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           As Eden gets older her disease gets more and more noticeable. She is now 14 months old, when she sits upright in her pram she looks so normal. I go into town with her all the time and into stores, people 'goo' at her and some even start asking me questions; "how old is she? OH, has she started walking yet? Does she crawl? What can she do?" All the dreaded questions at once from a perfect stranger. "nothing. She cant."
The reactions are different, from sorrow to disbelief. I'm getting used to it now. I have to because shes getting bigger and soon everyone will know. I wont be able to pretend.
          When we first found out Eden had SMA the people around us dealt with it differently.Some with a realistic hardness. Some with over optimism, that everything will be okay if we just believe it to be that way. While others kind of disappeared not knowing what to say or how to react.
My mum told me a story once of a friend of hers who had just lost someone and how she saw her friend walking down the street towards her, panicked and crossed the street. Feeling guilty she crossed back over and without knowing the 'proper' things to say gave her a big silent hug. She recalled that years latter she bumped into this same friend and how her friend remembered that hug and how much it meant to her. She had seen my mum cross over and appreciated her coming back.
I'm realizing now that when something happens and you say to yourself, they will call me when they are ready to talk, is all wrong. Most people even if they don't want to talk at that particular moment appreciate that you are thinking of them :) I realize that all my previous assumptions were wrong and i really appreciate all the people who made sure to call all the time!
         Eden is doing really well! Such a chatterbox.When we eat i usually put the radio on in the background and the other day i noticed that she was singing something and suddenly i realized it was the radios jingle 'gal gal gal galatz' each time after a song it comes on and she sings with it! i couldn't stop laughing.
She also just started hydrotherapy with a new instructor. I'm really happy about it. Eden likes her and i think its going to be good.