From: Kraig Warnemuende <ad6075@wayne.edu>

Date: Fri Nov 28, 2003 11:16:32 PM America/Detroit

To: Kraig Warnemuende <ad6075@wayne.edu>

Subject: 11-28-03 Update from Kraig, Loren and Keren

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy belated Thanksgiving! We hope you had a blessed day, filled with good food, loving family, and things to be thankful for!

Kraig and I couldn't help but keep comparing this year with last. Last year we were just beginning to have problems with feeding Keren--she was spitting up a lot and we didn't have any idea why, not to mention the bottle was taking a LONG time. That was just one stress in the scheme of things....I remember we were exhausted! When I think back on Thanksgiving, though I remember the warmth of family, I can't help but feel like there was a dark pall over that day.... It was tough, to say the least! And yet we were so thankful for Keren and the time we had had with her at that point!

What a difference this year! We still don't know the future, but that's no different from anyone really. Keren is doing very well, and growing and developing in many ways. We didn't have to worry about whether she got enough food--just hooked up the feeding tube when it was time to give her something, and all of us got to keep hanging out and visiting. Keren played with aunts and uncles, and scattered her smiles and frowns liberally :) . And Thanksgiving Day was even more special in that it was Keren's fourteen month birthday!

We've had a lot of things going on in the two months since Keren's birthday. I think the doctor appointments are finally slowing down a bit, but other activities have been picking up. We still have physical therapy one-on-one once a week, and then there's a group therapy time on another day. I've been able to get back to my watercolor painting class for about a month now, and have been able to cart Keren with me. This has been a wonderful release--my little creative outlet!--but it does mean another morning that we're out and about. I've also been trying to put in about three hours a week (with Keren in tow) at our church's school's library. That's been nice to pick up again, too, but again, another time out. I have to consciously plan the calendar week so that there's at least one day where Keren doesn't have to go anywhere (not to mention me!).

It seemed like Keren made some big developmental leaps just after her birthday. In addition to getting three more teeth, she's been babbling a lot more with new sounds, and she's much more active. About a month ago she figured out how to roll from her back onto her front, but only does it to the right, so we keep working with her so she'll go left as well. It's so funny to watch her do it! She'll roll over as soon as we walk away from her, and then she'll work and work at trying to get up on her arms. Upper body strength is still less than her legs, but it's coming along. Just tonight she managed to get up on knees and elbows with her head up for a second. I think the greatest thing about it is that she's working at it! I'm sure there are other things she's doing that I'm forgetting....I'll have to save those for another time.

Kraig's plugging away at his work at Wayne State University. This fall he's teaching a class and has been really enjoying it (it's the third time he's taught this class and has a good group this year). He's also still working on a project for his profs, which hopefully he'll be able to stop soon so he can focus on his dissertation. We're looking till at least the end of next summer before he's finished (and that's kind of hopeful!).

My parents and sister Carrie have been traveling a lot in the past two months--common for this time of year. As a result, my dad is continually amazed by what Keren's doing (we try to tell him that she's been doing these things for a while, but you know how grandfathers are :) !) We just spent a few days with my sister Jessie and her husband Brian who was up from North Carolina doing job searches. We're praying he finds something soon! We're still praying for Kraig's older brother Kevin who's been job-searching for a year now. He and his wife, Mandie, and daughter, Abby, are heading to Dallas, TX, from Oklahoma in the next few weeks where Mandie's job has been transferred. They hope that there will be more of a job field for Kevin there as well. The other stress for them right now is that Mandie just had back surgery and is trying to recuperate. Kraig's younger sister Kat and her husband Ryan just moved from Arizona to Texas, where Ryan is in the military--he'll be deployed most likely end of January..... Meanwhile, back in our area, it's been great having Kraig's brother Kris and his wife (of five months now!), Katrina, just down the road. They're house-searching at the moment and we're hoping they won't have to move too far away! Kraig's folks have continued their work in Mali and we'll be able to see Dad W. briefly in January when he comes back for some annual training. To say the least, all of the family is moving and shaking right now--and I haven't even touched on the extended family!!!!

Anyway, enough of all that! Hope to hear from you all when you can. We'll be updating Keren's web-page soon and will let you know when we do.

Much love,

Loren for the clan :)