My Dad's surgery went very well today. The surgeons feel they removed all the tumour and that it is likely benign. It will be sent to pathology to confirm this diagnosis. This is wonderful news! Hopefully Dad's recovery is smooth.

We had a Christmas photo shoot on Sunday - here are some of the pictures.

Today the girls had a couple of appointments in London. Lucy had her ears tested again this morning. This time she passed with flying colours. She had to turn her head in response to sounds at various levels, and she had no difficulties this time. We just have one more screening with each of the girls in six months, and then no more hearing tests until they go to school.

In the afternoon, we were at the Developmental Follow-Up Clinic at St. Joe's for the girls year corrected appointment. They were weighed at this appointment and there was not a lot of change. The stomach flu from last week may have something to do with that. Ella is now 18lbs13oz and Lucy is 14lbs11oz. Ella is the tenth percentile for growth and Lucy is well below the 3rd percentile for her corrected age.

Ella is right on target developmentally, doing everything a full term year old baby is expected to do. Lucy is still behind; she has been very far below the developmental curve since she came home. While she is improving, it is at a very slow pace. Today she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This is very common in pre-term babies and is a medical condition that effects control of the muscles. Lucy has a mild form of the condition and it only seems to be present in the bottom half of her body. She has excellent fine motor skills and her arms don't seem to be impacted. We will continue working with our physiotherapist and occupational therapist to ensure Lucy has every opportunity to continue to develop her abilities. Lucy herself is very motivated and determined to move, this will be her biggest strength as she faces new challenges.

We learned in the NICU that every baby is different, and that every baby will face different challenges. We are so thankful that we have two beautiful, bright, happy, and healthy girls. Whatever the future may bring, we feel that we are the most fortunate people in the world to be parents to Ella and Lucy.

As the girls are now approaching their corrected birthday of one year on Saturday, the time has come to bring this blog to a close. I will post some holiday photos on their corrected birthday, and then there will not be any new posts. Life continues to get busier and more full as the girls grow, and there is less time for posting. We have appreciated the support, prayer, and good wishes from everyone who has followed us on our journey through the waters.