreshed when it needs to be used.

I am turning 40 next week, nope I didn't run my half marathon but I think my last year has been a full marathon, and I believe I crossed the finish line when I saw Kourtney's thumbs. There have been many reasons to stop but I believed all the way through that God has a lot more planned for Kourtney's life then we know. I knew that by running this marathon it would be hard on my body and soul, but I knew in the end that fighting the fight would bring my Kourtney back from a sick little girl to a strong and happy child.

I also have started my blog but just need some time to tweak it. Hopefully at camp I will be able to find some time to work on it.