touch.

Pin went to a new acupressurist yesterday. 

His name is Steve (real name, Hong). He is an hour away and I have no idea what he did to Pinny. Literally, like no idea. He touched her stomach for two seconds and then proclaimed "No dyes. Never." It was as if he was channeling 4,000 years of Chinese medicine to make that statement and I hung on his every word. So, add it to the list of things she can't consume and we will add Steve to the list of people who have touched our daughter. 

Both lists are long: 

-No gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no soy, no dye. 

-Neurologists, geneticists, physical therapists, rib cage specialists, swim therapists, developmental therapists, cranial sacral therapists, neurological chiropractors (four to be exact), holistic dentists, genetic counselors, neurological reorganization practitioners, naturopathic pediatricians, prism eye specialists, head shaping people and now, acupressurists. 

The people that have come (and gone) into our lives are brilliant, leaders in their field, out-of-the box thinkers. They are not dictated by space, time nor location. Dr. Wells', our current holistic pediatrician, office hours are Mon/Wed/Fri from 8:00-10:00. PM, that is. And she is an hour and a half away. We are so grateful for the love, care and expertise that many have poured into Pinny. But, truthfully, she is three and still not sitting up on her own. Catch me on a good day and I will say this as matter-of-factly as if I were ordering my favorite dish* at my new favorite restaurant. Catch me on a bad day, and the words come out more like a howling lament. 

The fact is, we are human. Every single world-renowned neurologist, every prism-eye specialist with five patents to her name, every dungeons-and-dragons-playing cranial sacral therapist, every gay rib cage specialist. We are all human. 

At the end of the day, we need a touch from the divine. We know this. We pray daily for this. We walk forward from appointment to appointment recognizing this. We play worship music when we need a better mind-set towards this and meditate on scripture when we need our hearts to feel this. But, something hit me today, in between oxygen therapy and reading on the ramp:

Maybe, just maybe, Jesus is waiting for a touch from me.

"When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

Mark 5:27-28

*squid ink pasta with crab meat at Dinamo's

in honor of mother's day, meet pin's tiger mom.

Who is this cute girl with Pin in all our photos?

Her name is Ynhi Nguyen (pronunced: EE-Knee as in: eenie meenie miney mo, Win) and she is a God-send.

She is our nanny, babysitter, friend, counselor, patient, taste-tester and one mean Tiger Mama (in the best way possible). When she isn't at our home, she is in class full-time becoming a nurse at Bon Secours, finishing her biology degree at VCU, doing nails at her mom's salon (bonus perk for me, too), playing volleyball at open gym, or clubbing (this is very rare...but still needs to be noted).

She helps us six days a week with neurological therapy for Pin. Five of the six days, arriving at 6:30 am to assist me & Jer in a three-person therapy called homolateral patterning. Ynhi leads with Pin's head, me and Jer, moving the sides. Some mornings, we grumble at each other. Other times, make up songs or fill in new lyrics to old tunes. But always, when the five minute buzzer sounds indicating the therapy is finished, we arouse in applause to cheer Pin on...maybe ourselves too. Most mornings, Pin swims (the pattern looks like a swim stroke) to Cuba. She always makes it right before night-fall, before the jellyfish float to the surface. She is most often swimming south in search of the Havana music scene or in a rare case, to become a world-famous cigar roller.

Ynhi demands a lot from Pin. She always does ONE MORE vestibular, oxygen therapy, etc. before heading out the door. I no longer feel behind the 8-ball every single morning...and THIS is life-changing. Meds are being pullled on-time, detox drops are dispensed, lentil soup made before 8 am. This summer, I will continue to unpack boxes downstairs, while Ynhi is doing therapy with Pin upstairs. Just typing those words feels like a weight is falling off. Ynhi is a major reason, as I said on facebook, that we are approaching a season of healing. I finally have time to face all the extras (stuff, weight, negative memories) that we keep dragging with us month after month. Her kindess, love and commitment to learn my wacky, organic, gluten-free/everything-free, unconventional therapy ways is not easy nor normal, but so appreciated.

When Pin is well, I will have God (and Ynhi) to thank.

Happy Mother's Day, TM. We love you.

triple crown party.

happy 3, pin. we adore you.