An anniversary to celebrate

Yesterday was a monumental one in our family. That's because a year ago yesterday, Ella had her last infantile spasm! Originally, there was some talk that if she could string together a year of seizure freedom, she might be able to have a trial off her only seizure medicine. As it is though, we have observed some less serious tics and other questionable focal-type seizures over the last year, so I believe she will stay on her med for now. It's okay with me, I guess, but I look forward to the day when she could possibly be off everything.

Ella is also taking multiple steps now, up to 13 at a time! She's a little wobbly and hurky jerky, but it is amazing to watch her do something that we weren't sure if or when she would ever be able to do. I'll try to get some video of it, but I never seem to have the camera in the same room where she decides to take off.

Jackson had his first t-ball game this morning. Chris, who is on his way to Atlanta to watch his Braves play my dad's Detroit Tigers and therefore couldn't be at our game, asked me on the phone who won. I couldn't say for sure. I get the distinct impression that the score doesn't really matter. They let every kid bat every inning. It seemed to me that the other team got more outs than our team did, so my guess would be that they won. I'm not sure Jackson really understands what's going on. On the way home, he asked me who those guys in the orange shirts were. I answered, "that was the other team, son. It was a game that you played, not a practice." "Oh, okay," he replied. At least he had fun and because the clouds were out, it wasn't too hot yet either, which made it more enjoyable for me too. Cooper was a bit grumpy on the exterior, enough that another parent noticed it and commented that he might have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, but he too said he had a good time, better when Dear Linda showed up and gave him some attention. He still is mad that he can't play yet. Soon enough, big boy, soon enough. . .

I have finally gotten the duplex mostly cleared out of the multitudes of things that were left behind when our most recent renters skipped town back in April. We only got legal possession back a couple of weeks ago. I sold a bit of the stuff, but mostly I just donated it. There were some fairly nice items, but it was a good exercise in letting things go because I didn't really need any more stuff in my house. Our church runs the Potter's House Thrift in Fayetteville, and they came right to the property and helped me carry about half a truck's worth of stuff out of the place. I have no idea how much of a value to assign for tax purposes, but the driver told me to come up with a number and double it because most of the time people undervalue their things; he said that they get a lot of garbage but that the stuff he saw wasn't garbage and thanked me.
I've had a couple of potential renters in there to look at it over the last week, even though there's a little more work to do. I even had one family look at it on two separate occasions and take an application, saying that they would mail it right back. I never know for sure if they are interested and have even had one lady flake out AFTER returning the app, so I can't be certain, but we may just have someone in there by the beginning of next month. We'll see. . .

We'll the baby girl has decided that she is done napping, and since I'm the only parent she's got here, I guess I better go get her.

♦