Hello caringbridge family, Corinne here...

This weekend has hit me hard emotionally. I don't know if it's because of covid or the holidays but I definitely know the anniversary of her brain surgery plays a big part in it. 

The two year anniversary of her brain surgery for staph infection is today. Wild. Two years. Journaling will help me focus on just how far she has come and how amazing she continues to be! I feel like last year I didn't really process it because, ya know, we had(have) a terrifying pandemic in our world. So I guess this year I get to have all the feels 😁 

Avery has gotten almost completely back to herself. She wasn't able to have teachers come to the house in 2020/2021 school year at all. We did some virtual sessions to get by. For 2021/2022 her teachers have been coming to our home. These two wonderful women are fully vaxxed, boosted and wear masks. She really enjoys school time and is excited to see them every day. She's working on reading (her strong suit) speech, sign language and safety questions.

She is talking more and learning a ton- it's been so great! She is becoming a wiz in the kitchen as my sous chef. She also enjoys helping with laundry, feeding the pets, and cleaning up. Making the bed in the morning is first thing on her list. She's really funny and likes to be silly. 

She also started virtual music therapy and she loves that most of the time. We were given instruments to use at home and she has a fun routine w her teacher. It has helped us in other areas at home too- singing to perform tasks, making up songs, ect. We will keep that up! 

She tried out the local Special Olympics bowling chapter this fall and I think she liked it. We only got to go three times but it was good practice for next year. This chapter also offers other sports year round so we will check out other ones as well. 

We bought a cabin in December 2020. It's on Mille Lacs lake and we're currently remodeling it. Which is a nice way of saying completely gutting it and making it beautiful 😄 Avery loved going up there to: snowmobile w dad on the lake and see grandpa Roger ice fishing. We spent time in the sun, swam a bit, and threw a lot of rocks into the lake (if you know, you know). It's been a nice change of scenery for us. 

In May 2021 Avery and myself started volunteering at Ruff Start Rescue as "cat caretakers." We. Love. It. We go once a week and take care of the cats in the office that week. She's a pro at prepping food, water and of course petting and playing with them! It's teaching her a lot! She loves to visit in the surgery room with the medical staff and the "sick" cats. She must get that from me 🥰 We added a cat to our family- Bert. He's a funny guy and she loves him. 

As a family we remain very covid conscious. Our quote was always "she was in a coma once already, we don't need it to happen again." Fortunately we have all been healthy and hope to stay that way. 

Avery's doctor follow ups have all been positive for the most part. We are now watching her scoliosis which is newer. Her hearing has dropped a bit so we need to go in for a procedure to get a better picture of what's going on. Behavior management will always be a thing and it ebbs and flows.

We're thrilled to say we have been in a very happy, joyful place for awhile now. There is nothing better than seeing her that happy. And silly. And giggling. It has been amazing and so fulfilling.  It has always been about celebrating and enjoying the little things in our home. 

Happy Holidays!

Love Eric Corinne and Avery