I love finding little things that work so well!

Today we went to Costco and Madi HAD to bring her wheelchair. I mean HAD to. Normally we are reluctant to bring her wheelchair in a store because she gets very excited about doing tricks and showing off and forgets to look where she's going. I am afraid in a grocery store with smaller isles (we do lots of Sprouts shopping), she will knock things off the shelves. Costco seemed like the perfect place to take it, though, so we did. We were zooming around (which, let me tell you, is hard to do when everyone has to stop you and tell you how cute your daughter is or talk to her. Trust me, I don't mind, it's just something I have to remember to plan for. Madi eats up the attention!) and I saw a little collapsible table for sale. It looked exactly the right size for what I wanted for Madi, which was something big enough to eat on, do crafts on, etc... but also easy to store and easy to move around from room to room and outside. I got a little closer and saw it had an adjustable height! I was so excited! I had been looking online and wheelchair accessible collapsible tables are wayyyyyy more expensive than they should be (we are talking at least $90 to $100 for the cheapest and smallest models) and I was wanting a cheaper solution. I adjusted the height and Madi fit under it perfectly. The table legs were not in the way at all.  She also has room to grow with it, which is awesome. The best thing of all, though, was the price. It was just a little over $19! What a steal! I know it's silly, but I am so excited about it! It is this one but was half the price in the store. Madi is very excited about her new table too, which I think is adorable! Pictures to come shortly :).

We are on the charts again!!!

Today Madi had her 2 year well visit at the pediatrician and we are proud to announce..... her weight is on the charts again!!  She was always in the low percentiles (3 or 1) then just fell off all together.  Well, she's back on :).  The doctor was never worried, especially because she looks so healthy and has a little plump to her, but it's nice to have her back on.  Her nice little noggin is always well into the 40 or 50th percentile.... just goes to show you how smart she is ;)

We found it!!!!

Problem solved!  My friend Stacy works as an early interventionist locally.  She read my post about needing something similar to our Christmas tree box that would help Madi with walking and standing.  She knew of someone local that made a product called the First Toddle system.  It is a 5-in-1 system designed to work for babies on up to preschool age children (and even beyond that I'm told).  I e-mailed the company and the owner got back to me quickly.  We talked quite a bit and I decided to use Madi's amazon associates money and give it a try.  It works perfect!!  Today was the first day using it, but Madi really loves it!  In fact, she threw a huge two-year-old fit when it was time to get out.  The nice thing about this system is that it has 3 different height adjustments so it can grow with your child.  Madi fits perfectly right now on the lowest height setting.  I had been contemplating making one for Madi out of PVC pipe, but I loved that this one was pre-made and would grow with her.  I'm all about simple these days ;).  It is a tad shorter (length-wise) than I was wanting, but that's an easy fix.  Early in January, they are going to be adding an extension kit you can buy for a little over $20 that will make it longer.  The owner wasn't sure if using two extension kids would make the product to weak or not, so I think I will try extending it out by 1 first and seeing how that goes, then possibly trying 2 extension sets to see if it is durable enough.  Madi is barely over 20 pounds so she really does not apply too much weight to it.  The one improvement I would make to it would be the width.  The width fits madi perfectly right now and it also fits Conner, but at some point, she will outgrow it  It would be awesome if the width was adjustable just like the height is.  Overall, I'm really happy with it and I'm so glad Madi is too!  I haven't set up the hockey net yet, but Madi is loving the basketball hoop.  I love that it has a little table you can velcro right on top  It's really neat to be able to have Madi up standing and being able to do activities at the little table.  Even though it's small it is still big enough for playdough or coloring, snacks, etc....  I haven't tried the mat that comes with the set yet either, as I have been using a cushioned mat we got at a local consignment store, Hissyfits (LOVE their stuff!!)., but I'll give it a try tomorrow so I have feedback on that part of it too.Oh, and did I mention it is lead and BPA free?  Here is a link to the website (right now they have a 10% off promotion with free shipping):

http://www.firsttoddle.com/

And, yes, you can purchase it on Amazon.com.  Just make sure that you pick which color accessories you want, as you can get pink, blue, or a mixture.


I took a picture of Madi playing in it tonight but I used my camera on my phone which takes pretty crummy pictures.  I'll try to get a few better pictures tomorrow so that it's easier to see how it works.  I love that she once again loves standing and walking!!  Another big "thank you" also for everyone who uses Madi's link when they shop at Amazon.com.  The money we get from there allows us to get things for Madi that would normally be out-of-pocket expenses for us and those really add up fast!  We try to spend the money wisely and use it for things that help improve her quality of life.  It is such a blessing to have it there to spend when we find something special for our special little angel!  THANK YOU!

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/