The Otte's

Happy Birthday Quinn!

You are 7 years old today.  Anyone anywhere near you yesterday would have heard all about it.

I asked you if you wanted me to change your dynovox, and have it say it's your birthday, and what we are doing this weekend.

Your response was "Yes Thank you".  I love how you are doing such a good job communicating with everyone around you.

You continue to amaze me.  You are getting 80's, 90's, and 100's, on your spelling tests, you are reading words and answering questions based on that reading.  You work so hard at therapy to get that body of yours to do what you want, and sometimes you get it to do what you want.

You are the first to talk about your brother and sister, and love to have everyone hear all about how much you love them.

Watching Isaiah give you hugs, or Denali cuddle up with you makes my heart a mess.

You are amazing and continue to inspire me.  We are so lucky to have a great support system that encourages and helps you learn.

I keep thinking, right now is the perfect time with you, let's not get any bigger, and yet as you continue to amaze me, I love you even more.

 Well, you decided to have me spend the day with you today.  Nurse Melissa woke me up around midnight, to say your pulse was way to high, and you were not getting it down.  You still had a smile on your face, while you were coughing up way to much snot.  No wonder you were all worked up, that snot makes it hard to breath and that is scary.  However being so tired, you just could not get that pulse down.  So after a few phone calls, we, you and I headed to Omaha, to Children's hospital.  You were tired, however in the hours we spent in the ER, you did not dare rest, as they poked and prodded you, I on the other hand, snuggled up next to you and fell asleep, since you and I have not been sleeping all that great as of lately.  Again that darn snot gets in the way of sleeping.  Well, thank God, your heart and lungs look good, so it's a nasty virus.  We were however admitted, but if all goes well, we will go home tonight or in the morning.

This was our first trip to the hospital in about 2 years.  Ironically I just wrote in our Christmas cards, how you have been out of the hospital for this whole year.  Oh, you will do anything to prove me wrong sometimes. :)

This was also our first trip to the hospital with having a brother and sister at home.  We left in the middle of the night, and did not have a chance to talk to Isaiah or Denali.  It sounds like Denali was very upset and wanted to pray for you, Quinn, while Isaiah was quieter, which is what I would expect from both of them.

So thankfully Grandma and Grandpa and Dad have talked to them.  They also happened to have a meeting with their therapist today as well, and she is going to talk to them as well.  We are a very strong family, and with our great support system we will get even stronger.

Quinn, you seem to be feeling better now that we are up on the 6th floor.  Grandma Vicki talked to you on the phone and sang happy birthday, and you were so excited to hear that, just look at your giggle.  You are by far the strongest person I know.  

 I'm so thankful for you, my first daughter, every bit of you, I would never wish for you to have all the issues you have, but you handle them with more grace then I think I ever could.  

Quinn, this hospital trip reminds me how fragile life is.  It reminds me not to take any moments for granted, and to be thankful for all the little things we have.  Your giggles are amazing and I will never take a single one for granted.

Happy Birthday to you, my amazing daughter!  Here is to another amazing year!  May God continue to bless and care for you, and I promise to do that same.  I love you Quinn.