My Lunch Date

I mentioned before when I posted Rylie's birth story that she was transferred to the local Children's Hospital after birth and she had a two week NICU stay. Those two weeks were the hardest two weeks I've ever had. Every day during the NICU stay, Vince and I would manage to leave the NICU and go somewhere to get something to eat. We would leave the hospital and go to a diner, but mostly we just went down to the cafeteria. I remember how we would sit in the cafeteria and talk about Rylie. What's going to happen to her? Will this test or that test come back OK? Down syndrome this and Down syndrome that! I was always so sad in that hospital and cafeteria. I would look at everyone in the hospital, the doctors, nurses, students etc, and think,look how happy and normal they are, will I ever have a normal life again? Lets just say I cried a lot during those talks with Vince about Rylie, while we sat there in the cafeteria......FAST FORWARD FIVE YEARS LATER.........................

Last week I took Rylie to the same Children's Hospital for her eye appointment and X-rays for AAI. We had time in between appointments for lunch, so we went to the cafeteria. Yes, there I sat with my healthy, beautiful, funny daughter who I love more then words can say. I sat with her and we had lunch together. She didn't want her french fries. She wanted my salad. She waved HELLO to every person who walked by us. It was five years earlier in that same cafeteria I cried, because I didn't know what life with Rylie was going to be like. I was so sad back then and couldn't imagine how great everything was going to turn out. I enjoyed our lunch together that day. I never could have imagined I'd be having lunch with Rylie five years later in the same cafeteria where I use to cry about her.

On a side note...........Her X-rays came back normal, but her eye appointment revealed that she needs glasses. She has far sightedness and astigmatism. I would have never thought. I didn't have any concerns about her eyes. But the doctor said she needs glasses. We had her fitted for them and she should get them next week. Then I'm sure she will break them and we will keep getting them fixed or replaced every other week. LOL!!! I just can't see Rylie keeping glasses on. She has already broken a few pairs of Vince's glasses. I think I should order them by the case. Oh well, we shall see!

She did have an eye problem at birth called Optic Nerve Hypo-plasmia, but thank God it never effected her vision. If her vision had been effected by this condition, it would not have been able to be fixed by wearing glasses or surgery. I want to make a whole post about this. It's a great story! I just need to find my notes and Rylie's old medical records.