Six months ago today...

It's hard to believe it was exactly six months ago that we found out Summer had a brain tumor and she was undergoing her first brain surgery. It's even harder to believe that I had to write 'first' brain surgery because she's had two in that six-month timeframe. Add a little chemo to top it off...talk about a whirlwind!

Six months sounds like a very short time, but it feels like ages. I can't even remember what it was like not to worry about a brain tumor and how it will affect all of us for the rest of our lives.

We've been confronted with that worry every day. Is she rubbing her eyes because her vision has changed or is she just tired? Is she cranky because she has a headache from the tumor growing or is she just being two? Is she peeing a lot because she's developed Diabetes Insipidus or is that just how much she drank today?

We know there will be more hard times ahead, so we've been doing our best to keep things light and have fun every day. Sometimes that means we strip her down and let her finger paint on herself and the kitchen floor. Other times it's french fries and milkshakes for dinner, or covering the bath tub with crayon scribbles almost every night.

In that six months, Summer has gone from being a baby to a kid. She is active and very opinionated, and such a strong little girl. She turned two, learned a million new words, got potty trained and played hard. She loves to help cook dinner or make birthday cakes in her play kitchen, run laps around the house, and paint. She doesn't seem to be fazed at all by this whole thing, and we are so thankful for that.

Here's a little taste of our dynamic baby big girl: