School with Annabelle

I never thought we would make it this far. We hired a nurse and asked her to love Annabelle when we couldn't be home. We kissed Mady's forehead and packed her backpack as she takes off for preschool / elementary school each year and the pit of my stomach has always known that I may not see those days for Annabelle. Education for Belle has remained on the back burner. Our focus is her quality of life, smiling, laughing and controlling her pain.

We blinked and look - WE'VE MADE IT ALMOST FOUR YEARS!!!

Me: Annabelle, let me hear you count.

Annabelle: 1..2..6..13..4..85..100! See mommy! I know my colors!
Me: Crap. AK, we gotta enroll this poor kid in school.

We're all changing hats in our house. Annabelle is getting the best care she's ever gotten in her life with the most knowledgeable team in the country. As parents, we are able to sit back a bit more and exhale - knowing that we do not have to be her full-time care providers, because we have a nurse - we dont have to fight with all our energy for doctors attention and help .. we can just be parents. Annabelle's outcome looks more promising than it ever has and our newest focus is paving the path for her to be as normal as possible moving forward. Our priority remains to keeping her pain managed, we will still have to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio every 4 months for surgery and the tubes and medical equipment she's hooked to will not go away. But darnit, it's time for this kiddo to fingerpaint and learn to share toys and stand in a single-file line!

Annabelle is the center of everyone's world. She's always mandated and gotten undivided attention, because let's be honest - she medically requires it almost every hour. For a while she rebelled, but now I think she loves the attention she gets. This is a problem.. one that we are struggling to balance. She DOES need our attention, but she also needs to know that she isn't our number 1, top priority. Teaching this is a double-edged sword... and it's hard!

So.
She's off to SCHOOL!

I had to find a school that is able to meet Annabelle's needs. A school that I am comfortable with their educational standards. Cleanliness. Patience in the classroom. Half day program and most importantly a place that is comfortable and accommodating to our nurse as she must be with Annabelle during school days. Oh yea, and a place we can afford.

We've found a great school and I am so excited for her to start. She is beyond thrilled to have her own backpack like sissy. She wants to go school supply shopping and keeps talking about all the friends she will make in her 'kool'.

I am ecstatic for her to take a backseat on the attention scale - for her to be forced into sharing her toys and attention and someone else to make her sit at a seat and listen. Oh, I - Cannot - Wait!

There is a lot more of the paperwork process and conversations that I need to have with the school and Annabelle's nurse, but in the meantime - I just wanted to take a few minutes to share our excitement.

We've made it almost four years. We've made it to the point we can enroll Annabelle in a school. We've made it on our journey so far that her laughter and living is in full swing and we can safely try to raise her as a normal little girl.
I cannot believe we've made it.
I cannot believe how strong this kid is.
I cannot believe all these prayers have been answered.
I cannot wait to see what the future holds.