So here we are, four years from the beginning of our journey with All Children's Hospital, at our FINAL day of feeding therapy for Kaylee. I can think of nothing but a HUGE thank you to all the therapists at All Children's Hospital for this moment! Beginning in 2007 with Kathleen Tyson who was Kaylee's first therapist for PT at the All Children's Therapy Center in Tampa to Lesa Shelton and Melisa Workman at the All Children's Sertoma Therapy Center in Lecanto, who worked with Kaylee on speech and feeding, and also to Genia Pateracki and her scheduling "magic" so that we'd always have the time slot we needed. You all are the BEST and we have so much to thank you for. I think of Kaylee way back in 2007 when she couldn't sit or stand on her own, having to put her in a neck brace so she would hold her head up straight; doing all we could to get her to walk on her own -the best Mothers Day gift ever - back in 2008, on our cruise to the Panama Canal, when she stood up for the first time by herself and walked around the whole ship; the shoe inserts for her legs and feet once she did finally stand and walk; the speech therapy with "Miss Lesa", so she would use words and not hold her arms out and grunt for things she wanted; and finally feeding therapy and just getting her to touch food with her tiny hands. I remember the cool whip, the caramel and all those crazy things we tried covering up food with, just to get her to put food into her mouth. The laughs, and the tears, the hugs and the games we played with "Miss Mel" to manipulate Kaylee into doing things for us; and even "Miss Genia" who would take time out to let Kaylee pretend scare her by yelling "Boo" every time we left the office. I remember it all but mostly I remember all of you and your positive outlooks for Kaylee when at times I had my doubts. Again, I thank all of you and will never forget you as we move forward with Kaylee on our own. To all of you...
Kaylee in 2007 with her neck brace on to keep her head from tilting over to the side
The best Mothers Day gift EVER...2008, Kaylee finally did it! She got up and walked on her own!
I know, it's ice cream...but she' eating isn't she?
And now, in 2010... we're all so very proud of her.
