Emily Likes

Because Emily had multiple disabilities, most of which were quite severe, many times people think of her as a child who couldn't do anything, or who was sick all the time. Sometimes I feel when describing her to people that it sounds like we knew she was going to die very young. Which we didn't. I honestly thought she would be with us much longer than she was, at least until she was 8, hopefully longer. It frustrates me when people say, "You're lucky to have had her as long as you did." I actually have gotten so I kind of want to smack them.  Though I know they have good intentions, and so I don't!    I can say that I'm lucky, and Robby can say that, but nobody else can say that.  If she would have lived a day or until she was 20 it wouldn't have been long enough. I believe in Heavenly Father's plan and that she died when she did for a reason, and so I don't choose to dwell on it, but please don't tell me how lucky I am.  By telling me I am lucky to have had her as long as I did makes me feel like  I shouldn't be so sad because I'm "lucky." I am lucky to be Emily's mom. Tell me that, and I will agree with you!

So I wanted people to know a little bit more about what Emily liked, and didn't like. She LOVED deep voices. Her uncle Kacey has a very deep voice and she was always very happy listening to him talk. 

There was a young man in our ward who would bless the sacrament with a very deep voice. Emily always got super excited and alert when she would hear him. it was great! The band on her head is her hearing aid. She had moderate hearing loss without it and heard pretty good with it. 

Emily loved sugar. She loved candy canes and would suck on them and even hold them. I loved it when she got sticky, just like any other kid does eating a candy cane. 

Emily's most favorite activity of all time was rolling on the ground. She would roll back and forth, back and forth, and when she was 18 months she learned how to roll over. We loved watching her roll across the room. When she was 3, like in this picture, she was also getting up on her knees and rocking back and forth. But she couldn't see very well and so she never really learned to keep her head up. These are her cousins. 

Robby would always roar and whistle in her ear to let her know that Daddy was home, since she couldn't really see. Hearing was her best Sense. She would always get super excited and do this super cute deep laugh, and sometimes roar back. 

Emily loved bananas. She would eat bananas and peanut butter all the time. She also loved scrambled eggs and ketchup, and once she was on a high fat-low carb diet to help with her seizures it became scrambled eggs and salsa.  She was really good with her signing when it came to eating and could sign Eat, More, Finished, and Milk.  She also signed Mom, Dad, hearing aid. She learned to say Da for Dad and Ma for mom, and did say Mom a few times. 

Emily loved to have her thumb in her mouth, even when she was eating.  It seemed to help her to chew her food. And it also was nice when she was doing that instead of grinding her teeth. Which she also loved to do. 

Emily loved sweets. This picture was taken after my brother John's wedding reception, where she at 3 cupcakes.  We were outside and I fed her one and she kept asking for more. I was so excited she was acting like a 3 year old, eating as many cupcakes as she could! She was very hyper afterward (like in this picture). She also loved snickerdoodle cookies, and would help me make them. I would have her help me make cookies by touching and smelling the ingredients. Molassas cookies are great for that. 

She would get very messy eating. She was about 20 months in this picture. 

 She and I made pudding. 

 And ate the pudding. 

 I can't tell you how happy this made me-her rolling to get stuck under the bed. 

I will add more to this list-she loved her Chromosome 18 family, her grandparents, and her primary class, her sister Lily. And hopefully find more pictures. I sure miss her!