A Smile Lost & Found

Last winter we had family pictures taken. It was the first time all five of us posed together as a group for photos! We had a lot of fun that day, and afterwards we kept saying how we wished we'd done it sooner. Little did we know just a couple of days after this, those photos would come to mean even more.

Later that week, Ellie came down with a mild virus we thought at the time was just a cold. However, she ended up with painful blisters in her mouth and the doctor said she most likely had coxsackievirus that would go away on its own. So we took her home and kept her comfortable. She seemed like she was getting much better. Then after her nap one afternoon, she started to cry and I noticed right away something was wrong with her face. The right side wasn't moving at all. It looked like she was crying with only half of her face. We were very scared. Immediately we thought something terrible was going on. We worried she may have had a stroke.  

It turned out she had Bell's Palsy, facial paralysis caused by swelling of the facial nerve. It is a fairly rare complication that can arise from having coxsackievirus, especially if one has an upper respiratory infection at the same time. The doctors said it would most likely resolve on its own within a month or two, but there was the possibility of lasting nerve damage. We called it "the time Ellie lost her smile." 

These new family photos were suddenly even more precious to us:

We were now so grateful we'd had them taken. We wondered if they might be the last photos we had of her with her sweet full smile. We hoped and prayed every day for her smile to come back. We were so thankful she was healthy again, but her missing smile was a constant reminder to us just how precious the health of one's family members is. Even after all this time, when I see pictures of her without her smile I still feel the weight of all the emotions we had then. There is still the pang I felt, and the memories of wishing so fervently for that little smile to reappear. 

      

Her little smile gradually did come back, and then one day it was just there again like nothing had ever happened. We continue to be so very grateful that that smile we love so much was found again :)

House Hunting and the Seattle Half Marathon

November of 2011 was a momentous month for our family as we prepared for our big move, and for me as I got ready to complete the goal I'd set for myself as a runner. First, we journeyed 3,000 miles to the other side of the country in search of a new house. It was a time of happiness, sadness, excitement and stress all rolled into one. In a week's time we saw over thirty houses, and though we didn't wind up with our first, or even second choice, the house that has come to be ours seems to be the one that was meant for us all along. It isn't big or fancy, but it is homey and just the right size for us. It sets on a quiet cul-de-sac in a nice neighborhood. We love the schools the girls attend, we have kind neighbors, and a spacious backyard that we all adore. So despite all the uncertainty and anxiety that went into getting here, we've found ourselves in just the place it seems we were meant to be.

The house that was meant for us

The backyard we are all so fond of

After finding this house, which we were hoping would be the perfect home for our family, but not yet entirely sure of that, we returned to the Pacific Northwest one last time. It would be the final month in our old home, a month of good-byes, packing, preparation, and anticipation.

Throughout our whirlwind house-hunting trip that took up the middle of November, I didn't get much running in. I guess it's a good thing it was time for a little tapering in my training plan at that point. November also marked the month I was completing my goal of running three half marathons in three months. The Seattle race would be the capstone of my mission. Earlier, Jay had surprised me by having sweatshirts made for the girls that said, "Go, Mama, Go!" They were going to be my own personal cheering squad for the race. Talk about being one lucky mama!

The Seattle marathon falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I got to experience the joy of running in the heart of Seattle's cold and rainy late fall weather. As luck would have it, wind got thrown into the mix too. Despite all of that, and running for the first time in a new rain jacket (I try to never run a race wearing something I haven't tried out before) it was a pretty great race. I was only four minutes off my PR, and considering my wonky training schedule in the weeks before, the hills along the course, and the weather, I couldn't have been happier. And of course, the very best part was my wonderful family, there to greet and congratulate me as I crossed the finish line. Three races, three months, mission accomplished! And a new house to boot!

Posing with my cheering squad