As our kids develop so do their needs, their interests, and their curiosities.  One positive aspect of SMA is that it does not hinder its victims mentally.  They are allowed to grow and mature alongside their peers and siblings, without missing a beat. With this mental development come many aspects of the human experience.  Self-awareness and exploration being two of them.  Ella is becoming no stranger to these facets of life and she acts upon her new-found "mentality" full force. Lindsay and I are still carrying Ella.  We carry her to the bathroom, we carry her upstairs, we carry her from the bath to the changing table, we carry her to bed.  We carry her downstairs to the basement for play, and carry her every time she needs to move and her wheelchair won't suffice.  While she is in our arms she often times takes the opportunity to give us a kiss on the cheek...sometimes several.  Most of the time words are absent from the kiss yet occasion...

She followed us all day long. She never really let us out of her sight as she whined about this and whimpered about that. We made sure a good amount of nutrition was given to her and that she was hydrated. We went about our daily routines hoping that she would find her way back to “normal” soon. We went for a walk thinking maybe some fresh air and movement would do her some good...to no avail. Evening came, and soon after, dinner was coming to a close. She still acted strangely as the plates were being cleared, the glasses being rinsed, and the food put away. “Maybe she needs a hug?” inquired Ava. I squatted down to meet her at eye level and said, “C’mere Sasa”. She ducked her tail under and nuzzled her face into my body. Lindsay, Ava, and I gave her hugs for a long time. She went from one to the other several times over the course of 15 minutes. Upon completion of the “hugging” session she was just fine. I find it amazing how Ava so naturally knew that Sasa needed some ...