Journal entry by Barbara Bradley — Dec 17, 2012

The team concluded a connection was in fact missed and it was a unanimous decision that it’s worth going back in to sever it. I got word this morning that her revision surgery to complete the disconnection is scheduled for January 15th.

Katie is doing fairly well but she continues to have seizures at night. In the past few days we have also seen her pupils doing their strange magic tricks so we have our fingers crossed that she doesn’t start acting up again. I really don’t want to be back in the hospital before her surgery and certainly not during Christmas break.

For now, life goes on.  The laundry piles up, meals need to be cooked, school is in session, presents need to be wrapped and parties need to be planned because some of us thought we needed even more to do and volunteered to be room- parent for our preschooler. This title includes organizing a “winter” party which requires planning crafts and snacks to which some of us thought gingerbread cookies would be a fantastic idea to have the children decorate and eat until some of us realized that everyone else had the same flippin’ idea. The only flippin’ cookies I see now are circus animals and decorating circus animals for a Christmas party (even when its called a “winter” party because we can’t call it a Christmas party because we are all too worried about offending someone) is just not the same thing as gingerbread cookies….whew…. so listen up little preschoolers you are gonna decorate your “winter” circus animals with icing and sprinkles and you are gonna like it and you are not going to ask Katie’s mommy why you are decorating circus animals or some of us might shove a tiny winter circus seal up your tiny nose!! Merry Winter Circus Animal Cookie Christmas!

I leave you with our visit to mall Santa.
I really hate waiting in line at the mall for Santa but this is one of those traditions we are required to do as parents. The line is too long, my kids never smile, and they charge a fortune for a terrible picture in a stupid plastic frame. 

After waiting for an hour, my lovely daughter decided to throw an all out conniption fit (I really don’t think that’s a real word but I grew up hearing my mother say it). My phone that normally keeps her busy did not have a good signal and she had had enough. I finally gave her a juice cup and the line began to move. We were almost there and she was just gonna have to deal with it. Just to spite me she waited until we were next in line and then unscrewed the lid to her sippy cup and poured apple juice all over her lap and down her back.

It’s safe to say, Katie’s favorite word is still “no”. After explaining to Santa that my lovely daughter was wet from apple juice only the meeting went a bit like this…

Ho ho ho, what’s your name little girl?
Nnnooooo
Have you been a good girl this year?
Nnnnoooo
Well, there is still time to get on my nice list. Ho ho ho.. What do you want Santa to bring you this year?
Nnnooooo
How ’bout I bring you a baby doll?
Nnnnoooo

Thankfully my sweet boy still believes in Santa. He sat happily on his lap and told him what he wanted but kept his list to only four items because he says we can’t expect Santa to get us everything we want. On that note, have a Merry Christmas. Go ahead and ask for what you want. You may not get everything on your list but you won’t know if you don’t ask.