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Hand Camp 2016

At the end of April, Amelie and I headed for Hand Camp 2016 at Camp John Marc. We had a wonderful time just like we did last year and it was neat to have a time with just the two of us. She enjoyed all activities and we made sure to get signed up for the Ropes Course and Fishing right away. The facility built a new Ropes course since we came last year and I really wished there would have been time for the adults to have a time on the zip line too.

Games played during the first night.

Amelie climbed the wall SO FAST!

Fishing

Cooking and free time.

Fun with friends at the carnival.

Amelie brought Ami to hand camp of course.

We had such a great time and made new friends and saw old friends. The staff and volunteers were just as wonderful as last year. I was again blessed by the parent only times and encouraged that we are doing the right thing in how we are raising Amelie to deal with her limb difference. I am so glad that we got a spot again this year for this wonderful camp put on by Scottish Rite.

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A day in Dallas

Amelie was due for her yearly hands and feet check up at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital so the girls and I packed up and headed for Dallas. Amelie got the all clear for another year which was a great relief. It doesn’t look like the toenails they removed are growing back so that is good news. Once we were finished we headed over to redeem a gift for a free dozen cookies from Paradise Bakery. YUM!

Popcorn is the best part of Scottish Rite.

Then we headed for the Dallas Children’s Aquarium. There were quite a few school groups in there, but we still worked our way around the place. Dani couldn’t wait to go see the stingrays, but they weren’t starting the feeding until noon and I wanted to just spend the end of our time there. This time I remembered to bring extra shirts for the girls to change into since they get splashed.

Chambered Nautilus 

Nadia and Dani fed the stingrays the little pieces of shrimp that they sell. Amelie wanted no part of it because it creeped her out the last time. She just wanted to pet the sting rays as they swam past.

“He splashed me!!!!!!!!” 

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Amelie toe check up

Hiding in wait for the doctor.

At the end of October Amelie had her check up at Texas Scottish Rite from her surgery back in July. They wanted to see how the toes were looking and if the nails were growing back. They told us that everything looked good and that will continue to check them at her yearly hand clinic visit.

After the check up we went to get a drink over at 7-11 and the man at the register asked about school and I said she had a check up next door. And he said, “All princesses who go to Scottish Rite get a Slurpee when they are done.” Amelie was SO EXCITED that he gave her a free one.

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Amelie Surgery 2015

On July 17, 2015 Amelie had surgery on some of her toes. The banding that affects her fingers was also causing problems with her toes so Texas Scottish Rite said that they could give her some relief.

Ever the fashionable girl she chose her dress for the day. And of course her Ami doll had to come with us. We met the newest addition to the hand team Dr. Stutz and I liked him immediately. All the docs are so great at TSRH and he seemed like a perfect fit.

Daddy helping with a breathing treatment so she could look at her new sticker books. After the treatment and the “goofy juice” they rolled her back and gave us our beeper. They told us to expect it to take about an hour so we decided to go and have lunch in the cafeteria.

I saw this while waiting on our food. Even the wet floor signs are cool at Scottish Rite.

We asked them to wrap the Ami doll legs while Amelie was in surgery. They asked us her favorite color and we said pink. When she realized that Ami had casts too she said, “Did Daddy do that?” Makes my heart happy that she knows that it is something he would do.

When Amelie woke up she was in so much pain. It absolutely broke my heart. They had to give her a lot of meds to calm her down and get her to fall back to sleep. This was the hardest wake up amount of pain she has had in 4 surgeries.

Once we were home and Amelie was awake again she wanted a photo of her and Ami with their casts. She did such a wonderful job and was so brave.