Cookin' Mama

It's come to my attention that brad really misses the "home-cooked, dinner on the table with the family" meals. I had just gotten so wrapped up with Grace and all her therapies and my lack of energy that I had stopped, and we were pretty much eating by ourselves whenever we were hungry. So I've started up cooking again, and I've had a menu set up for a while now that has a different meal every day for one month, and we just continue to go by that menu as the months go on (that was the plan anyways). So I'm back to that. We've had cooked meals together for about 5 days now, minus our date night "In N Out" meal last night! Tonight is Tamale Pie with Corn Fritters on the side and I'm excited to say this is my first time making both! Mmm...sounds good too! We'll see how it turns out. The fun thing about the menu is that it's all from food storage food, so we don't have to shop for anything for the meals. And now that we have a $60 a month budget for anything we need, I'm glad we have chickens for eggs and powdered milk! And I'm also glad I have tubs of butter in the freezer so we don't have to buy much of anything! And $60 a month is definitely doable, because there's nothing we need that's not food items, and food item wise we don't need anything at this point so we're good!


Amanda

Grace is on the Mend

I am happy to update that there have been no more fevers for little Grace for 2 days now!! YES!! I am so relieved! She's been taking her amoxicillan two times a day, and we've also started her on her Miralax again, which we probably shouldn't have stopped...because she hasn't voided in 2 days. DARNIT! But we'll get her back on track for that. I was supposed to take her in for an e-ray of her bowels/chest on Tuesday, but keep forgetting. Grr. She's got a worse cough, actually it's so bad I don't want to take her out in public, and still has her runny nose, but the nose isn't nearly as bad. So we will just continue to hold off on any therapy, let her rest when she's tired and eat when she's hungry, and hopefully all these yucky things will go away soon! She's got an MRI on the 14th but I think I'm going to have to cancel it again because of the nose, but I will call on Friday and see what they say. She's also been getting up around 1-2 am every day for the past three days or so, and actually this morning was the only time she didn't. So I'm hoping she's not getting into a routine with that... Otherwise, we're doing great!!


Amanda

Dehydrated Eggs

SO this so isn't on the topic of Grace but I had to share! My friend Pam sent me a link on how to dehydrate your own eggs, and since I've got the LOVELY Excalibur dehydrator...I thought I would try it out!!! So 16 hours later I've got about 1/4 of a cup of dehydrated eggs! I'm so excited! I just made a small batch to see if it would turn out, and because it did...I will obviously be making more! YES!
Amanda

February 10th

Going out of your comfort zone to make someone else feel comfortable is one way to show the love of God to people.

I can say I've definitely done this more recently, especially since Grace has been teaching me so many new traits I didn't know I had. She's taught me how to use my voice, talk to others I probably wouldn't, and comfort those I would be too shy to! She's taught me that it's ok to be nervous but you just gotta keep trying to push that comfort zone, just like she does every time she leans to reach something even though she's scared. I am getting to the point where I'd rather have others comfortable and me out of my comfort zone than the other way around...especially since my comfort zone is SO closed off from anyone else!

Grace's Vocabulary Progress

So I'm happy to say that Grace knows how to say "out" and "up"!!! Oh yeah, you go girl! She can also say, "Daddy out," but we really have to work hard on getting them out one right after the other! So that's super exciting to see that she's making strides in speech, as that's the one area (other than walking, pottying, eating...etc) that we were concerned about. Of course, we are starting to notice she'd rather sign than talk, so we are working on vocalizing while signing. But WOW!! Out and up!! YES!! I can now turn the water off when her bath is over and she will stop what she's doing, turn to me and say "out...out." How smart is that???!!!! And I say, "Yes Grace, time to get out." And so what's she do? Crawls over to me, climbs up to standing, and waits for me to wrap the towel around her! I'm floored, and have to pick my jaw up off the floor every time!


Amanda

Valentine Countdown Day 9!!!

So I've totally slacked off on Grace's bag...I mean, I have tons of stuff to give her, but took the bag off the door handle and didn't put it back on! Anywho, I made her that new nightie that she was wearing in her "sick pictures" and then the V-day dress!! For Kailyn I made her a pillowcase with horses ALL over it, and she liked it!! Woo Whoo!!

Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine Countdown Day 9!!

Ok, now we are back on track (except we still need to do the heart attacks for each other) and the game for today was a word jumble with Valentine's Day words :) Guess who won? ME! The words were even on the bottom!! Brad says he's done with games cuz I cheat...sore loser :) The Prize was that I had to share 10 things I look forward to doing with the other person...here's my list:

1. Going on a walk while talking about nothing in particular (just not work or Grace's issues)
2. Taking Grace to the park together and watching him push her in the swing
3. Going to MT...I love the closeness and excitement we feel between each other while driving
4. His BIRTHDAY!!! I've got so many surprises in store he's just not gonna be able to stand it! I wish I could tell you all what's going to happen, but...HE MIGHT PEEK!!
   
5. The dinner and a movie tonight...I need some major cuddles from my hubby w/ the computer OFF!
6. Valentine's day...again, I have a lot of surprises in store...I don't want my hubby thinking I don't love him! I wish I could tell you all, but he might check my blog to sneak a peek!
   
7. Gardening with him...we will be starting ours soon and love working out there with him while we talk and plan what we will be putting in this year.
8. Alone time upstairs... hm :)
9. Laughing together...we haven't done that in a LONG time, and I just love his laugh!
10. Going camping...I love walking among the trees with him, and smelling the pine trees.

Oh, and the activity for the day is "by the end of the day today, say something nice about the other person, and make it spontaneous."

Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine Countdown Day 8!!

So we totally didn't get to do our countdown yesterday (shame on me!!) so we did it today along with the one for the 9th as well.

The game was a heart maze that we had to complete...I won! Brad says I cheated because I started from the finish, but really, how is it any easier?? He he he! He's just jealous because the prize was to pick dinner and a movie for a cuddle night, and so now he has to suffer through the tear-jerker "PS I Love You" and In n Out for dinner! Do you think that's a good movie for two people in love? I do! The activity for a day is to write a love letter to one another and mail it (for real). I think that's such a great idea because I LOVE getting mail, and for it to be from him...aw, just so extra sweet!

Amanda

February 9th

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa

Valentine's Day 2011 Dress

Mommy made this dress for Grace in about 1 hour! How super cute is it?!

I just love the hearts fabric that I got from Pam! Thanks Pam!


Amanda

Valentine's Day Countdown day 8!!

Sadly, this was the first time I'd forgotten to put something in their bags! Oops! But with everything going on with Grace, and my need to sew until 1 am in the morning, I just was NOT thinking about the v-day countdown. So I put the stuff in there bags when I woke up this morn. Grace got one of the dresses I've made her, and Kailyn got a SUPER CUTE hippo head pillow I made.
Isn't he cute????!!!! I just had so much fun making it!!


Amanda

Sewing Sewing...

Last night, while Poor Grace was trying to sleep with a super high temp and her nasty cough, I was sewing. I just had to. It relaxes me, it kinda pulls me out of this world and into another realm, "sewing world" you know?
Here's the dress :) Isn't it cute?! Yes, she's getting into the jelly beans, but she didn't grab any so that's good!I love all her different facial expressions!

This one above is so sad...she looks so yucky...
I like how she looks like a flamingo in this one. Silly girl.

Amanda

February 8th

Not only should we do things for each other, we actually need to do things for one another.

This is a big one for me. I love doing things for people, but what I've noticed, is that it's harder for me to do things for the people right in my own home! I'm definitely going to work harder on thinking about others in my own house, and doing things for them. And I think I'm going to do these things without them knowing, or at least try to get away with them not knowing. But I see how it is super important for me to do things for them, because maybe in turn, they will do some stuff for me? But that's not why I'm doing it! Duh. But we do have to get out of our own selves, and think about other people. When I am doing things for others, I have noticed that it relaxes me, and makes me think less about myself and more for others. And it helps me want to do more later!


Amanda

New Sign!!

Grace knows how to sign "book"!!!! I'm so excited!! And I only showed it to her today. We went to the doctors and I read to her, then when I was done and set it to the side she started fussing, and I was like, "what do you want? What's wrong?" And she signed "book!!!" YES!!! Good girl!! So even through all this sickness and yuckiness, she's still learning!! Good girl Grace.


Amanda

103.5

Gr...I hate that my little one is sick...and the fact that she went SO fast to 103.5 is just freaking annoying! I wish her little body was healthy, and I could take the sickness for her. This was pretty bad, because she got really lethargic, laying her head down in her stroller while we were on a walk, really antsy, whiny, red eyes that had their eyelids halfway down, and she couldn't keep her head up. She perked up a bit for dinner, but after dinner I was holding her and she just FREAKED! Like she had ants in her pants, you know?? So I took her to the bath since she was so uncomfortable, and she did ok in there except that her balance was way off? I don't know if that was because of the high temp or not feeling good or what. Either way, we spent about 1/2 an hour in there, and she let me know she was ready to get "out, out". So off to bed she went. I'll be checking on her a lot to see how she's doing...


Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine Countdown Day 7!!

Today we had a game that consisted of the different shapes and shades of shapes that are put to each letter. You know..."A" is a square with lines in it and R is a circle with dots. Anyways, we got totally messed up on the game because all the shades pretty much looked the same! But we got the phrase! "Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the water spout." And I got it first :) He he he!! And we were supposed to heart attack a door for each other, but just didn't get to it, so it will have to wait!


Amanda

Valentine's Day countdown Day 7!!!

Today the girls got homemade gifts :) Kailyn got the last of her skirts, and this is the pretty gathered skirt that I also made for myself (different fab, same pattern). Grace got the homemade counting hearts in the pouch. Kailyn actually got her skirt late last night because she sneaked a peek and saw it, but that's ok :) She was super excited about it! She also wore one of the skirts I made her to church and got compliments on it, so that made her feel good!



Amanda

99, 100, 101...

Well Grace got up to 101 this morning...at 1 am...dangit! I was busy sewing and started hearing her cough really nasty, so I went in to check on her. She was super hot, so I changed her to a lighter outfit and took her temp, which rang true at 101. This sucks. I hate having a sick little one, especially since she doesn't act sick so we can't tell unless it's a fever or something like that. So I gave her Tylenol, tried to give her a drink of water to help sooth her throat (I don't know..would that even help?) and put her back to bed while I went to call the advice nurse. She said to make an appt with the doc (duh) but that she doesn't sound like an emergency. (well, then why do I feel so helpless??? Seriously, it's like I don't know what more I can do as a mom to help her, so give her to the experts to have them figure out what's going on!!) Anyways, I went to elevate her bed, and tried to see if she would fall asleep, but no. So I took the swing downstairs (well, Daddy did) and turned the tv on to something she'd like. She was wide awake from the coughing, and I was about to pass out from utter exhaustion. (I know, I should have went to bed at 10 or so, but who cares about me!! I gotta be sure the gifts are done for the v-day countdown!) So I fell asleep pretty quick but I guess she was up till about 4, which is when Daddy went to put her in bed. He woke me at 5 to go to bed, and then Grace was up at 8. I made an appointment to see the doctor at 3:15, but after emailing him, he said to go in at 10:45 and he's squeeze us in. How nice! Now I hope this isn't one of those visits where I pass off $20 and all he says is, "Hm, not an ear infection. Just ride it out." WHAT???? No way! I'm expecting some drugs to ease the cough, and something to tell us why she's doing all this and has been sick for so long! we'll see...maybe my expectations are too high...


Amanda

February 7th

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough. Og Mandino

Sometimes I feel like I've failed with Grace, because she's different, or because she's got so many medical issues or developmental delays. But I'm doing well at learning that I didn't fail, but that Grace was given to us this way of no fault of my own. So I will succeed. I will succeed for her, because that's what she needs! She needs her mommy as her advocate, voicing for Grace since she can't yet. She needs her mom to succeed at trying her hardest, because everything that's important for Grace to have could be a battle to get! My determination to succeed is sometimes so strong, but then it gets stronger when I see Grace succeed in a developmental capability that she wasn't able to do before! It makes me seem like, if she's trying, I better keep trying too!



Amanda

A Little Mommy Post

I know I know...this blog is for Grace... But I was just SO excited about my dinner in a jar class that I had to post this! I had my sign-ups for my next class coming up, and I made 5 sign up sheets so I could be sure everyone got a chance to have the sheet go by them! Holy Cow!!! I got 27 sign-ups!!! YES!!! And with those 27 people they are jarring over 115 meals in jars! Sweet! I am just so excited, and there's 2 more weeks for people to sign up so hopefully more people will sign up!


Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine's Countdown Day 6!!!

Well, I was happy that we did our countdown this morning instead of waiting till the last minute, and so it was fun to do it in the morning! We had a game, and darn it! Brad won! He definitely won. No chance of me winning. He gets to be the one to choose the board game we play tonight, so that's all good. At least he didn't win something like another back rub!! I'm also pretty happy that we've kept up with the countdown! Our being able to hold onto a routine isn't perfect, so we've got 8 days left and I'm excited to see what comes!!


Amanda

Fever Baby!

Well, Grace still has a fever this morning, so I'm off to church with just the teen. I'm going to miss my little one, as I've only got a few weeks more until she goes to nursery! But I think what's frustrating me the most is that she's still having fevers, and I don't know why! Her doctor said if she has another one, then I am supposed to bring her in to get checked for ear infection or some other kind of infection, but some think we can handle this at home on our own... why the need to stay away from practical medicine now??? So we are just giving Tylenol, lots of water, and I've stopped the Miralax since she's been running liquid for 2 days now. I hope she gets better soon.


Amanda

Valentine's Countdown Day 6!

Today the girls got the same thing, but different letters! I got Grace a letter G and Kailyn a K to hang on their doors! They can paint them or whatever if they want, but if not, then that will be cute for them to match! Kailyn knows that she's getting the owl I made her, so I'm making her wait!

Amanda

February 6th

The key to happiness is not being loved, but having someone to love.

I'm so glad I have someone to love. And not just one someone, but many of them. When I was younger, I used to always think that I was going to grow up to be alone, live alone, not marry, and not have kids. I didn't want to have anyone to love, because the idea of losing them, or maybe even losing them, was just going to hurt so bad that I didn't even want the risk of putting myself in that situation! But I am SO glad that I allowed myself to love someone. I am SO glad that my life is about my husband, my daughter, and the extended family. I am so glad that I'm sealed to them, and that I can love them as much as I want, and continue that love after they've left this world, because they will still be there, waiting. I need to remember, also, to love other MORE than myself. I was very selfish when I was younger. And I can still see it flare up, even now, years later. But if I'm loving myself, than others won't want to love me, because that would just be too much love for one person (in my head anyways). Sometimes, I even go so far as to love those that I don't know. I love my bishop, because he leads our ward in the right direction. I love the Prophet, because he is our one way to hear direction from our Heavenly Father...other than by praying. I love the elderly lady walking down the street smiling, because she helped me realize that the world is beautiful, and to look around and smile too. I love the therapists that work with my daughter, because they are teaching her, and I, life skills that she will use forever, and I'm so thankful for that. There are so many people to love...so make sure you are loving someone other than yourself.



Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine's Countdown Day 5!

Today for our countdown we were supposed to match phrases for Valentine's Day, like "Valentine's ___" and "Chocolate ____." Things like that. And we had a scoring thing that showed us what we would win if my answers matched his. Well, we only got 6 matching out of 17 (I guess I didn't explain that they were V-day Phrases) so we have a board game night tomorrow. It was supposed to be tonight, but everyone's beat and just wants to vedge in front of the tv! And the activity for the day/night is to give each other a 5 minute back massage, so I can't wait for that!


Amanda

Whoooo, Whooooo

I so wish we could have let Grace see what we saw tonight! We were driving home from the store and I saw something sitting on a sign in a wildlife refuge, so I told the hubby to stop and it was an owl!!! (We had seen it when we left, but it had just been flying around, not sitting) It was right in the perfect position for us to turn the truck a tad, turn the high beams on, and we could just sit there and watch the majestic creature!! I wish Grace would know what I meant when I said, "look!" so she could have seen the "who who" because she's learned that noise. It sat there for about 3 minutes, and it was so cute because when we made a noise and it turned it's face to us, it made it's head go in a circle watching us! So cute. It was a completely white owl except for a brown line around it's face. What a beauty.


Wonderful way to end the night.


Amanda

Hello, hello, Grace?

Grace has seen us use the phone so many times, and we've also put the phone up to her ear tons of times to teach her how it goes. This has been months really, that we've been working on the phone with her. Not that it's a big deal, it's just one of those fun things parents do with their kids!! Well, she's mastered knowing where the phone goes!! She got a play phone from a friend down the street, and now, when Mommy dials the phone, "beep beep boop bop" and talks to Dado for a minute, she then hands the phone to Grace and Grace puts it to her ear!! Of course, it's not perfect, which makes it even cuter! Normally, the ear piece is in her hair on the back of her head, and the mouthpiece is on her cheek! Cutie Patootie! Now she will need to learn how to answer back, as all she does is smile really big, wave, and blow kisses! But that would be just perfect for a video phone.


Amanda

More Excitement about Grace

One of the tests that the therapists have done with Grace is to see if she's able to hold two things in one hand. Well, she's never wanted too. For whatever reason, she'd rather drop the one thing and pick up another rather than hold two things in her hand. It takes a lot of coordination to hold two things!! So we had just gotten back from the store and I had bought her some banana cookies, gave them to her, and she picked up two in one hand and HELD IT!!! YES!! Of course, it was only about 2 minutes that she held them, but 2 minutes is awesome!

She is a pro at eating ground meat now. We had chili and cornbread for dinner, and the chili had ground elk in it, and she didn't choke once! It was so cute because she would sign "more" so I would say, "more what Grace?" And she would point RIGHT to my milk!! So I'd let her drink some (which she does SO well out of a cup. Will be starting training from a cup soon) and then she'd be fine and go about her eating. But then a few minutes later, she'd sign more again, and I'd say, "what do you want more of?" and again, right to my milk! Sweet girl knows mommy will share!!! And she knows what's good for her! That wasn't the only time she pointed! Earlier today she had a cookie for dessert after lunch, and when it was gone she signed more. "What do you want more of?" And she pointed right to the cookie in my hand! Of course I gotta give it seein' as she pointed!!! Awesome job Grace!

I don't know why, but Grace doesn't like it when I build blocks up. Today for therapy we were working (trying to) on "put on" "take off". I was trying to get her to help me build a tower of blocks because she's never done that before, and that's coming up in the developmental age group she's around. But rather than her helping at all, she would just knock it over. And you know it's a deliberate knock because her arm would come flying towards the stack like a scorpions tail, fast as a whip, and knock the whole thing over!! So instead of pressing the "put on/take off" lesson, we went with her lesson "knock down!" I just love that she knows how to get what she wants!

We've slept for 24 hours without the bumpers on her crib. I was worried about doing so because the last time I tried, she got her leg stuck between two bars and didn't know how to get it out. But I figured I would give it a try, and she's done pretty well so far, so we will continue. She has also gotten accustomed to getting her "lovey" handed to her at night, but doesn't do anything with it but kiss it's nose, and then it gets tossed to the side. But that's ok, at least she kisses it!

It's now 8:30pm, and time for the little one to go to sleep. We've gone almost a week without her bottle. She's just DONE with it! We were trying to give it to her, and she would plain outright refuse it! She wants FOOD!! So that's wonderful. I've gotten accustomed to just carrying her sippy cup or straw cup everywhere with me with water in it, and if she's too fussy and wants a drink, I whip up a cup of her instant breakfast and she's good. She's just growing so much!!


Amanda

Grace's 17 month Pictures

Can I really believe that she's already 17 months old? No. I have to pinch myself...I can't believe it! No way! Really? She is? Where's the time gone? When did she get that big, that old? What a wonderful 17 month old I have.I love this first one because it looks like she's holding onto her horse and getting ready to get on! Someday, I will take a picture of her standing by a real horse, holding the reins, getting ready to get saddled and get on.

She definitely would not let go of the spoon! I took it away from her, and the next picture I got was her crying! Look at that tummy she's got! I love it!
I can't believe how big she's gotten...It's so weird to see her bigger than the horse!
I love this one!
And a cute smile! How nice!
I love this one of her laying down. It's like she's posing without even trying!
Showing me all her teeth!!
She was busy kicking her feet on this picture.
Waving with her foot because she didn't want to with her hand!
This is like a "duh" picture!!

See what happens when I take her spoon from her?!!
Aw, she's all smiles! I love this one because it shows her pretty teeth!!
And I love this one because it shows her beautiful eyes :) Actually, everything is beautiful about this little girl.


I just love this video. It really shows her spirit and her love. Gosh I can't be any more in love with this little one. She's just made so many leaps and bounds and awesome progress, and she steals my heart every day I walk into her room in the morning to get her.


Amanda

Grace's New Skills

I've noticed that Grace has some awesome skills, and just had to share them with you! I don't even know which one to start with!

After bath time, when Grace sees the water turn off (we have the nozzle running all the time so it's not really a bath but a shower...tomatoes, tomah-toes) she says "out....out!" Awesome! And of course I have to mimic her, and then she does it all over again! She does still have some anxiety because I don't let her bring a tub toy with her, but she gets over it pretty quickly.

Every time Grace sees a dog, whether it's on a card (like it was last night at Target) or in the backyard, or while we are on a walk, she will bark!!! I LOVE IT!!! It sounds like this..."ooof." How stinkin' cute is that?!! Yeah, it was so funny in Target because I heard her do it while we were standing in front of the cards, but I was like, "no Grace, there's no dogs in here." Then it clicked that she must have looked all throughout the cards, found the dog one, and barked at it! What a smart chick!

She loves owls. Every time she sees one, what's she say? "OOOOOO." How cute!! I just love how fast she's picking up on these animals, and what's more is that she can see them in so many different forms and still know what they are. I thought we'd have issues with her thinking a dog is just the one she sees running around out back. I didn't know she'd still know a dog could be on paper, or on the street, or in a book. And that she knows that is AWESOME!! And so this morning, she was sitting in the crib and I was picking out her clothes, and her shirt had an owl on it. "OOOOOO" I heard!! "Yes Grace, that's an owl!! Smart girl!!" I love having a smart kid!


What other things will she amaze me with???

Amanda

Saturday

Well, Grace still has tons of spots all over, and they've actually grown in number. Her diarrhea has subsided for the most part, and I think now it's just the Miralax doing it's job. I actually woke up at 8:15 am with the alarm clock, that way Grace and I could have the morning to ourselves. Daddy just went to bed at 8 am, so I didn't really have a need to have my earplugs in, yet I had them in anyways. They will definitely take some getting used to, as I could hear my heartbeat, and everything else (if I moved my head I heard the earplug move). I was going to go to the cemetary with Grace, but I've lost the directions (darnit!) and don't think we can go now. I really want to go to Golden Corral since they are serving breakfast...but I'm supposed to be watching what I eat. Grr...can I watch it go into my mouth??? So I don't know what today will bring, I guess I'll wait and see.


Amanda

Valentine's Day Countdown Day 5!

Today the girls got homemade things. Kailyn got another skirt, her pretty purple one, and Grace got a butterfly wall decor! Small and simple things are so easy! I'm noticing that my stash for the countdown is getting low, as I've gotten pretty lax on my sewing. Right now, under the needle is my skirt, but I really think I should be focusing on things for them since there's a lot more days left for the countdown. I think, if I do this next year (which I definitely will be because I love it!) I will make sure everything is done in time so I don't have to stress during the countdown about getting things done! But it's all fun :)


Amanda

February 5th

I am only one, but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do. Edward Everett Hale

The something that I've learned that I can do is my best. And at times, I have surprised myself by doing better than my best. Whether it's with the hubby, or with the daughter, or another member of the family, I've caught those extremely rare occasions that I've done better than my best. I am only one, and the more I realize that, then the more I can start to realize that I can't do it all, and so I need to stop trying to take the worlds weight onto my shoulders. There are many times that I try to handle my problems, and then I try to handle Grace's too, and then my husbands feelings and frustrations come upon my shoulders. Faster and faster it all builds up, because I want to do everything, and fix things for everyone. But I am only one. So I can be there for my husband, to listen, to love, and to help when he asks, and I can be there for Grace by getting her the therapy, and working with her at home, and definitely by loving her, but in the end, they have and will be able to do it for themselves. So because I am one and can do those things since I AM one, I will. I will continue to do for myself and others as much as 1 person can, because if we don't help ourselves, and help one another to an extent, than we are doing all we can do. I will never refuse to do what I can. Even if the day is hard, and my back aches, and my legs are tired, and my eyes keep shutting, I will continue to strive to do what I can. Because if I don't, than I'm refusing, and I DON'T give up!

Busy Busy

Today's been a day of cleaning and organizing. The house has gotten quite messy form me having my ups and downs of energy levels, and I've really let it go...but already, the kitchen is clean and spotless, the dining room/table is clean, the family room is clean, living room is clean and organized, the play room is clean/organized, and now I'm heading upstairs to work on our bedroom, the sewing room, and Grace's room once she wakes up. Oh, and the bathroom too. It feels so good to have a clean house, and I'm especially happy about cleaning the house when I can have the windows open. I think something I've learned is that winter (cloudy, rainy, cold, foggy) weather makes my depression worse. But now that it's nice, and Grace can't go anywhere because she's sick, I've got no excuses but to clean, clean, clean!! Oh, and I've been ironing my tushy off too! The fabric for my two quilts I'm going to make were totally wrinkly, so I had to put the iron to them! One good thing about Grace having her blowout this morning is that she got fresh sheets, and for the first time, we are going to try out her napping without her bumper on the crib. I've left it one because she tends to get her arms and legs poking out the bars (we've tried it off for a nap and it DIDN'T work out) and I'm worried she's going to twist something. So we will see how it goes. I've also been handing her her Bear Bear (one of those little blankets with a bear head on it) because I'm hoping she will turn it into her lovey. She's passed the age that she should have something the she is clingy too. (It's good for their development). Anywho, back to work for me. Hoping she will take a full nap today (as opposed to the 45 minute one yesterday at Dado and Papa's)!

And we will be going to visit our friend Lily at the cemetery tomorrow. Her mommy, daddy, and big brother are in Utah for a funeral and her mommy was really sad she wouldn't be able to go visit Lilly, so we will go in her place.

Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine Countdown Day 4!

Today we did another countdown activity, and HA HA!!! I won!!! But barely again. We played Suduko this time, and he was like...6 away from beating me! So he has to give me a 5 minute foot rub tonight! Oh yeah. Maybe after I complete my cooking dinner that I have to do because he won yesterday. We are having lasagna and pumpkin pie, if you didn't read that from yesterday. Luckily I already have meat cooked from a couple days ago, so I won't have to defrost/cook the meat :) Ha ha! And we have to give each other a small gift by the end of the day...hm...I wonder what I'm going to give him? Don't tell, but I'm going to give him a foot rub too!!!


Amanda

Sickness, Sickness, Go away!

Well, another day of yuckiness for Grace. I woke to a bed the looked like a BM bomb went off, and it was just horrible. Funny thing though (in a super gross way) there was a handprint that streaked down on her mirror of...it...and that looked scary!! Like the BM monster was there and left his "mark." Anyways...(mommy has to have goofiness so she doesn't FREAK over the mess). I found the mess while on the phone with her ped. and when I said "Oh my gosh it's everywhere!" he was like, "oh yeah, that's what comes next is the diarrhea!" YUCK! Now I'm not just saying up the back. It was in her hair, on the bumper, the sheets and the pee sheet under the top sheet, her hair, in her teeth (now I gotta watch for hand, foot, mouth) and on her new pillow I made her! But, crisis averted quickly, because it just means another fun bath! She's loving her baths, so I'm happy about that! She's also learned how to brush her teeth (really, she just chews the toothbrush) but still, she did an amazing job "brushing" while I got her cleaned up in the bath! So it's not roseola, but the doc said keep a sharp eye out for eye tugging, and if she fevers again to bring her in to check for ear infection. He didn't worry about the spots all over (rash) so I won't either. She's still acting normal, so I made sure she had yogurt for breakfast to get her the tummy calmer, a full cap of miralax, and she's happy as can be still! Uh oh, I better go...she's come to me all stinky and sticking her hand down her diaper, so that's her way of telling me, "I'M DIRTY! CLEAN ME!!"


Amanda

February 4th

Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another.

When I saw this saying, I wondered how small was small. At first I was thinking, "Ok, so I can take a meal to a family, that's small." And yes, that could be something that I could do, but I think it can go even smaller than that. One thing that I love to do, and have ALWAYS done is to smile at people. I especially like smiling at elderly people, because they just light up so much! Whether I'm at the store, the mall, or library, I'm smiling at people. And I just think that if I had someone smile at me, especially on a hard day, it would help me get happy. It would take my mind off my hard day, and it would make my heart feel lighter that someone saw me and was willing to give me a smile. So there are such small things we can do that lift another so much. Another thing I've started doing is writing little cards and mailing them. In the days of internet and email, the fun of getting a snail mail has dissipated with the desire for the message to get to whoever you're sending it too to get there quickly. But I LOVE receiving snail mail. And I don't get a lot of it. But when I do, I'm all smiles, happy as can be because someone spent a small amount of time to think about me, and write a letter. So whether it's to a friend that just lost her young daughter or another friend who's baby has down syndrome, I write. I ask them how they are doing, let them know how we are, and (usually) I put in there that I'm bringing them some sort of food, treat, or gift! Because I've learned that if you ask, "do you need anything?" it's usually a no. But when I put in there, "I'm bringing Spaghetti and a loaf of bread to you on Tuesday Night" they aren't able to say that!!! They have to accept, and have always been grateful. I love helping others, even in those small and simple ways. Now, though, my train of thought needs to go to the family and how I can do those small things for them. Many times I overlook the ones right here with me.


Amanda

Valentines Day Countdown Day 4!!

Today the girls got gifts that are bought. Grace got markers that don't show ink until it's drawn with on paper, and Kailyn got a "friend" photo frame so she can have a pic of her and her girlfriends in her room!! It's super cute, and I hope she likes it!


Amanda

Picture to come.

Hubby/Wife Valentine Countdown day 3!

Well, he finally beat me in the game for the day. It was a "how well do you know your spouse?" game, and he beat me by one, so now I am in charge of making dinner (he chose Lasagna) and dessert (pumpkin pie) tomorrow! But that's ok. I'm glad to see he knows stuff about me :) We made cute little v-day cards for each other as the activity for the day, so it was cute to see what he came up with :)


Amanda

I wish I was a Doctor

So today Grace woke with a horrible rash all over her body. Little red spots littered my baby's face, arms, legs, yet there were barely any on her stomach/chest. And what's weird is that her thumb and first finger on both hands also have the spots on them and are bright red. It looks like she's stuck those fingers in snow and so they changed colors. We tried going to therapy today, but she couldn't go in the pool because of the rash, and when I told them her niece had roseola, she was denied therapy for the day...actually, until she's healthy. So now we have rescheduled her MRI again because of the rash, so we will be taking her in on the 14th. I'm super bummed because of the rash because now she can't go to PALS play day tomorrow. What are we going to do with ourselves?

Amanda

February 3rd

When you reach out to bless the lives of others, your life is blessed as well.

I love reaching out to help people. I love doing charity work, I love collecting food and clothing for the homeless, and I love feeding the homeless. I just feel like I've got so much to offer (my time, my energy, my respect) that I should. I mean, Heavenly Father has given us arms, and they are to reach out and help others, and hold others. He's given us legs, so we can walk from place to place and person to person and help them. And at times, we are to use those arms AND legs to carry that person! He's given us ears so we can listen, and a mouth so we can give another person a smile. And even the eyes are important, because it gives a person the attention that they might be desperately needing. These bodies weren't given to each of us so we could be selfish and not do anything for anyone else but ourselves. We were meant to work together, and to help one another.

This year, one of the things that our family is going to do is a monthly community service. Now, this is tough for my step-daughter and husband to grasp because they've never done something like this before. I was able to explain to my husband my thoughts, feelings, and desires, and he reluctantly agreed (as long as the work wasn't too extensive) but my step-daughter let us know she wouldn't be involved. But after some more talk about it, she agreed. Because, it's not going to be huge things. We aren't going to go door to door collecting food for the food closet. We won't do huge marathons to raise money. Our community service projects each month might be collecting our clothes we don't use and taking them to the shelter. Or working for a few hours one month at the animal shelter. Or even cleaning up any trash we see at the park while we are there relaxing. Things like that. And even though these things might be seen as small and pointless, it's through the small and simple things that great things come. So I will start slowly with the family, and if I so desire to do my own work on my own than I know I will have my husband's help watching Grace so I can go do that stuff. I'm hoping, that with these projects these coming months, that hubby and step-daughter will learn to look beyond themselves, and to see that there are small things they can do to help others and the world. And that life isn't all about us and what we want, need or care about. And also, this will help us act a little more like our Heavenly Father did ALL the time.


Amanda

Valentine's Day Countdown 3!!

Today the girls got small things :) Kailyn got a pair of V-day socks that she just LOVED!!! She came home super happy about them, and I knew she'd love them because she's all about silly looking socks!! Grace got some homemade washcloth gloves, which really were for me since they are easier to wash her with, but oh well! She will learn how to use them someday!


Amanda

Picture to come.

Our First Egg!!!

Well, we've been wondering when the chickens would start laying, but have been lazy in making them a laying nest...well, now we are paying for it! We had our first egg laid today, but sadly, the dog got to it first before we could. She had it on the back step and was in the process of deshelling it (is that a word?) so she could probably eat it!


Isn't it cute!! Too bad the dog got to it. The hubby is out there as I type making a nesting box for the cuties. Hopefully they will leave us lots of yummy eggs.

Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine's Day Countdown Day 2!!

Today we had a crossword puzzle to complete, which was pretty easy as it was just math problems rather than hints to crazy words. I finished first, but hubby was NOT far behind :) So the prize was that I got to choose what we did today. It's funny that we just finished the countdown at 3pm, but I must have known in the beginning of the day that I was going to win, because Brad's been taking care of Grace mostly today, which is what I would have chosen (as I can't go shopping anymore). So that's nice. I've pretty much sat around or slept today, as going to bed late, getting woken up be hubby's snoring, and trying to sleep once we got home from the MRI that DIDN'T happen has REALLY thrown me off. So today is a downer day, but maybe tomorrow will be better.


Amanda

Hubby/Wife Valentine's Day countdown Day 1!

(We start at the blue bag on the left, and end at the multicolored bag up at the top right! I sewed these bags! 25 of them for Christmas countdown and other countdowns!!)
For the first countdown game, we had the phrase "Happy Valentine's Day" and we had to see how many words each of us could make out of those letters in two minutes, and whoever won, got the candy in the bag. Well, can you guess who won? ME!! Not that I cheated...when I made the bags I didn't take time to focus on the games and figure out the answers, because that's not fair. And I don't want to win every time! I came up with I think 15 words or so, while hubby only had 4! Silly guy! Our first countdown was to: share a close hug for one minute before going our separate ways. I wonder what today will bring?

Amanda

Valentine's Day Countdown 2!!




Today Grace got a thermal pajama set. Of course it's a size 3T so it will take her a while to grow into, but Target was having a sale!! The set was normal $8, but I got it for $1.50, so it was totally worth it. I bought the same pattern in 4T too since it was the same price. Kailyn got (the teen) one of her skirts I sewed her :) I hope she likes it!


Picture to come.

Amanda

MRI Called off

Oh my gosh, I am so mad. So frustrated...so GRRRR!!!! The docs called off the MRI because Grace ate a cheerio. Yes, you hear me right. A cheerio. One stinking cheerio!!!! We drove ALL the way there to have them tell us, "sorry, you need to reschedule." CRAP. So we are home now, and I am going to sleep, as I was woken up , yet again, by the bear at 5 am. Blah, not a good way to start a day. Maybe it will be better when I'm not so tired? Hopefully. To make matters worse, Grace's goop coming out her nose is turning to a yellowish (I have no idea what color. I say one color, another person says no, so who knows. I'm just tired of the snot all together!) color, and she is now coughing. I really thought we were through with this sickness. Bummer.


Amanda

February 2nd

"Though we cannot understand 'the meaning of all things', we do know that God loveth his children."

I think this one has a huge impact on me when thinking about my daughter. I don't understand why she has all her developmental issues, and I don't understand why she was given to me, as I don't believe I'm strong enough for her. But I do know that God loves me, and loves Grace, and has given us each other for a reason. And because I know this, I will continue to strive to do the best I can for Grace. The best I know I can do. And yes, there are times that I get frustrated about what's going on, and disappointed that she isn't at normal growth rates, but I am going to try to remember this saying, to remember that God does love us, and that there's a reason Grace was given to us to care for.

I think another aspect of my life that I don't understand was my past. There was a lot of negativity and hurt in my past that many people shouldn't have to see, that I shouldn't have seen and had to live with. And still today, I am dealing with wondering why those things happened around me and to me. But I remember now, (because I didn't remember it than) that God loves me, and if I use my past for good, (as a lesson) than I will know how to help others that might go through a similar background. I know that it's already helped me with helping another person in my life who's daughter went through similar issues. And thought I would rather not know who needs me, I know that I was given that past because I would be a direct help for people. If I hadn't of had my past, than how would I have known how to help the people in my present and future? So, though I don't understand completely what the future brings for me, I can see now, in the present, how what's happened to me has helped, and is helping.


Amanda

Therapy Today

Today Grace's infant specialist came (Ms. Allyse) and shew, it felt like she showed up out of no where!! Since I'd stayed up till 3, I was already cutting off quite a few hours of sleep. Well, the snoring bear next to me didn't help, so I didn't get much deep sleep. Then at 5 Grace woke me with a horrible cough...like she was choking on phlegm, so I raced over there, but all was fine. So I just went to sleep downstairs since it's quiet down there! Well, I told myself I would make sure to get up when the teen went to school around 8. Yeah right. I feel right back to sleep and was awoken to a knock at the door! I jumped up so fast I slipped on the tiling and smacked my knee. OUCH!! Ms. Allyse said we could reschedule, but no way was I going to make Grace suffer because I forgot to wake up!! So I rushed upstairs and brought Grace back down, then went to pretty myself quickly while they worked. Well, today has been a super productive day for Grace. She was so into "LeeSee", and the therapy, and she was a super duty sponge today! LeeSee has these "texture blocks" that match with a puzzle board, and they played with that first. LeeSee said, "where's the scratchy one?" And Grace went right to it!!! And scratched it!!! Holy cow! Not only is it awesome that she answered a question with her body language, but she remembered from last week that the waffle looking one is the scratchy one!!! WOW!! But that's SO not all. Then we flipped the blocks over so the backs were showing and asked her (Yeah, I know...huge development level jump and we didn't think she'd do it) to find the scratchy one. SHE DID IT!!! She flipped one over at a time, realized it wasn't the one, and kept flipping them till she found the right one! Holy smokes I could have screamed with happiness. Then when LeeSee was working with her on taking the blocks out of the puzzle, she would say, "out" and take one out. Then what does Grace do? "OUT." What?? Did she really just say out? "OUT." She said it again!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! This is awesome!!!

After working with the blocks some more, LeeSee brought out a book full of baby faces. Every time LeeSee said baby, she would do the sign. (Looks like you are cradling a baby in your arms and rock arms left and right). About 10 times later, Grace was asked, "where's the baby?" and she did the sign!!! Only with her right arm, and it was a really broad sweep of her arm, but it was definitely the sign, as she's never done that movement before with her arm! YES!!! And that wasn't the only time she did it. And to top that, LeeSee turned the page of the book to a little girl sticking her tongue out, and Grace mimicked it! Without prompting or anything! That's ENORMOUS in her development. For a child to mimic something they see without being able to see themselves do it is huge!! (Ex: a child will mimic clapping, but they can see their hands clapping. The opposite is her seeing a child with their tongue out, and her sticking her tongue out: can't see her tongue, but knows how to do it!) Anywho...she did it multiple times! So at this point, Grace is FAR exceeding what we thought she was capable of doing! And then what else? LeeSee turned the page to a child with a spoon in her mouth, and Grace's hand goes right up to her mouth and inside (her sign for eat)! She also taps her hand to her mouth sometimes too. But yeah! She knew the spoon meant "time to eat!" And then the next page had a child with a cup and LeeSee said, "Look, the baby is drinking." And Grace signed MORE!!! So I raced to get her cup, and she was so excited to see that when she asks for something without being prompted, she will definitely get it! After a quick wet of the whistle, she was back to playing with LeeSee. LeeSee turned the page, and it came to a child with a messy mouth and LeeSee said, "mmm, yumm...yumm..." And OH MY GOSH!!! Grace went, "mmmm, mmmm, um...." I didn't think I would be so surprised or excited or elated or astonished or anything by her today!!!

Ahh, what a wonderful day in therapy. They also worked on pouring a container, but Grace was so interested in the balls that were inside the container that she didn't quite pay attention to the pouring, but that's ok. And then, just as quickly, we could tell she was "All done." She would go towards a toy or object, touch it, then flip and go the other way towards another one, kinda give an "eh" look, and go to another. We knew she was done :) And perfect timing because LeeSee had to go. So LeeSee sang the "goodbye song" and Grace waved bye bye, and mommy basked in the glow of a super intelligent 16 month old. 17 MONTHS TOMORROW!!!! Holy smokes where does the time go?!!

After that, it was breakfast time...pancakes with Mommy!!! Grace ate about 1/2 hers and it was a good size one too. Then play time, and now it's noon, she's down for a nap, and I'm going to go work on the finishing touches for our v-day countdown as a couple :) Fun Fun!!!


Amanda

My Goings Ons!!

So here's all the pictures of what I've been busy doing! Hope you can keep track!


I know this picture is sideways but it doesn't really matter because it just showing you what happens when we (really just me) go to the Walmart and see CLEARANCE!!! These were $2 each!!! Wow, fleece fleece and more fleece.

Here's my hanging v-day sign. Not much but I thought it was cute. It's hanging downstairs where Grace's leaf lanyard was hanging :) So cute :)
This fabric will become a quilt for the bed in our bedroom at the cabin. I am trying to broaden my horizon by learning how to quilt too, and I can't wait to use this CLEARANCE fabric for a HOMEMADE quilt for our bed!!!
The teens skirt I made. This is for church :) This one's a bit long...I lengthened it because she's used to wearing above knee but I don't like her wearing that short, but I think I made it a bit too long. Another v-day door gift.
The skirt that took me only 1/2 an hour! Same pattern as the purple skirt, but shorter. Still at the knee, but not so far below the knee.
Owl pillow for the teen. She's already seen it, as I couldn't wait to give it to her for the v-day countdown. But she has to wait to get it! SO CUTE!!
Another owl for a friends son. He's having a tough time dealing with his baby sister passing, so I thought a cute owl to hug would be fun, and his favorite colors are black and red.
This is the elephant I made for Grace for one of her v-day countdown gifts! I don't really like the trunk because it flops over, but that's ok :) She will love it!
Here's the other side. I like the contrasting colors, as it will be very pleasing to the eye for Grace.
Here are the finger puppets I made and sold to my friend Pam for $10. She loves trying to help me find ways of collecting money for Grace's microcephaly convention. I'm making quiet books for Grace soon (I've been collecting the supplies over the last few weeks) and she said she'd pay me to make one for her too!! Woo Whoo!! The teens favorite is the penguin...can you guess all the other ones?


Amanda

Valentine's Day countdown day 1!!!

I might go buy some hooks (sticky ones) from the store so the bags can be in the middle of their door, that way we can still use the doorknob!

Here's the first thing Grace will be getting in her V-day bag on her door:
I just love the ruffle! It was my first time putting ruffle on anything, so I think I did pretty good. The ruffle actually have little hearts on it!!


And here's the teens first v-day gift in her bag!!
It's the same pillow, just showing both sides of it :) The teens has a pocket for notes so I can leave her warm fuzzies and see how long it takes her to find them in there!!

Oh this is so fun! I wish I would have gotten the bags on their doors this morning, but seeing how I was up till 3 sewing, I didn't really have a chance to wake up on time to do that! But staying up till 3 really helped me, because I finished Grace's elephant pillow, one skirt and almost another skirt, the v-day countdown for Brad and I, my hanging V-day decoration, and some of his birthday present. So busy busy!!


Amanda

February 1st!
Countdown Begins! :)

So all my wonderful readers, what I'm going to do this year for Valentine's day is do a 14 day countdown, and on each day I will have a saying or quote that is going to be put into my life, and I will work on changing my life for the better with the help of that quote or saying. I will share my thoughts about it on the blog every day, and I'm just so excited because this is going to help me get more in tune with those I love, and learning to show them how and why I love them! So I hope you all enjoy what I think!

We each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

I can easily say that one of those wishes for me was to create a child that I could love and care for the rest of my life. And it's funny, because I didn't always want to have a child! There was a time in my life that all I was worried about was growing up and leaving home before I just couldn't handle it anymore. But I've grown, become wiser and created my beautiful daughter with the help of my loving husband.

But since Grace is already here, I think that another thing I have always wished to create that didn't exist before is pure trust. I know, you all might be thinking, "what??" This isn't something that is an object, it's not something you can touch, and it's not really something that doesn't exist. But in me, and in my heart, it doesn't exist. Pure trust doesn't exist in me, and that's something I want so much. I do have a lot of trust in certain people, but there's always been that little voice in my head that brings doubt. And my wish is to be able to completely trust those that are around me and in my family. I know that this wasn't created and grown in my young life because of issues that were going on between my parents and myself. Rather than allowing trust to grow, fear and mistrust played their parts in my life. Which is why I'm here now, hoping, praying and striving to learn how to have that pure trust. I think with that trust will come such a stronger bond =between my husband and I that our love will be unbreakable, not even cracking a tiny bit. It will be a solid rock foundation. This is my wish. For pure trust for my loved ones, the ones that haven't hurt me. The ones, like my husband, my daughter, and my step children and extended family, that deserve that trust, and wouldn't break it.
Amanda

February Daily Posts!!!

So this month, from the 1st to the 14th, I have a post that will be up every morning at 8 am. It's got a special quote or saying that I've found online, and have written my feelings about it. This year, I am trying to focus on love, on family, and on selflessness. I just love having someone, actually someones, that I can show my love too, so I need to be better at focusing on them!! That's why I've done the countdown, and I'm trying to help myself focus on them more too by doing the quotes.

I will also be posting the daily gifts for the girls. And I will post about what went on with hubby and I every day, but won't get too detailed with that, as it's special :) I'm just so excited to see the teens expression with some of her gifts! And I will take pictures for Grace to look at later in life and see what we are doing. And hopefully, these things will be a tradition for us.


Amanda

It's Finally HERE!!!!

I am so excited it's February! Holy cow I finally get to start my Valentine Countdown! Ahh. All my sewing hours put in after Grace goes to bed will finally pay off. I just can't wait to hang those bags on their doorknobs and for them to open them in the morning to their goodies! And I can't wait for honey to open his first countdown bag and see what fun stuff we get to do. I am really enjoying everything about sewing right about now!

We went shopping tonight...well, seeing how it's 1:51 am, I guess it was last night, but who's keeping track?? Anyways, we got a bunch of fabric again! Walmart is trying to get rid of their stock, so everything is super cheap. I got a quilt set for Grace so I can make her a quilt, a bunch of squares to make a quilt for our bed at the cabin, and another purple with flowers kit quilt. Also got some felt for Grace's quiet book that will be started soon. Oh, and earlier in the day Grace and I went to Joanns and got flannel for her quiet book because it was SO much cheaper than pellon, and on top of that, it was on SALE!!! I also got fabric for one of the teens Valentine countdown gifts. All the gifts will be captured for our memories the night I get them in the bag, so all can see them daily!!!

Can you believe that I made 1 complete skirt in 30 minutes, and another one is almost done in about an hour??? I am getting so fast! And these particular patterns I've made before, so I didn't have to follow the directions, so it was all that much faster! And I finished up my "LOVE" hanging sign for downstairs, so that will go up in the morning because I'm waiting for the glue to dry, and I got so many other activities done but can't talk about because the hubby might come on here to peek at what I'm doing for his birthday!!! But I oh so WISH I could tell! I told the teen tonight...I couldn't hold it in!! I just HAD to tell someone. And I even showed her her super retro but totally awesome owl pillow I made her and she LOVED IT!!! Totally freaked out and wanted it right then, but she has to wait until whatever day I decide to put it in her bag :) I'm definitely going to make one for Grace. I also made one for a son of a friend who just lost his little sister...hoping it will give him something to hug!

My friend and I are going to start a diet together. Nothing really crazy, just reminding ourselves not to take seconds, not to take huge servings, and to stop eating past a certain time that we come up with. And we are both hoping to lose 20 pounds, so we'll see how I do.

OH!! I almost didn't write it!! Grace did something AMAZING today! I was sitting on the toilet watching her stand up to the tub, which is parallel to the toilet. So she was standing there, and then put her right hand on my right knee. I thought, "no way is she going to pivot to standing in FRONT of me???" And SHE DID!!! It was her first time EVER pivoting or moving from one thing to another while standing! YES! She went right hand, right foot, left hand, left foot. Great job GRACE!!! I was so excited I gave her a huge hug, huger kisses (is that a word??) and the hugest scream "YES!!!!" She of course looked at me like I was crazy but that's ok. She was also able to stand at the wall, facing it, while reaching for toys to her left and right, and, with A LOT of whining and prodding, was able to side step at the wall. It's hard for her to do those things at the wall because she's got nothing to grip onto, and she can't lean on the wall! She was also able to stand with her back facing the couch for about 20 minutes while I showed her some new toys she got from a friend/neighbor! So more wonderful things going on. Oh, and in two days she has her MRI, but it might be postponed because she's got a runny nose still. I'll have to call in and see what they say.

I should really be getting to bed, seeing how it's 2 am and she's got therapy at 9.

Amanda