Starting to get excited!

Well today is only 2 months away from when I'll be arriving to China! I can't believe after all of this time we'll soon be going to get those treatments! I found out this weekend that a friend of mine, Arjay, will also be in China when I'm there, and I'm so excited about meeting him in person. His mom and my mom have been helping each other throughout this process and being there together will truly be wonderful!

I know there is still so much to do! We are just over 1/2 way to meeting our fundraising goals, and hopefully the events planned for May will be successful. We also still need to finalize our travel plans, prepare my food and medicine for the trip, as well as figure out what we're going to take as gifts/tokens of appreciation for the staff in China. So much to do and with only 2 months left, I'm sure my parents will be busy, busy, busy!

So that leaves me to soak up all the love I can from my extended family and friends before we take off. Thanks to all of you who support my family and me...whether it's with love, money, time, or just an ear/shoulder for my parents to use...every little bit helps and is much needed during this huge transition in our lives! Talk to you all again soon!

Najib

Starting to Chew!

After 2 1/2 years of sucking my food back, I have spent the last 2 or 3 days actually beginning to chew! May seem like a small accomplishment to most of you, but for it's HUGE for me--this could be the beginning of better mouth control, possible speech patterns, not to mention the ability to actually enjoy textures and flavors of food in a whole new way! I know that after my trip to China so much will improve, and I hope that eating is one of them! I have a ton of food allergies....dairy, soy, egg, nuts, peaches, plums, peas, etc., and frankly I am sick of eating mashed meat, carrots, zucchini, pears, apples, kiwi ad banana....no wonder I don't gain much weight....that's what eating healthy will do!

We celebrated my sister's 5th birthday this weekend! I love her sooooooo much! I was laughing a lot with her, and I was very happy to see her so happy! She's my favorite person in the whole world! I can't wait for the day to come when I can run around with her, and even get her back for all the "love pats" she gives me! Prepare yourself, Soraya, life after China will never be the same for you!

My mom and dad are quite busy getting everything ready for the next fundraisers (another day out at the gym on April 18th and a dinner/dance on May 2nd), so things around the house have been a bit crazed! Hopefully with the good weather around the corner we'll be able to sneak in some family walks here and there! I love going outside and feeling the wind against my face as we walk! I even get excited when I see my coat or shoes because I know what's coming next!

Ok, well that's all I have for now! Hopefully the next fundraisers will be a huge success and my family can focus on enjoying life to its fullest!