Today we celebrated Ella & Netta’s birthdays – both of them early because of Ella’s upcoming surgery — with a big party. We had a nice setup on our side yard and there were about 10 kids. Although I’ve been at times disappointed with Ella’s progress lately and with her level of alertness, today she seemed to be having a great time with all the kids around and with the party atmosphere. She babbled alot, always wanting to be part of the conversation and made eye contact with everyone that looked her way. On Monday Ella and I are flying to Chicago for her surgery – part two of the operation she had in February which is scheduled for Tuesday. Although I was anticipating another round of problems with the insurance at the last moment, they actually called me last Friday and told me that everything was set. I got a call from Dr. Bauer’s office in Chicago and also from our insurance person (Tufts) here. When I answered the phone I was expecting the worst but was very relieved to understand everything was arranged and the surgery is on. On the one hand, of course, I’m not looking forward to dealing with the pain and discomfort and difficulties that are part of this surgery (judging from the last). On the other hand, I want to get it over with and I’m hoping Ella’s appearance will be greatly improved by it.
Another significant milestone is that we had Ella’s IEP (Individual Education Plan)meeting last Thursday. This is the big meeting with all Ella’s current therapists and future therapists to discuss her development, needs and our goals for her education for the next year. She’ll be starting the public pre-school program on July 12th (summer “camp”). This is a big step for her. She’ll be going by bus every morning and coming back after lunch. The meeting went well. The staff seemed very dedicated, very professional and serious about helping Ella as much as they can. We are excited for her to start but first we’ve got to get thru this surgery….