Christmas in Oconomowoc

With an hour-long pass (Julia is forbidden all exercise) out on the grounds X'mas Eve, we walked along a rainy courtyard until we found a dark garden lit by trees and took as many pics as we were allowed by two teens and an eight year old.

Christmas Eve was difficult.  Julia, understandably, now at week three in her emergency, was worn out, having been poked at, prodded at, and talked at virtually every hour, including nights (at least in Madison) for 21 days straight.  Perspective sometimes allows the parent to try to come to grips with how we might ourselves handle such pressures. It's safe to say Julia has weathered her own storm at least as well as we ever could have, and in many many cases, genuinely better.  Rites of passage can't always be pretty, but as we hope, as we know, this one has landed and the lessons must form staying power.

 
As Julia almost always does, she rebounds quite quickly, and Christmas Day, sun (yes sun!) shining, as we walked along a trail at the pond, she expressed this might be the best Christmas she has ever experienced.  Like she said, it's weird, but she had nothing to complain about.

When we were signing out for our pass to walk outside and Julia was getting her coat, the nurse confided in us that Julia, although sometimes quiet, was always the group of girls' secret positive spirit.  I think she knows.