Meissner March Madness!!

March is a big month in our family for birthdays. Happy birthday to all March babies, especially Grandma Leen who turned 90 on the 28th! We love you GG!
It's been an amazing month...so amazing I don't want March to end!

On Wednesday March 23rd (the crazy snow day), we drove to Toronto so Kate could have her first EEG at HSC. We fasted Kate in the event they would need to sedate her, but in true 'Kate fashion', she was able to do the EEG without sedation. The technician hooked up 25 leads to her head, wrapped her head in gauze so she couldn't pull them out, and then wrapped her body with one arm out so we could hold her hand. She did great! She is so brave and strong. It was harder on us than her...I just hated seeing her get hooked up. It was a cruel reminder of Kate's reality. We waited an extra 90 min after the procedure to see Dr. Minassian and learn the results. The EEG showed no seizures. More importantly, he was really pleased with Kate's progress and health and gave Jeremy and I a lot of credit for the excellent care and love she receives. It was music to a parent's ear! And so nice of him to say. 

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The very next day, Kate accomplished her first transition out of sitting and onto her tummy. Jeremy took her to physio and called me at work to tell me about it. It was super cool! He managed to video it on his BlackBerry. As Uncle KP put it, Kate works so hard for every little thing that comes so easily to everyone else. She really is a true miracle. 

On Saturday March 26th, we attended Aaron Spurgeon's 9th birthday party in Drayton. Aaron is a local Elmira boy who decided he didn't need all the presents he would get from his birthday attendees - we wanted to donate them to Kate's Kause. Aaron raised over $400 from his family and friends and single-handedly promoted inclusion and acceptance. He is a wonderful new friend for our Katie-Kate! Both Kate and Jamie loved every moment at the party. Kate loved all the attention and proved how social and comfortable she is in big crowds. We were sad to leave, but felt a huge sense of elation and exhilaration at the new friends we'd met. We could feel the support and the message from Aaron, his family, and his friends was clear: we are not alone in this journey. Thank you so much Spurgeon family. We will never forget what a difference you made in our lives. 

One last thing: I got a call from the volunteer group who runs the Pancake breakfast at the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. Kate's Kause has been selected as one of the recipients of their fundraising efforts! So be sure to stop by Elmira on Saturday April 2nd (Christina and Liam's birthday!) and have a yummy pancake breakfast - it's for such a worthy kause!!