We Found a New Physical Therapist

Conner is SUCH a great helper!

Madi had a wonderful physical therapist (Gail at Aspire Therapy), but the 40 minute drive each way, once a week was killing us!  I knew that an in-home physical therapist is really hard to come by, but asked our DDD coordinator to send me a list of companies to call.  As I am looking at the list and calling places one catches my eye as they specialize in children with spina bifida.  I thought it was too good to be true, but called anyway.  I talked to the first person who was full, but gave me her associates number.  She asked what Madi's diagnosis was and when I told her Spina Bifida, she got really excited!  She said she loves working with children spina bifida and would find room for Madi.  I was so excited I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs!  She has come to our house once and is amazing!  She sings to Madi while she works with her and lets Conner "help".  She is such an answer to prayer!  I forgot her name and the name of her company, because I'm terrible with that stuff, but I'll be back later to update with that....

We won a picture contest

There was a contest on www.hyenacart.com/thebreastaurantbaby for the best breastfeeding photo.  If you won the prize was a shirt from their site.  I can never turn down a good contest and submitted a few of mine, and one was chosen!  I'm so excited!  Since Conner is still a bit of a milk mongrel too, she's sending them both a shirt!  YEAH!  I never win anything so I'm really excited.  Be on the lookout for the two of them sporting their new shirts.

Raising two special kids!

Last Saturday we went to the Raising Arizona Special Kids day at McCormick Ranch Park. We all really enjoyed ourselves and it was awesome to get a free day out to have some fun.  Being there just reiterated how blessed we are.  Compared to so many other Children, Madi's challenges (I always struggle with finding a word to put there.  I guess technically it's a disability, but that just sounds so inhibiting.  

On another note, Madi had a check-up with Doctor Moss at Phoenix Children's Hospital this week.  Her head measurements are coming back normal, her fontanel feels good, and her shunt appears to be working correctly.  We had a few really big bumps in the road in the beginning, but we are hoping to be past those now.  Dr. Moss said that once you have a shunt working well for about two years, you are good to go!  We are praying that this shunt is the one :).  Madi is continuing physical therapy with Gail at Aspire therapy and is doing well.  I am looking for an in-home physical therapist, though, and hope to have one soon.  We love gail, but the 40 minute drive, one way, to see her every week is getting old fast.  Research shows that children under 3 do best in their natural setting, so ideally, that's where we would like to be.  Madi also started receiving services from a developmental specialist.  She's getting a lot of help and is doing great!  She's a very happy, healthy, and strong little girl!  

I don't update about Conner much, since this blog was designed to keep people up to date on Madi, but he is doing very well also.  He is getting his last set of molars (for a while) which has made life interesting.  He was having a really hard time sleeping so our nautropathic doctor, Dr. Kail, at Arizona Advanced Medicine has us giving him small doses of melatonin and it's helping so much!  Hyland's Teething Tablets are a God-send too!  I'm in the process of making Conner a cape with Spiderman on it and he's thrilled!  He's a huge Spiderman fan!  Right now he's a fan of Spiderman, the letters 'o', 'a', and 'i', and the color blue.  He's a really smart kiddo and nothing gets passed him!  He is such a neat little boy and he makes life fun!

God blessed us with two beautiful, fun, amazing children and we are so thankful for that.  We truly are raising Arizona's special kids!