Wow! Hard to believe it but today Noa turns 7-years-old!!! What a big girl - and here she is demonstrating her big girlness but standing all by herself (with the help of the Ottoman, but still!).

7-years ago we never expected to be here, raising a child with such intense special needs. It's has been and continues to be and will surely go on to be a challenging ride.

BUT we could also just as well say that 6-years-ago we never thought we'd be here either! The doctor's original assessment - after telling us that there was really no predicting in a case like Noa's - was that we should not be suprised if she is never able to sit on her own, to feed herself, to dress herself, to use the bathroom, to communicate meaningfully.

So I guess you could say it's been a roller coaster these last 7-years complete with hairpin turns, soaring heights, stomach dropping free falls and a lot of just click-click-clicking up seemingly endless hills without any clue of what lay beyond.

Noa learned the sign for 7 this morning and seems to get that it's a big day. We normally have a big party for her but this year things have been so crazy-busy this year. I'll be gone all of next week (send energizing vibes to Ben), then comes her mid-Winter break (including visits from Aunts, cousins and Grammy) and on the 27th we're going up to Boston for our eval at Perkins, so we've decided to make the trip to Boston into a birthday trip by staying in a hotel with a swimming pool and hot tub.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support over the years. Onward and upward!!!