Emma turned 12 last month. I was expecting 13 to be the hard year to accept, but 12 hit me like a mack truck. I give you Exhibit's A,B, and C:
Heaven have mercy on her Dad and I when the 6th grade dance hit. Emma had been looking online for a new dress. I nearly fainted when I noticed all the sites were junior's stores instead of Justice. I told her to look at girls section on Kohl's.com, which she did, then politely shook her head no at every dress I suggested. The time had come for me to get a grip on reality so we went shopping...in the junior's. I will admit that we had alot of fun, but it was tough trying not to tear up every time she tried a new dress on. Needless to say, Ej had a blast at the dance, and she looked beautiful, as usual. Steve couldn't wait for her to get home and put her cleats back on!A couple days later, Emma celebrated her actual b-day. She was such a great sport to wake up at 6:30am so we could all get ready for the Ogden Marathon. First thing in the morning, we gave her tickets to the Sept. Taylor Swift concert, and then we all headed off for the big run. Ej didn't even complain that she spent most of her birthday watching loved ones jog across the finish line--she has a huge heart. That night, she had friends over for Bieber cake, s'mores, and a movie in the backyard.
Two weeks after Emma turned 12, she had her first surgery (let's hope it's her only surgery.)Ej's had extreme pain in her foot for several months. After therapy at home, expensive shoes, and orthotics didn't work, we determined she needed to have minor, outpatient surgery to lengthen and stretch her right calf muscle. Emma was a little scared before the procedure, but she braved it like getting one high n tight at the plate. She might punch me for posting this pre-op photo but it's too cute to leave out.
She spent a full week recovering in her elevated boot, on the couch. You can see that her main nurse is not only furry but super helpful. Coot made sure she was comfortable the whole time.
And here we have her one inch incision that's healing up rather nicely:
Emma's looking forward to coming off the IR in 2 to 3 more weeks. She's decided that cheerleading on the sidelines is NOT for her. You can only imagine how much this upsets her father.So that's what happens when you turn 12 at barbie brick. Happy late birthday post to our always so sweet and gorgeous Emma Jade!
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P.S. Happy Birthday to T today also! It was hard not writing about him and our weekend of remembrance but I wanted the focus to be on Ej since she had alot happen this past month and she's constantly sharing the spotlight with others. As always, we love and miss T more than we can express.
