Kinsley Turns Five

Yesterday Kinsley Mae turned five-years-old. She woke up at 6am screaming, and covered in blood, it was oddly all too familiar, it was like reliving her actual birth all over again (minus the pain on my end.) She's been getting bloody noses at night the last few nights, and woke up with a bad one. Derek got her in the tub and cleaned her up while I salvaged the mattress, and then we got her back to sleep for three more hours before heading off to church. 

At church she took every opportunity to tell someone it was her birthday. She got sung to in class, got a treat to take home, and even got assigned to give the prayer in primary next week. That paired with getting to sit next to her best friends, she was on cloud nine the entire time. There were even some sweet older women who knew it was her birthday and stopped to wish her a happy day as well. 

When we got home we made a Chick-Fil-A themed lunch for her complete with grilled and fried nuggets, knock off Chick-Fil-A sauce from Walmart, watermelon, and french Fries. it was good, but her Peppa Pig cake was the real treat. I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a very good picture of her with it! 

After lunch and cake we opened gifts, and played with toys for five hours straight until it was bedtime! It was such a great day spent at home with low expectations, but one very happy girl. 

I'm continually amazed by this girl and all that she continues to accomplished despite the great odds that seem to be stacked against her. The greatest gift that she has been given is her strong will and fighting spirit. Despite the many fears she has with independent walking, and the sensory hurdles that currently stand in our way of reaching those goals, she knows that she wants to reach them, she knows that she wants to do things like her big brother, and that drive and desire is what keeps us helping her to reach those milestones. I don't know what the next year will bring for her, but with hope, faith, love, time, and a great team of people helping her, she will move the necessary mountains in her way to help her reach her best self, whatever that may look like.

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