I realized today that it's been almost 6 months since I've posted. Obviously I'm not the best at updating so bear with me.

Next week we're driving to Cincinnati once again for Emmy's one year post transplant appointments. This is considered her first "Life Day," a big milestone. We will be doing a lot of bloodwork to check her immune system along with a bunch of other appointments to make sure none of her organs were damaged from the chemo. Definitely nerve racking so please send all your positive thoughts to us that everything looks good!

Since Harrison has recently been allowed to go back to school and we've relaxed a bit on our quarantine, Emmy has been sick twice in the past few months. She fought off both hand, foot and mouth as well as a common cold like a champ! This let's me relax a bit knowing her immune system is working! 

I mentioned in my last post that Emmy's orthopedic doctor was worried that she could have a type of skeletal dysplasia ( or abnormal bone formation) since her femoral heads in her hips were still cartilage and her growth plates were far apart. After meeting with a skeletal dysplasia doctor and taking x-rays of her entire body, this doctor thinks everything looks normal and he recommended we follow up when she turns 4. Another relief!

We are still struggling a bit on eating. We were able to remove her feeding tube but we are still doing purees or fork mashed foods. Slowly we're working with feeding therapy to get her eating like a typical 1 year old.

Emmy currently doesn't crawl or walk, although she loves standing with assistance. After meeting with several physical therapists, they all say nothing seems wrong at this time. She had chemo, was on a medicine that made her very groggy for months after she was discharged and became very weak in her hip brace.

Now with twice a week physical therapy, we are working on getting her stronger so she can start to meet some of these milestones ( she's already so much stronger than when we got home). Although I get really discouraged sometimes when I see other 1 year olds, I continue to remind myself of everything she's been through and I'll do everything in my power to get her caught up!

In the meantime, we're enjoying being home as a family, and being able to have a normal Christmas!