Back in San Antonio

We made it into San Antonio last night. It's hard to believe that it has been 5 months since we left here. We will have appointments beginning Monday for Harper to be fitted for a new helmet. She has outgrown her first one. Her forehead is looking so good; the change is really surprising. Thank you for those who have prayed for us over this last year. We couldn't have survived without the Lord's help.
Harper never has acted like her helmet bothers her. At first I was so aware of how different we looked in public, but now it is just a part of her. It's what she looks like. I sometimes realize "Oh yeah, we do look odd" when we walk into a restaurant and a wave of heads turn to watch as we walk by. Most people are very friendly about it, some ask if she had surgery. Some just ask why she has it, but for the most part they just don't comment. The best question was from a young guy who wanted to know if she just had a perm. I'm sure I looked puzzled when I realized he was talking about Harper, and he was serious. I politely told him she had had surgery, and then got a good laugh when he had gone.
Harper went for her first swim in a "real" pool here at the motel today. She wasn't impressed. She clung tightly to us and didn't smile much. Of course, we were snapping pictures and making quite a spectacle. Everything Harper does is so great. "She grinned," "she slapped the water," "she let go of my swim suit with one hand." I wonder if she will be rotten a year from now. We also went to Rudy's barbeque tonight and Harper enjoyed her first rib bone. Chandler said she looked like a dog gnawing on it. Seems like just last year, I remember Chandler toothlessly gnawing a whole pile of rib bones. (Mark used to smoke ribs often for the two of us. Not so any more. Ribs are too expensive to try to fill 2 adults, a teenage girl, and a bottomless pit up on.) Mark & I discovered Rudy's in February, and Mark wanted to bring the kids this time. The restaurant is in a gas station--no kidding. You receive your meal in a coke crate and get butcher paper for plates. It is really good-it seems to be "the place" for locals.
Harper is doing well in her development. She rolled over at 4 months. She could sit up in her 6th month, and she could get herself in the sitting position in her 9th month. She pulled herself up to the standing position in the crib for the first time Tuesday morning. She is not crawling yet. Her physical therapist said if "it isn't her idea, it's not a good idea." So far, crawling is not her idea. She can drink out of a straw really well--speech therapy at work. She just doesn't always like to swallow what she sucks up through the straw. And she is a pro at blowing raspberries--while she eats. The genetics clinic said to expect her to take twice as long to meet her milestones because of the down syndrome. So far, she is doing much better than that. I think she is quite brilliant. She has trained her whole family to enjoy doing what she wants. So much for having kids in "old age".
We will try to post some pictures while we are here this week.
God's blessings to you.
Brook