first video using our camera

Here is some video of the girls in the "summer snow." Don't worry at the end -Ashley isn't opening anything but a container of her chewable enzymes :-) She wont even eat them unless I grind them and mix them with food. She just says, "It smells good."

the I Love You book

A few days ago, Zoe asked to look through our wedding photo album. I suppose this book may have something to do with that... loosely :-)

She says the guy, on the left, "isn't happy, because he's lonely." The girl, "gets curious about him, so she sends him love." The placement of the girl to the right of the guy, inspired her to write the words, "I love you" backwards, on the second to last page. She drew an arrow to him to further illustrate the point that the girl was sending him love.

Finally, they get married on the last page, with "the flower girls on the left and the people who are invited on the right."

Zoe says her wedding, "Will have a chocolate cake with white frosting, and yellow flowers. The cursive writing will say 'marriage,' and the dress will be holded up without straps, and there will be sparkles all down it. Then I'm going to have a white crown and hair up in a ball. The wedding tables are going to be white with green leaves all around it, and two yellow flowers on the leaves. The chairs will be white leather for them to watch the wedding, and there will be a tea area, where you can get tea. It will be the tea set I got at Christmas, from Santa."

What are you going to eat? "Lasagna. Excuse me, I have to go the bathroom."

Bathroom interlude.

"Okay, what else are you going to ask me?"

My daughter talks. Miracles do happen.

This morning; Conversations with Ashley

Put this on her, please. (she says, giving me her babydoll and baby's pajamas)

(downstairs with paper and a pen) What's this say, Kelly? (I smile. She's never called me Kelly. She's also never talked like this either though ;-))

I - Love - You (pretending to write I love you)

Help please! Circle! (she wants me to draw a circle on the paper for her. I do)

Sun! (she exclaims about the circle I drew)

L - E - Y (pretending to be writing her name on the paper)

Drink, please! ("do you want a drink?" I ask) Yea. (it's only like the 4th time she's said "yea" or "yes," and all within the last few weeks)

(she throws the cup I give her)

Uh - Oh! Spilled! Sorry! ("It's okay, no throwing please.")

Bounce, bounce, bounce. (holding a soccer ball)

Catch it! Throw it! ... this is broken. ("it's not broken honey")

Watch this! (she throws the ball)

Catch it for you - thank you!

("Ashley, do you want the purple cup or the silver cup?") Purple. Thank you.

Daddy's sleeping. Tell him. ("tell him what?") I spilled. ("that's okay, no spilling")

Here Mommy. (handing me a dish towel for the spill)

It's all gone. (handing me the cup)

Excuse me. (opening the drawer behind me in the kitchen)

What are you doing? ("making cashew milk")

Jewelry box! (picking it up) Look at this! (showing me a necklace)

What are you doing? ("getting you food")

(she points) ("what do you want honey?") A cookie! ("here you go") (they're raw cookies ;-))

Where you going? ("Taking Cherry outside," says Andy) Bye!

-- This talking began a few weeks ago. Prior to this Ashley had a few phrases, like, "what are you doing," and, "where are you going," as well as single words or labeling, and echoing what other people said. We have been using solely biomedical treatments for a year and a half now. Ashley started transdermal DMSA this fall, at age 4. It was the day after her last round of chelation in December when this talking began. Then she got a stomach flu and was sick for a week over Christmas, and silent. The day she felt better, all the speech came right back. This is the first time she has gotten sick and then recovered her progress. She has been healthy and talking again for a week now.

-- Hallelujah!

Happy New Year!