Super Panda

Amanda's Cousin Isaak is eight months older than she is. He calls her
"Panda". I have always loved this as I have called her Manda Panda since
before she was born. Seeing how well she has done through the NICU and now
through her cancer treatments we have started calling her Super Panda. It
seems to fit really. (I envision a sort of cartoon like the recent Kung Fu
Panda with a mask and super-hero cape.) She seems to always come out with
the best case scenario. Her heart defect healed itself, her eye doctor says
if you didn't know she was a preemie you wouldn't be able to tell by looking
at her eyes (her glasses are the result of a congenital birth defect not
related to her prematurity). She has passed every hearing screening, even
after they gave her chemo which could result in hearing loss. Her
vocabulary, while slow to start, has picked up speed at a surprising rate.
She is smart and funny and...fearless. All the makings of a good super-hero.
She acknowledged this herself the other day while getting settled into her
car seat. She called herself Super Manda! (Grammy believes this stemmed from
her recent viewing of a Sesame Street video in which SUPE-R Grover played a
large part.)

She proved herself invincible once again on Sunday when we took her to
CenterPointe Mall to play in their kiddie play area. She decided to LEAP
off the top of the slide instead of simply sliding down. HOLY CRAP!!! I
saw her poised at the top, knees bent, arms back, looking like a skier on
the slopes. I yelled her name and started towards her JUST as she took off.
(Though she has passed all of her hearing screenings, LISTENING is a skill
she has yet to master.) Luckily, she landed on her butt about half-way down
the slide and slid the rest of the way down. I scooped her up at the
bottom, still terrified, but she was fine. Another parent said she was glad
her daughter had not seen it, as she would probably try to follow suit. Note
to self: Stand next to the slide!

As impressed as I am with our girl, I wonder how many times she can tempt
fate! Even Superman needed help from time to time when the kryptonite got
too close.

Mere :0)

Please visit our website for the March of Dimes, March for Babies.
www.marchforbabies.org/AmandaRileySoddy