An Elmo Party: Brought to you by the number 2

It doesn't seem real...She can't possibly be 2. It seems like just yesterday she looked like this...



But, she is turning two. And this past weekend we celebrated all the joy and love that these two years have brought...with the help of a furry red friend whom she holds dear.




An Elmo party was a no-brainer for Miss Maddie. She adores Elmo, and as preparations for her day began, her excitement grew. She went crazy over the invitations, she squealed while we made cupcake toppers, she begged to help with the cake, and she had to be restrained when Mason and I made the party hats...



She. was. ready.

...and then she wasn't. Maddie woke up very sick the morning of her party. It broke my heart to see my usual bubbly girl, whimpering in her bed. "I sick Mama." Not what I wanted to hear...The makings of a nasty stomach bug was just starting to get hold of my girl, and the excitement she had shown leading up to this day was replaced with a sad, subdued little bug who still hasn't had any birthday cake. But in true Maddie form, she powered through. She absolutely made the best of it, in the worst of circumstances. She played on the swings, she asked to bounce in the jump house, and she said "thank you" as she opened each gift. And though she clearly didn't feel like it, after much prompting, she treated her guests to 2 walks across the dining room. I was so proud of her. Here are some highlights of the day:



The Cake table










I have never seen Mason this red or sweaty..LOL

(The matching Elmo outfits came from THIS Etsy site)

One of our Best SB Buddies...Sweet Breighton




(If you are viewing this on Facbook as a note, click HERE for video)


The day didn't go quite like we'd hoped, and we are still in the middle of this bug, but...her actual birthday is this Saturday, and I'm praying she will be perfectly happy and healthy by then. Thanks in advance for all the prayers I know will be heading our way!

New Floors...and the feet that WALK them

SO much going on around here...I'm sorry it's taken me longer to update. (then on second thought, is there any video worth leaving up for 3 weeks that beats the last one!) I can't tell you how many times I've watched it...and it still gives me goosebumps. And the truth is, it's just a taste of what she's actually been doing. On Memorial Day, in front of a houseful of family, this little girl walked about 20 feet, stopped, TURNED the corner, and walked another 5 feet!! She made a corner!!! I could not believe it. Still can't. And she hasn't done it since...but at least now I know it's coming. It's so amazing to see the progress. We had our 2 yr. follow up evaluation with EI yesterday...and she totally knocked it out of the park. And while I'm thrilled, I'm not sure it's going to help us keep our services. Yikes! The OT doing her evaluation was seriously amazed at how far she's come in a year. The last time she'd seen Maddie she was not talking or even crawling. So take heart, New Mamas! Alot can change in a year...

Lots of changes around here as well...


We finally got rid of our carpet, and have installed more walker-friendly, laminate wood floors. I love them! Here are some pics from the project...

Before


During


After





The kids have wasted no time putting them to the test, and so far...so good! Maddie is breaking them in with a new trick...



I love the look on her face...She knows she's rockin this one out!

.......................................................................................

Another thing that has kept me busier than normal is a new hobby of mine.


Can you guess what it is?!



Yep, I've started couponing...and turns out, it's kinda fun! If you've ever seen this show then you get it. I was fascinated with the amounts these people were saving...Like grand totals of $1000 and only paying $8.97 out of pocket...nuts!

Those pics show my stash after 2 days of shopping with coupons, and a total savings of $108.27...not bad, right? Plus, that doesn't include the $32 in credit I now have from those stores, because of promos. And just yesterday, I got 3 packs of 31 ct Huggies diapers for....3.82 each. Crazy. Anywhoo, it's been interesting, and the stockpile is on! Stay tuned...

......................................................................................

A few people have recently asked me about the treadmill we use for PT, so I thought I'd update. We are still using the treadmill, but we no longer use the harness/ LiteGait support system. We have taken the parallel bars that Chris built, and placed them over the treadmill so Maddie can walk while holding them. It has worked extremely well, and renewed her interest in it.




Mason loves to get on it with her and they "race". She now asks to use it several times a day, which makes me super happy! She is doing amazingly well, and I am surprised on a daily basis by her progress. We are still waiting to start hippotherapy, but tomorrow will be our first aquatherapy session! I'm super excited, and I'll try to update on it this weekend.