fashion | Lessons from my daughter

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and wrote my first ever bucket list.

You can find my post here: Autumn Bucket list

The last 2 items on my list are:

39. Document my bucket list with pictures

40. Blog about my progress weekly

This is my second update… what could we have possibly done over the last week?

#1 – Get Emily ready for Halloween.

I am not showing you yet 🙂 but it involves a wig, bow and arrows and an awesome dress!

#4 – Go apple picking.

Around here, it looks like everybody go apple picking at the same place which makes for a very busy outing with too many people… So, we went the other way and found a nice quiet orchard…

La Fleur du pommier

What’s with the hat you ask? Emily wanted to wear it last week when we went pumpkin picking and we convinced her not to. This week, we just couldn’t convince her not to so she wore it…

We picked and bought many apples. Once home, I made a nice apple and blueberry crumble.

#15 – Catch a Wildcats game

Now that Jonathan works during the day (Yeah for no more overnight shifts), we will probably do this more often. We used to be season tickets owners… I suspect we might be again in the future.

#18 – Make puzzles with Jon and Emily.

We started a 1,000 pieces puzzle… not done yet but I suspect that Emily will come and save the day towards the end of it!

#20 – Help with the United Way campaign at work.

I work with amazing colleagues and every chance we have, we help with fundraisers. We can bake as a group to bring goodies to a bake sale or put a “gift basket” into our United Way silent auction. For the 3rd year, we’ve also issued a challenge to other teams at work increasing the amount of gift baskets or items entered in the auction and increasing the money that is raised.

We haven’t revealed our “contribution” to the auction yet… Once we do, I will show you!

We attempted #17 – Go on a fall foliage drive… The colors were not there yet so we will give it another try tomorrow!

#34 – Change my hair color. I have found a hair colorist and booked a consultation for this week!

Here you have it! Week 2!

What about you? Do you have a bucket list?

If so, is it seasonal, yearly or lifelong?

If you’ve written about it in your blog, please share it in the comments below. I would live to read it!

Lately, my blog posts haven’t been as much about Emily’s syndrome…

They have been about Emily.

Our trips, make-up, fashion, art and so much more…

I didn’t avoid her syndrome…

I just, sometimes, forget about it!

It feels good to forget about it!

Than, out of nowhere, it hits me.

Emily will be 17 in June. If she had been in school in Quebec, like I did, this would mean, going to college in the fall of 2015.

When I was 17, I moved over 1000km away from my home to pursue my studies.

I had a boyfriend and had my driver’s license.

I could manage groceries, pay bills, use public transportation and study hard. I wasn’t a good cook but never starved.

I learned to cook eventually.

So, sometimes, I forget about Emily’s syndrome.

I love seeing her for who she is.

I love remembering our vacations and thinking about the next one.

I love helping her get ready in the morning, helping with her hair and trying to teach her about skin care and make-up.

What I even love more is when I ask if she needs help with something and she says no.

Over the last year, she has learned to put her dishes in the dishwasher, start the dishwasher, makes tea, start her shower on her own, start the washer and dryer, comb her hair and even made her own pony tail…

She played baseball at the Rogers Center in Toronto and slowly started to ride horses without a horse handler 🙂

Her reading is improving and she’s interested in learning how to cook!

This week she started making her bed!

Most of those things are quite insignificant for “regular boring” kids but when you have an exceptional daughter like mine, those are spectacular achievements.

Slowly but surely, she is getting older…

Slowly but surely she continues to prove that her diagnosis of “not walking, not talking, not feeding herself, not showing emotions, not recognizing us…” was more of a worst case scenario rather than a sure fact.

Some new babies being diagnosed with cri du chat syndrome, are still being told about all the things they will never do. Some are being told they will not live to be 1 year old.

I want the world to know about Emily. About her syndrome and about her successes.

My girl is awesome and sometime I prefer to talk about her awesomeness rather than dwell on her (and our) struggles.

It makes me happy and I wish it brings happiness and hopes to parents everywhere. Regardless of the diagnosis, what your child will achieve will bring you joy. Regardless of the struggles, you will find happiness in the smallest achievements if you allow yourself to see them and celebrate them.