As is my 18 yr old dd. Thought the smile would crack her face :)

Daria - you win the day!!! :hurray: :lol: :party: :thumbup: Why have I never know of this site before? Once I get my jaw off the floor I'm sure to get lost for hours. This is beyond perfect!!!

I think he would love this with or without the elevator :) but I will look to see if I can get an earlier version. Thanks!!

Eloise is an excellent idea! He loves the movies with Julie Andrews :)

Ds is obsessed with all things elevators :) I'd love to find him a picture book or even easy reader (I Can Read It type) about elevators but I am not finding much. I requested The Elevator Family (D. Evans) from the library but it's too advanced. Ds does not read (severe cognitive delays/preK level at 15) but LOVES being read to from early childhood books (Dr. S, Little Critter etc). If anyone knows of such books it will be The Hive :)

If the cover of the book is the same as the dust jacket it generally goes (especially on ds' books as they get ripped pretty quick). If the dust jacket is different, the book cover is plain or it's a special edition then the cover stays. How's that for a clear cut answer. :laugh:

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Dd's current favorite quote is John Adam's definition of a congress. She's been cracking us up for days with it. I now have a medley of songs running in my head :) 1st saw this in the movies in middle school and have loved it ever since. So, so many great songs and quotes.

One of our favorites!! Gets quoted as much as Princess Bride around here :)

Prayers and (((hugs))). So thankful it was not worse!

Love your update! So glad you're finding her such help. She (and you) have been always on my mind and in my prayers and will continue. ((((hugs))))

If it is encouraging - I was telling someone last night how far this one of mine has come in the last year. 14 months ago we thought we had lost them. Today we watch a walking miracle (still healing) but on the other side. Sharing tears and prayers from a heart that understands.

Praying and hugs. We were close with one of ours last year. Many, many prayers for strength and deep heart healing. Let us hold you up when you can't do it yourself (((Lizzie)))

:thumbup: That's me agreeing with you. That little "Cat in the Hat" symbol is on a book? :hat: For my guy that equals Dr. Seuss. Matters not who actually penned the pages :lol: I LOVE your rule and stood by it faithfully for years until life blessed my youngest with an obsession to Dr Seuss (and the CitH symbol) and being read to :w00t: ! The catch - he has special needs, can't read for himself and will never outgrow his love for the beloved Cat so my hair pulling continues without end :willy_nilly: . Go Dog Go lives on my shelf with every other CitH title and is read regularly. The real riot is that I didn't even need the book to give the quote. It's among those read so often they are memorized. Thankfully the real Dr Seuss books are among my favorites.

"Hello!" "Hello!" "Do you like my hat?" "I do not" "Good-by" "Good-by" + + "Hello again." "Hello." "Do you like....." etc, etc, etc Makes me want to pull my hair out :lol: :lol: :lol: And I have a kiddo who LOVES all things Dr Seuss so I have no choice but to read it :crying:

Are You My Mother? Go, Dog, Go

Hugs and prayers.

I am so very, very sorry for your great loss :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Prayers as you walk through this very difficult time.

Me too. Glad I'm not the only one :)

May - tomorrow actually. My parent's anniversary fell on a Sat the year we got married so we chose the same day (27 yrs apart :) ) This year is 25 for us and 52 for them.

One must be careful when reading WTM in a doctor's office. The hysterical laughter might disturb the other patients. :) :) :)

After reading your post, I asked my dd what she'd say to someone just getting diagnosed. "Dig your heels in and keep moving forward. It will be difficult (sometimes feel impossible) but it will be worth it" "Stretch as much as you can and find something physical to do" Dd chose TKD (with her drs blessing) and it has been wonderful for her. "Tell people how you feel even when you don't want to - keeping your feelings all inside is bad" (this was a major issue for dd. The emotional state she was in by the time she was diagnosed was heartbreaking) "Sitting in a dark room, in the quiet, by yourself is not always bad - some days you just have to but don't allow yourself to isolate from your family and friends" Now from me :) . It has been one of the most difficult journeys we have been through but also one of the most rewarding. There were times we thought we'd never make it - times we thought we were losing dd. The emotional and mental struggles were every bit as big as the pain in her case. Everything we've been through with dd over the last few years has been worth it a thousand times over. I'd never want to live through it again but I'd do it in a heartbeat if we had to. For us, treatment meant moving 3 and 1/2 hours from home for 5 weeks for dd to take part in an intensive, daily pain clinic (physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, counseling and medical visits). We just went back for her year post-treatment visit and her team was so amazed and impressed with how she is doing. She truly is a totally different person than she was when we started. When we returned from the 5 week clinic dd continued PT closer to home, as well as weekly counseling visits with a psychologist that works with children/teens with chronic pain. I believe her counselor has been a huge part of dd's continued positive outcome. She also sees a doctor who specializes in integrative medicine and naturopathy who has been working with us on diet and supplements. When we had our last meeting at the end of pain clinic, the team asked dd to find something physical she wanted to do on an ongoing basis. She chose tae kwon do. It was difficult as first but it has been transforming for her. There are a few things she can't do (push ups - her main pain centers in her wrists) but she has come so far in just a short year. Her instructor is very pleased with her progress. This is a teen who, before the pain clinic, couldn't even walk across campus and had to lay down every day due to intense pain and headaches. Her transformation in all areas has been amazing. It will be a lifelong struggle for her but she is in a great place right now. We've had a few bumps in the road along the way but she keeps moving forward. Feel free to send me a pm if I can answer any questions. Came back to add - at first, we, as parents, were making decisions because dd just wasn't in a place to do it for herself but as time went on and she improved and got stronger mentally and physically we turned things more over to her. We let her decide what she wanted to do and how. For instance - she chose to drop PT right before Christmas because she felt it wasn't helping anymore. She was right on track. We've seen a more positive outlook and physical strength since she dropped it. Her pain doctor agreed when we saw her. Dd has also been completely in charge of medication (for her it was prozac). At first she very reluctantly tried it because she was struggling so bad but when she decided she wanted to stop, we let her. That has been very important for her - knowing she has our complete support but also knowing that we respect her wishes and decisions. If at any time we had to step in for her safety she knew we would. She is newly turned 18.

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What a beautiful boy! Congratulations!!

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