the baby with really good timing.

on this day one year ago (1/11/11) the littlest member of my family was born. Chloe Elizabeth Burch. a true mircale baby. when that lady hit Jens car while you were in her tummy and she had like 4 surgeries and all that and you got through without a scratch? thats when we knew you were special. Then when the doctors said you had gastro and you had to come early so they could put your intestines back and kicked some butt? youre so cute. Today is your first birthday and i honestly dont remember what life without you was like. I love you Chloebean<3

Last Year

two thousand and eleven. a year of bests and worsts, new experiences, strengths i never thought possible, and love to get us through it all. this. is my two thousand and eleven in pictures.


January- we start of the new year with a baby. a baby with gastroscisis no less but still a baby.

she spent her entire first 3 months in the hospital in burlington fighting a battle in her tummy. until:

our baby came home at three and a half months old. and shes still here. what a little sassy girl.

February: was uneventful. we started planning the spaghetti dinner:

didnt get that far(:

March: MY BIRTHDAYYY!!!!! my last party. mother wont allow anymore. not even a sweet 16:( March was mostly a month of family and school. the rents went to florida and we stayed at my grandparents visiting with my baby (and not so baby) cousins:

April: april. was. hard. in april aunt barb died. on april second. the first day of break and my moms birthday. we went out to dinner; me, my parents, kelly, and nina and derb. we decided we were going to have a good time because we know thats what she would want us to do. we talked about turkeys flying and heaven that day. i earned myself a new sentimental kitty from harmony kingdom because aunt barb collected them, each of the four of us cousins got one. 

but also in april was the spaghetti dinner that we worked so hard on planning, me, kelly, and nat. we made flyers, baked cookies, made 2093482039 salads,

 and raised a total of 2,000 dollars for team emma gemma! what a wonderful day

may: with finals ahead and summer so close may was quick, thankfully uneventful after a horrible april.

June. the END to freshmeat. thank GOSH. one of my beautiful bestfriends came home(:

and i passed my geometry regents with flying colors!

july brought the vineyard:

and along witht that comes relaxation, tanning, bathing suits, the ocean, and alpacas:

it also brought a growing baby with a huge smile 

and hard work prepin for the upcoming benefit.

plus a nice trip to miss Taylor Swift with sam in canada(:

august brought the same as july but the nearing of the end of summer. so with one last dip we put away the boogie boards and start shopping for school

and then september, sophomore year starts and its back to the old teachers and homework. but this septtemeber is the prepping month, with Rockin for Rett 3.0 right around the corner, every weekend im making cookie dough for hundreds of cookies:

and then it arrives, on September 23rd we set up the balls in the tent,

pack up all our stuff and prepare for take off. September 24th is a day that i will always remember, raising around 21000 dollars for our cure (1000 with my bake sale!) and spending quality time with families that really understand:

october is a month of homework and coming down off a RFR high 

November is the month of the turkey, we do thanksgiving right here at the dalton household:

and december, Christmas. even though December got tough seizure wise christmas was still christmas, we molded it to our own special christmas just sitting by the tree and taking goofy family pictures

December ends and january begins but theres still things that i said would happen in 2011 that didnt. wishes on stars and clocks that didnt come true. people unforgotten. so in 2012 i will make the wishes come true, and im going to do it FOR the people unforgotten and the people suffering i love. 2012? year. of. the. cure. 

Its hard.

Sometimes all you can do is hope.

When you’ve hit the cold gray stones of rock bottom and nothings going right, all you can do is hope.

When life takes a wrong turn down that bumpy dirt path instead of the smooth paved highway, all you can do is hope.

When you look at us you see a family.

Were strong like a brick wall, bonded together by the cement that is our genes.

You see the maniac parties we throw and the good times we have together teasing and giggling.

But what you don’t see is the fear that soon we will be one less and soon we will be making plans to place her little body under the green grass and warm dirt.

When you look at us you see a powerful force, as strong as the allies in World War II.

Four cousins,:all brunettes, one brown eyed, and three blue, trying not to be afraid.

All the aunts and uncles, holding their fear coated breath but pretending to be strong.

The grandparents, wise and caring but knowing that not everything works out in the end.

But what you don’t see are the nights that our force is breaking down, sobbing until the morning.

Were not like other families because we've been cursed.

Cursed with the shaking, the aching, and the little girl taking.

Its not fair to us and its not fair to her but there's only one thing that we can do.

Hope.

When her frail body is sitting in your lap, limp and wordless

and all of a sudden she starts convulsing, and loses control

and its taken over by the electricity in her brain, there's only one thing you can do,

Hope.

When she turns five years old and has to be fed her birthday cake through a tube.

Or that moment that you realize that she wont ever say those three words that everyone longs to hear 'I love you'

And when you become aware of the fact that shell never race towards you and jump into your arms because shes strapped into a metal chair with big black wheels, only one thought comes to mind.

Hope.

When she has to move her eyes to the pre-programed pictures on the device made to let us hear her thoughts just to “say” one simple word in the voice of a woman ten times older than she is,

or when she cries for hours on end and you ask why with no response but the salty wet tears rolling out from her eyes.

And even when you’re awoken at two am to hear her precious infectious giggle for no reason except for the fact that her brain doesn't work, you're thinking one thought,

Hope.

We hope for the cure, spending countless afternoons helping to fund it

so we can have her back. So shell be free from the trap we call her body.

We hope for one more day, and instead of looking to the future we look to tomorrow

and hope she makes it through the night and keeps up with this fight.

We do the things for her that she cant do for herself.

The talking, the walking, the eating or even the greeting.

Were stronger than we look and more fragile than we seem.

But we all have the same reason to live, Emma.

For the sad.