I'm up early today. It will be another busy one, with physical therapy at 9hoo and music class at 11h30. Zoé has been doing great lately. Still crawling like a champ. A true busy bee, she's constantly on the go, opening drawers, dumping her plate of food on the high chair, doing finger painting with apple sauce, emptying Raisin Bran on the floor to see how it feels when it crunches under her braces.

I've been thinking a lot about her and what challenges she faces. It's funny, I read that Marie-Antoinette mentioned that "tribulations make you realize who you are", well I guess it's the case for me.

I have learned how much strength it takes to care for a child with special needs, and how it's okay to not always be okay. To hold grudges against yourself won't help, to look at the glass half full and not half empty is better. It's a challenge, but it now gives true meaning to my life. I don't have time to contemplate the minute details of life, because everything my Zoé does is a true miracle in its own way. We have come from so far, from stretching her little body, having her rest on a little roll, so that she could hold her head up, massaging her tight neck, her helmet, her feet braces, from her glasses to her cute little smile that is now showing itself in its own shy way...

We got the reports on Zoé's occupational therapy and how much she can accomplish and how much more work is needed. I know that for Zoé and for us, it is going to be a life-long process.

We are told that Zoé has good rehab potential, and that is kind of hard to materialize...what does "good" mean? That it will take a very long time, that it's around the corner, that she might not walk on her own, that she will need a stander?

In my filing cabinet I have a drawer for Zoé: medical claims, ophtalmology reports, neurology, cardiology, Pt and OT assessments, prescriptions, Muscular Dystrophy Clinics, but in her filing boxes she has Babar, Old Mc Donald animal farm animals, Raggedy Ann and a plethora of books, for Zoé is an avid reader.

The picture on this page is one of my favorites, it's the first time I got a TRUE smile from Zoé. She was probably seven months then, and we were on our street going for a stroll.