Special Olympic Bowling - The Dance - Sledding at White Sands

Friday night we drove to Ruidoso, spent the night and drove to Las Cruces Saturday morning so Brooke could bowl at the Special Olympic state bowling meet (for the Southern side of the state). This has gotten so big over the past 5 years that the state has had to be split in half to accomodate all of the bowlers. I believe there are around 800 now. I have to admit, neither Mike nor I were very excited about making this trip having been in San Antonio last weekend. My mom went with us like she usually does, which is a big help. About halfway through Brooke's second game, she started to melt so I told her if she would bowl strikes, we could finish quicker and go eat. She managed to bowl 3 strikes in a row. Ha! Go figure! She bowled a 287 total (two games) and took the gold medal. That was exciting.

Saturday night was the traditional SONM dance, and most definitely the highlight of Brooke's trip (as it always is). She is a dancing machine! She had a great time, and so did we as we watched her enjoy life. Special people know how to have a good time! I wish everyone could witness that!! Brooke is really in her element at SO sporting events. It's nice to be around people who don't see the superficial things that other people notice. There are a thousand lessons to be learned at a SO event.

This morning we made our yearly stop at White Sands to sled. What a great time! If you've never done it...you need to! It's a blast! Brooke won't sled but she will spin and let us push her around the parking lot. My back is screaming about it now! Mom and I made a few standard runs before we got brave and finally went down the "BIG" hill on our stomachs. OUCH.

I thank God every day for Brooke and for other special people like her. They are put on this earth to teach us how we are supposed to be.

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine is the name of the yellow Mustang. Brooke LOVES the car. It is so much nicer than we ever imagined!!! It's a super clean car. Brooke was a little unsure at first; like she was in shock. I think she thought it was borrowed or temporary or something? Sunday night she took Mike into the garage and pointed to my Toyota and signed "mom", pointed to Mike's pickup and signed "dad" and pointed to the yellow car and then to herself. It's her car - we keep telling her that. Tonight she wanted to ride in the backseat. Have you ever seen the backseat in a Mustang? There's not much of one...but she insisted. So after 4 trys by mom and a couple of split-looking moves...we called dad over to help. He managed to get her in and she loved it. She giggled all the way down the street. And then we had to figure out how to get her out. And then back in again after supper, and then to ma's to take papa for a ride...at which time we left her in the backseat so we wouldn't have to struggle with it again. We're learning! I usually ride in the backseat because it's easier to get me in and out than her, but she knows the backseat is usually her domain, so she wanted to give it a try.

Mike and I have both been asked, "Can Brooke drive?" No, she can't. She can't ride a bicyle either but she has one that she rides with me. She can't skate but she's been skating. She can't swim but she's played in the water. Let me explain...just because she can't doesn't mean she shouldn't. We do what we do FOR Brooke and BECAUSE of Brooke. I said when she was baby that I wanted her to have as normal a life as possible. And we have been blessed enough to finally make a few of our dreams for her come true. Life is so fragile...it's up to us to make the most of it. Something as simple as yellow makes her happy. And I love seeing her smile!

She is OUR Little Miss Sunshine!!

Frightening Day

Today was rough. It started with me noticing that Brooke's right breast was swollen. This is a new one...we've never seen this before. There were no other symptoms, other than it being swollen. I called the Gyn. and the nurse and I started going down the list of possibilities. No to caffeine, no to a sudden growth spurt, and no to this or that so I finally told her that Brooke is neutropenic. If there's any infection - it's got to be caught and treated. Plus, there are two lymph nodes (one in the right shoulder area) that are questionable, so I didn't feel the swollen breast could simply be written off. Not with Brooke's past. She agreed and recommended that we see the Hematologist. So our new doctor (the one we just got established with two days ago) saw us this afternoon. He doesn't think there is a problem, but told me to watch her closely just in case. Hmmmm...the mystery remains. It's not as swollen now as it was this morning, which is good. Relief. Many things ran through my mind today...most of which I wouldn't have even remotely considered thinking about a year ago. It's amazing how quickly life can change. How the events and situations we endure cause our minds to shift in different directions. Mike and I will have to be on the "look out" for cancery-type things from now on. Brooke's at higher risk. That's just how it is. We won't live in fear or let the possibility of "what might be" deter us from living what really is. We chose to live in the here and the now. Most importantly...we place it all in God's hands. He is the ultimate healer. This is his story, and we are letting him tell it - not us.

Please pray for Brooke as she endures this new issue. Pray for continued health and happiness and security. I ask for a special prayer for my mom as she keeps Brooke this weekend. I ask that everything go as smoothly as possible and that they enjoy their special time together. Pray for safety for Mike and I as we fly to San Antonio Friday and drive home Sunday.

Thank you for our veterans!!! Thank you for protecting our freedom and for representing this fine country so well. God Bless you all!!! This is YOUR day.

Hugs, Kisses, Zerburts and a YELLOW MUSTANG!

Life at the Hankins house pretty much consists of three staples: Hugs, kisses and/or zerburts. I just tried looking zerburt up on dictionary.com to see how to spell it and I guess it's not actually a word? So sad! Brooke loves to give them; they make her laugh. The silly girl is sitting in the living room in her High School Musical pj's, wearing a sweat band on her forehead and asking for progresso soup from an ad in the newspaper. She just handed Mike the phone and told him to call for soup. Now she's in the computer room with me handing me the ad, signing telephone. She's very persistent. "MMMMMMMMMM" she says. Mike just told me that Brooke is now trying to call for the soup herself. He's trying to explain to her that you "can't call for soup." Ha. She cracks me up!

We cleaned out the garage today...making room for a surprise for Brooke. Anyone who know's us well, knows that we've always wanted to get Brooke a yellow car. Not just any car...a screaming yellow Mustang. It looks like it's about to happen. We found one online in San Antonio, so Mike and I are flying there next Friday and will be driving it home on Sunday. So exciting! We can't wait to see her face when we pull up in it. Nothing makes Brooke any happier than yellow cars. (Other than fire trucks, and we really can't afford to go that route.) This car is a 2006 model, low mileage, super clean...and a GT. We're really looking forward to it and using it for our multi-weekly "soda pop" excursions. This is Brooke's car and she deserves it!!! Please pray for our safety as we bring the car home.

Brooke's Hematology appointment got moved to 11:00 tomorrow. Pray for a productive visit and that this doctor can meet Brooke's health care needs locally. What a blessing that would be! Pray for continued protection over Brooke. She and I are both struggling a little right now with allergies...it's like we're both on the "edge." I'm doing everything in my power to stay a few steps ahead of it so we don't get sick.

We serve an awesome God. We are so thankful for our many blessings...most specifically - Brooke. May you all have a blessed week!

A Little of This...A Little of That

Has it been a week since I last posted something? Where does the time go? Please bear with me until the 2nd week of December...I start class at Wayland next week and it and my other for credit class at CCC intersect for about 6 weeks. YIKES! I'll be doing the Monday, Tuesday, Thursday thing for a while.

Brooke is doing well. Her INR went down Thursday (1.7). I give up trying to find any possible explanation for Coumadin levels. Who knows??? It's totally crazy. Brooke feels well, so that's what matters. The right thigh is still big, but I'm not sure that will ever go down in size? Her entire right leg remained bigger than the left after the first clot. Clots can be as challenging and puzzling as Coumadin levels. I know what I don't want to be when I grow up: A HEMATOLOGIST! Ugh. I did finally get an appointment with the new Hematologist in town...yay, I think it's on the 11th. Such a process required for everything!

Brooke dressed herself yesterday. Dark gray Special Olympic bowling shirt, neon pink shorts and her hot pink/orange/lime green/turquoise furry socks that come up to her knees. She was a sight! Hey...at least she tried. And she did it on her own...we didn't ask her to get dressed. We left her in her unique and colorful outfit. That's the beauty of it...in Brooke's world - things like matching are insignificant. She must have got that from her dad. He tends to have "matching" issues where she is concerned, yet is a sharp dresser himself. I, on the other hand, have to be matching or if drives me over the edge. I'm "too" matching if there's such a thing. OCD maybe? Ha.

Our other daughter, Brandi - the Golden Retreiver, had a seizure or something like it Thursday night. It was odd. She always dreams and makes lots of noises, but this time it was different. She kept swallowing like she had cotton mouth. I finally got so annoyed at her sounds that I got up and turned on the light. I thought maybe she was sick so I was trying to get her outside. She couldn't move...all 4 legs were paralyzed for about 1 minute. It was awful. When she finally regained use of her legs - she was disoriented for about 5 minutes. She reminded me of Brooke when she comes out of a grand mal seizure. The look in her eyes was different and she was incoherent or something. Anyway, I took her to the vet Friday morning and $243 later - no clue. Maybe seizure? Maybe I woke her from REM sleep? She has another ear infection that we're aggresively treating. This dog and her ear infections...ugh! We changed her dog food up a little and switched to a lamb and rice formula...we'll see if that helps? She tends to have some allergies, so I'm giving her a benadryl every night before bed. That's made her sleeping a lot less noisy! Yay for me!! I don't get it? A dog and a child with allergy problems, chronic ear infections, clingy-issues, and an obsessive need to please the parents. Go figure!

Have a great week everyone! Thanks for the continued prayers...they're working. All is well at the Hankins House.

Life is God's Novel...Let Him Write It

My mom bought a picture today with that saying on it and I liked it so much I wanted to share it with you. It pretty much says it all! It's a nice thought to "ponder on."

Brooke's INR was 1.8 yesterday, so her blood levels are slowly getting there. (2.0 is the target.) She remains on 5 Mg Coumadin each day with no noticeable side effects anymore. She still complains of her stomach hurting and has occasional bowel issues, but those things could be attributed to any number of things. It's almost impossible to pin an ailment down to one certain affliction with Brooke. She's our little puzzle. Overall - she's doing good...Praise God. I pray daily for protection for her and for us as we care for her. It's so scary right now with all of the flu bugs and other germs floating around.

Brooke has discovered painting. It started with pumpkin painting, then painting on an easel on paper and tonight - she did her first canvas picture. Painting is her new love. She's painted every night for the past 4 nights now and keeps asking to do more. She's actually very meticulious and it's fun to watch the serious expressions on her face as she concentrates on her brush strokes. She's cute! Who knows...maybe we have a Picasso in the making? One of these days I'll post some of the pictures I took. Precious!! (a Briana word)

Brooke had a busy week! She started her home-bound schooling this week and really enjoyed it. Her teacher, Mrs. Madrid, comes to the house Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour. They read and she brings "work" for Brooke to do. The next time you eat at Taco Box and get your nice little white bag with the napkin inside and the utensils...think of Brooke. She helps put those together. She also helps glue coupons on Pizza Hut boxes. She's a busy little helper!! It's good for her plus it keeps her mind busy and gives her something to look forward to each week. Brooke also decorated Halloween cookies this week and went to bowling practice Thursday night.

Have I told you all lately how much I appreciate the kind words about the blog? Thanks!!! I love this blog...and what it represents. My hope and prayer is that each of you feel you know Brooke more now than you did before. I want you to know all aspects of this wonderful child...not just the sick times. She is incredible in so many ways and I feel God wants me to share that with the world. We are all blessed by Brooke!

Sponge - Yellow Cake

I didn't blog this week because I didn't have anything to say. That's a first! I ALWAYS have plenty to say. What's wrong with me?? Anyway, Brooke is doing well. Her INR was 1.7 yesterday, so it's slowly coming up. She remains on 5 Mg of Coumadin daily and lately, she's done ok on that dose. We are doing everything we can think of to keep her healthy. It's scary! So many people either have the flu or sinus issues right now. I started her on vitamin D3 today...it's supposed to help protect the body, and she actually likes the taste of the pill. I keep praying that none of us get sick...especially Brooke.

Brooke is so amusing! She was watching a commercial on TV today about birds on an island not being able to fly. One bird sees a jet and starts flapping his wings trying to fly. Brooke sat in the floor imitating the bird. While ago, she tried chest compressions on Mike in the recliner. Not just beating on his chest, but the actions of someone who has been through CPR training. Neither of us can figure out where she saw CPR being done unless it was on an episode of Emergency. See...I knew buying all 5 seasons of Emergency would be educational for my child! Ha. Brooke's brain is like a sponge...sometimes it appears to be wet and she is more alert and understanding of things going on around her. When it's like this - she picks up things so quickly and is more alert and attentive. And then at times it seems dry and things don't soak in as easily. It's very intersting.

We had another birthday party tonight complete with a bright yellow cake from Albertsons. My birthday is Tuesday, so this was a party for me. Yay! Brooke loves our birthday parties! We had fun.

Please pray for continued health, a safe and nurturing environment and added protection from the many germs floating around right now.