Best of 2011

It's been a big year.  Maya started walking (see posts 3, 8a, and 8b), magically learned letters, was obsessed with vultures, then dragons, now alligators.  She started preschool and turned from a toddler into a little girl (who still toddles).  The blog won an award.  We were able to fundraise all of the money needed for Maya's exome sequencing in 6 hours, and you generous folks kept donating, raising an additional $1,050 that will help another undiagnosed child (or children).

2011 was a good year :)

Here are the top posts that were written in 2011, ranked by number of reader comments. (I was going to do 10, but there were a lot of ties, so it grew to 15) 

1. We Are More Thankful Than You Are 
(Why gratitude is sometimes sweeter for parents of kids with special needs)

2a.  For the therapists, from the mom
(An open letter to the therapists who come to our homes to work with our kids)

2b.  The Balance 
(In which I try to figure out how to balance therapy with real life)

3.  Simple certainty & Kristi Yamaguchi.  Wait, what?  Kristi Yamaguchi? 
(I realize that how people see Maya is totally not what I see, and that maybe I finally understand Kristi Yamaguchi's parents.)

4a .  He's just not that into us (doctor style) 
(Reflections on another genetics appointment, during which the doctor tries to break up with us and I won't let him--the plight of the undiagnosed family.)

4b. My kid is nonverbal, we use an iPad, and I still didn't like that piece on 60 Minutes 
(A response to 60 Minute's "Apps for Autism" piece)

5a. Life, Undiagnosed (and how I've come to be ok with that)
(My evolving stance on being undiagnosed, from the moment of the first "she needs genetic testing" phone call to the present)

5b. After the Airpost: Reflections, and the Boats of Acceptance
(A one-year-later follow up piece to Amsterdam International)

5c. We've got some medical news (part 1)
(In which I recount Maya's genetic journey and lay the foundation to tell you guys about exome sequencing)

6. Pull up a chair
(The tale of our assistive tech re-evaluation, written in an you're-right-there-in-the-room-with-us style.)

7a. We said we'd walk together, baby, come what may . . . 
(On our 5th anniversary, I look at our wedding pictures for the first time, and put together a post made up of them, so you can "come to our wedding" too.)

7b.  Behind the scenes: The making of the 2011 holiday card
(The blooper reel from our photo shoot.  My sister said it's the "funniest post you've done in a long time.")

8a. Hold on to these moments as they pass
(I realize that some day I won't remember when Maya used a walker, and a video of her taking a few wobbly steps.)

8b. See Maya walk.  Walk, Maya, walk! 
(The first day that she really, really walks.  Right across the apartment.  On video.  Amazing!)

8c. First day of preschool! 
(A video montage of Maya's first day of preschool)


It was fun to go back and look at these, and to really see (in the pictures and videos) how far a year has brought us.  Here's to 2012 :)