Who knew a Christmas tree box would do all this?

It has been really hard to get Madi to want to practice walking.  She was struggling with it and was giving up, not really trying because it was hard.  She just could not quite figure it out.  I think part of the problem was that she was still trying to shuffle, like she did in her stander.  We'd been practicing on and off, but not as much as we should have been, as I didn't want to push her.  Yesterday I decided to put her chair out of sight and just tell her it was time to work on walking.  She and I practiced quite a bit, and then she asked to get in the Christmas tree box.  Conner had been playing in it and she wanted a turn.  I put her in and noticed that she had an easier time with walking.  She was taking a few steps on her own, without any help/support.  It's kind of crazy too because I had been fighting and fighting to not get a fake tree.  Finally I gave in this year and we bought one from Michaels.  Who would have guessed that God would have a plan for that silly box?  I called Tami, her physical therapist, and told her about it so she could see her walk in it during her session today (I had to help in Conner's class so my mom was going to be here with her for therapy).  Tami worked with her again today in it and I came home to this....

I had been down the last few days because I felt like I was failing at helping her walk and I did not know what else to try.  Who would have known God would give us such a simple answer!  I am so very proud of my little girl.  It is like the light bulb finally went off for her, and now she understands how to move her body to make walking work.  She is such a smart little cookie!  Now we are faced with the task of trying to figure out how to make her something like the box out of PVC pipe, wood, hand railing, or something of the sort so that she can use it to practice once this box falls apart (which it is quickly doing).  With my dad's help, though, we'll figure it out.  Way to go Madi!

Tonight I was thinking....

Tonight the kids and I were watching a book on storyline online before bed.  While we were sitting there, I looked over and noticed that Madi was slowly leaning over towards Conner, and at the same time, reaching to hold his hand.  Of course, boys cannot hold hands with their sisters, I mean, that's so not cool, so he pretended that he didn't notice, but did let her hold his hand.  Madi put her head on his shoulder, and I saw Conner give a little smile.  Conner is a great brother, he really is.  He is always very concerned about Madi and is always wanting to know that the doctors will not hurt her and that she will be ok.  Yes, they have their moments, but he is so sweet and gentle with her.  There are so many times he asks her if she is ok and tells her, "It's ok, Madi, I'm right here".  He gives her little hugs and kisses when he thinks no one is looking and sometimes he even lets her wear his spiderman costume or play with his favorite toy.  He seems so much more compassionate than many other kids his age.  I always knew that Madi would make me stronger and a better person, but I did not realize how much she would shape who Conner becomes.  I might be a bit biased, and I know he is only 3, but I really think that God is going to use him in a big way, and that Madi will be a big part of the man he becomes.

We're Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

We're back from California and had an awesome time!!  We did Disneyland, Legoland, and hung out at the beach.  Madi was not too fond of the rides at the parks, but thankfully we had brought her wheelchair and she had a blast zooming around and people-watching.  We knew Disney would be busy, especially on the weekend, and we were really unsure about bringing her chair, but it turned out great!  She did love "It's a Small World", but that was about it.  Vacation was fun, but being home is pretty awesome too!  Here are a few (ok, ok, a TON) of pictures from our trip.

Madi LOVED Minnie Mouse!

She also loved trying on hats

Someone made these adorable little gloves for her.  I have a hard time getting her to keep them on, but she is starting to ask for them, finally!

My favorite picture of us together.

Finally giving in and sleeping

Meeting my birth dad and his wife for the first time, very cool!

Dinner with my birth mom and half brother Nathan.  I got to meet him for the first time!  FUN!

He loves writing his name.... on everything!

Oh, I forgot, she also loved the train in Lego Land... the ONE ride she could go on!  

A swing on the beach... Madi's version of Heaven!

Conner's first bubble gum icecream.

I love this picture of David and Madi

Look at the seals in the background!

If you want to see more pictures, I made a little book for the kids.  I had a free book credit, and it sounded like fun.  Here's a link http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=704104a3321218095b2f2841c4d4a52e&sid=0AYtmTFm2ctmbio

And off topic but whenever I post, Amazon suggests I advertize with this CD.  I have no clue what it is, but it is called "The Gift" and I always find it so fitting, because Madi is such an amazing gift!

We are LOVING these "underwear"

Madi is only 2, so wearing diapers really is not a big deal for her.  Most kiddos her age still do, regardless of if they have a disability or not.  Madi was really wanted big kid underwear, like her brother, though, and frequently uses the potty, even though she is so young.  Since she is cathed 4 times a day, she really does not urinate very much any more, so I wanted to get something more grown-up for her.  I stumbled across some great training pants that look like underwear.  They start at size 18 months and go up to 5T, I believe.  I bought one pair just to try them and loved them right away.  Madi loves them too, which is even more important!  They are not waterproof, but the nice thing about that is that you don't get that "crunch" you do with PUL fabric and it makes them look even more like underwear.  There are lots of different prints you can pick from and if you message the seller, she is able to customize them for you.  I got them a little bit bigger in the rise (the part that goes from the top of one side (by your belly button) to the top of the other (at the top of your bum) and had her add in an extra layer of absorbency so they could be worn at night.  They are a little more bulky this way, but still very trim.  She split the absorbency so that they would dry faster, and it really is a great design.  Her daytime trainers are really trim under clothes, especially considering how absorbent they are.  I had her make extra snap-in liners so that if Madi pees or poos a little in them, I can just change the snap-in liner instead of the whole pair.  It makes it a little bit cheaper this way.  When she outgrows her daytime ones, I am going to switch to just these and have 1 smaller and 1 thicker liner for each pair.  Madi really loves being in underwear and calls these her "apples" because the first pair we got was of apples.  Now they are all just apples, even when they aren't :).  Wendy, the owner of The Pampered Tush, was really sweet and awesome to work with and I know we will be back!  Here is a link to her website http://hyenacart.com/ThePamperedTush/ .  Just make sure you want to order any, you order "trainers" not underwear, as those have no absorbency.  She makes boys and girls.  Oh, and I get no kick-backs for posting this, we just really love them and I thought someone out there may be searching for something like this.  Here's a picture of sweet Madi showing off her underwear.  She loves getting in to the corn starch!!

http://hyenacart.com/ThePamperedTush/

One More Check-Up... Madi's Looking Good!

Today we went to Dr. Segal, Madi's orthopedic surgeon, and he said she is looking great!  Her left leg is a little tighter than her right, like it always is, so we need to keep working on standing and walking, but other than that, her feet  and hips are good for walking :).  It's been so hard to get her to want to stand up and try to walk since her wheelchair is just faster, but we are working on it.  I don't want to push her, but at the same time, I know how important weight bearing is, so I try my best to make it fun!  Dr. Segal is a nice guy and he always sits down and chats with me for a bit after he is done checking out Madi.  Today he and I had a nice discussion about stem cells and the such.  He is going to China next year and is going to give me the real scoop then so we can decide if it is something we want to persue for Madi.  I was a bit dissapointed because I was really hoping Madi could one day get the nerve re-routing surgery to help her urinate, but turns out, there is some major stuff going on and lets just say that the research one man was publishing may not be valid.  There are some studies going on in the US, though, so I am still holding on to hope that they will figure out something that will help Madi void without being cathed. 

Oh, and just to reiterate that you should always ask "why", I have a story from today.  When I walked in with Madi (well, I should say, when Conner and I walked in and when Madi zoomed in impressing everyone within sight), the nurse told me Madi needed a hip x-ray and asked me if that was ok.  I told her "I guess so", but after thinking about it, asked why she needed one, since Dr. Segal had once told me that he did not really care if her hips were fully in or not (he explained why and it made sense).  She got all huffy with me and said she asked me if it was ok and I had said yes.  I told her that when she had asked me, I hadn't had time to think about it, and that all I want to know is why she needs one before we get one.  Though we don't pay for her x-rays, someone does, and it seemed like a waste of money.  Not to mention that there is of course some radiation with x-rays and even if it is small, I don't want it for no reason.  She told me I could talk to Dr. Segal about it and then have it done.  Turns out Dr. Segal didn't want it done, so we would have upset Madi and wasted everyone's time and money for no reason.  I'm glad I asked why!

Tomorrow we are off to Disneyland!  We're bringing Madi's little pink hot rod (wheelchair) and I know she'll have a blast crusing around.  Conner is so excited and was totally off the wall today.  Wish us luck with the car trip, and we'll update with pictures when we are home!!  WOO HOOOO!

Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl!!

Tomorrow my amazing girl turns two!  Can you believe it?!?!?!  We celebrated early on Sunday because we will be headed out of town Friday.  She loved her birthday party and has already asked multiple times for "more birthday".  Madi is such a enourmous gift to us, and we are so thankful we were blessed with her.  Here are some pictures from her big day.  She picked a 'kitty' theme.

To all my prayer warriors....

A very special little girl is going through surgery right now for a spinal shunt and detethering.  Surgery is planned to take 3-4 hours!  Please pray for Ciaran (here's her blog http://cjrileyspage.blogspot.com/) as she goes through this.  Pray that God will guide Dr. Moss's hand and that he will protect Ciaran.  Pray for minimal pain and a quick recovery.  Pray that the shunt works correctly and that it stays working and infection free.  Pray that this detethering works and that she won't need another.  She has had too many already!  Thank you for your prayers!

Update- She is out safely!  YEAH!