I thought it was a good time for a Rosie bulletin. As you see from the photos and the video from last week, she is developing quite a personality. I think that in the first two years of her life, she was so deprived of any stimulation that she had no opportunity to develop mentally. She is making up for that now! She approaches the world in a very puppy-like way, she explores and learns. Every time she goes out, gets a new toy, tries a new food, meets new people, sees new things, she grows mentally/emotionally and that experience inspires her to try something else.

Some of you have expressed concern over Rosie’s skin and rightly so! Her skin is very fragile and she will burn if not protected. I keep her covered with fabric and sunblock whenever we leave the house. She is uncovered only for photographs since it is difficult to get a nice shot in the shade and I know all of you like to see her out and about. I will never jeopardize Rosie’s skin; I have very fair skin myself and know how it is to be sunburned!

The skin on her forearms takes a beating because there is no fur there. She has leggings to protect her if we go out in the grass but she can rub her legs raw just by crawling around in her play pen or on the bed. I rub shea butter on her forearms but am looking at ways to protect her on a daily basis that won’t interfere with her movements. She desperately wants to be normal and I don’t want to deprive her of that feeling. I’ll find a balance there as she develops and she teaches me what is most important to her. In the meantime, her little forearms may look a little scratched up sometimes but it seems not phase her as this is how she has lived all her life.

Rosie’s teeth are really an issue for her when she eats. The front teeth are useless – she can’t use them to chew anything and food collects there. Plus they cut her lower lip when she closes her mouth. Her back teeth rub against her cheeks causing sores. Poor Rosie has a great appetite but it is such a chore to eat, she loses interest half way through her food. My husband took her to see Dr. Lupo today and he drew blood to check that she is healthy enough for anesthesia. If she is, then at some point this week, Dr. Lupo will put her under and pull the teeth that are causing her so much discomfort. I will let all of you know when that procedure takes place so you can be sending good thoughts and prayers her way.