Phoenix, Part One: Callie

We had the rare treat this weekend of traveling to Phoenix Children's Hospital to spend 2 days with our sweet Callie Jayne!

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Jeff and Dana's older children had to work over the weekend, so Dana asked if I'd drive the younger kids down to see their baby sister. I've been chomping at the bit to go see Callie myself, so I was quick to clear my busy social calendar (yeah, right) and say, "Sure!"

We loaded the 11 of us into Jeff and Dana's van and headed to the Valley of the Sun (it was 98 degrees when we arrived in Phoenix on Nov. 1st!). Here we are at a rest stop at the bottom of Salt River Canyon.

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From left to right are Marcus, Dylan, Hayden, Jacob, Brinley, Emma, Haley, Elsie, Burke, and Sarah. That's if you can see them in this faded shot!

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Sorry about the poor quality of these pictures. The rechargeable battery in my 1-year-old camera went bad right before the trip. No stores seem to carry my camera's battery, so I grabbed Jacob's camera, which apparently has issues of its own! About half of my pictures didn't turn out.

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As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Callie immediately started grabbing everyone's hands and giving out kisses. As wonderful as she has looked in the photos we've all seen, the pictures did not prepare me for the whirlwind that is Callie!She was a continuous flow of motion, all nonstop movement with no fear!

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All weekend she invited one person after another to walk her around the hospital. She has mastered walking while holding onto two hands. Now she is learning to walk while holding just one hand, which is an important step as she regains her sense of balance. She was pretty unsteady when we arrived Saturday afternoon, but was more sure of herself by the time we left Sunday evening.

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Callie is also increasingly vocal. I was so touched when she said my name for the first time several nights ago on the phone. When Dana said, "Say hi to Aunt Mary," Callie responded, "Hi, May!"

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Her brothers and sisters say she acts exactly the same as she did before the accident. For myself, I see one big difference: she is way more outgoing! She used to be a little quiet around people she didn't know well, but now she is loving that limelight! She likes to make everyone laugh and clap with her when she does something precocious.

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It's impossible to be around her bubbly personality and infectious laugh and not fall in love all over again.
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The surgery to open her eyes has been tentatively postponed until Dec. 1st. The ophthalmologist is pleased with how far she is opening her right eye and says it may not even need the surgery. We're praying she also gets more control over her left eye before then. She really works to see what is going on around her.

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Callie is such a blessing and a miracle!

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I snapped this picture and showed it to Callie. She kept kissing her image on my camera over and over! Her crooked little smile is so beautiful and happy!

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When we drove away last night, Callie was waving wildly from her stroller with both hands. Dylan cast one last glance back and sighed, "I miss Callie already." We all do! But we hope to have her back here on our mountain very soon!

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Stay tuned for part 2 of our Phoenix trip. The day we arrived, Nov. 1st, was also the 47th birthday of Callie's daddy, my brother Jeff. My next blog will feature his birthday celebration. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?