Have I Mentioned How Much We LOVE Ron at Hanger??? Running, Here We Come!

Today I called Hanger, where Ron works, to check up on Madi's HKFO's (yup, I'm THAT mom!). I was told they were not ready yet, and additionally Ron was going out of town and was already booked up Friday, so even if they were ready, the earliest we could get them would be September 10th. I was incredibly disappointed that we were going to have to wait that long to get them. Madi has been trying so hard to make her legs work and stand up. She has been getting very frustrated with herself, and it's heatbreaking to watch. She does not want other little girls her size around her walking and gets mad at them, because of course, she wants so badly to be doing the same. At about 4, though, I got an amazing call. Ron's assistant, Mita, was calling to tell us that not only were they done, but that Ron wants us in at 10:30 THIS Friday to come and get them! WOW! Yes, the appointment they did not have because they were booked, we got! I have to say, God is really looking out for us! He just makes things happen (with a little help from Ron, who is amazing) and I could not be more excited! I told Madi about it and she is very excited too. I will update with pictures as soon as I have them. I need to clear out the video camera too so I can film her with them on. In the meantime, here is a cute short video of Madi dancing today. She really loves music and it is adorable to watch her dance. It was taken with my cell phone, so the quality is terrible, but you get the idea....

Just Wheelin' Around

We borrowed a tiny little wheelchair from the local spina bifida association while we are waiting on Madi's chair to be made.  The kids are having a blast riding around it in.  It's not really what Madi will be getting, but it is fun anyway!  Conner wants a big one (wheelchair) for his birthday... ha!

And the winner is.....

Number 17... off to check who that is and send an e-mail.  Congrats!

Another Contest :)

I've won quite a few contests in the past and thought it would be fun to do a few of my own on Madi's blog.  I asked a few tallented friends for help, and Leslie happily offered to help me on my mission :).  Leslie is the owner of Joyful Tie Dyes (http://www.joyfultiedyes.com/) and makes super cute tie dyed items.  I have gotten quite a few cute custom shirts from her and they are always very high-quality.  I even had her make some old, ugly receiving blankets I had cute again! Leslie has offered up a beautiful playsilk that is 30" x 30".  In case you are not familiar with what a playsilk is, it is just what it sounds like!  It is a soft silk that your children can play with.  My babies liked to lay on them and chew on them.  They are perfect for peek-a-boo, and they make wonderful super hero capes.  We dance with them, they are the roofs on our lego creations, and so much more!  You will get the playsilk pictured below for free (I'll cover shipping) if you are the winner.  You can get up to 3 entries.  Please remember to leave me your e-mail address so I can e-mail you if you won.

Entry 1: Comment with who it would be for.
Entry 2: Go to Leslie's site and tell me your favorite thing http://www.joyfultiedyes.com/
Entry 3: "Like" Leslie's facebook site (yes, I'll check if you are the winner and said you did this ;) ;)) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Joyful-Tie-Dyes

Good luck!

Oh, and I will pick a winner on Sunday the 8th, sometime around 2ish in the afternoon. 

We're just 2-3 weeks away!

Madi's fitting for her HKFO's went great!  First they casted her legs individually, then her torso.  They take the casting, pour molding in them to re-create her legs, then form the material around that to make the HKFO's.  Madi was a great sport and enjoyed all the extra attention.  She showed off how she knew to point to each body part, her eyebrows, her eyelashes, etc... and threw a few signs in there too.  Ron said it is normally about a 3 week wait, but he is hoping to have them done sooner.  Have I mentioned how much we love Ron?  We were not having good experiences at Hanger until Tami told us about Ron and we started seeing him.  He builds all of her equipment himself, by hand, and does an amazing job!  Here are a few pictures of Madi during the casting. 

And the Winner IS.....

Comment #14

Congratulations!  I will e-mail you now!  Check back Monday for another fun giveaway :)

I feel like a kid in a candy store!

Tomorrow is the big day!  I take Madi at 11 to get casted for her HKAFOs (or maybe its HKFOs.....) and I am so excited, I feel like a kid in a candy store!  I had a dream about Madi walking, and I cannot wait to give her that oportunity.  I think she is going to love it once she gets the hang of it.  We already talked all about the appointment and about how they would help her "run" so she is very excited.  I will be back tomorrow with pictures, but this will give you a rough idea of what they will look like...

They will be made of AFO material, but will also have metal at the joints.  I actually do not think the above picture is very acurate, but it was all I could find.  I am hopiong they will also have a locking mechanism so that she can lock them in place to help her stabalize when she is standing still (like when she helps me cook).  I will keep you all updated!