Just trying to move along...

So this past Wednesday Hannah got her braces. I keep obsessing over the fact of whether or not they are on right, if they are too tight, is she comfortable, and I swear that hinge looks different than it did before. I'm trying to tell myself that everything is fine and she is going to be fine. It's just one of those things that I am finding difficult to do. I want to be in control of the situation and the fact is, I can't. I'm just going to have trust that all is going well. (On just a side note, somebody should invent see-through braces and shoes so I can be reassured at all times that her foot is in there correctly.)

Hannah has done well adjusting to the braces. She has not worn them to daycare yet so hopefully that will go well. Tomorrow is her first day of therapy with them so I'm eager to see what the therapist says (and hopefully have my mind put to ease!). She gets tired of them after a few hours and so we give her a break, which is what we were told to do anyways. I can tell that they definitely help stabilize her. She still is not able to stand on her own but hopefully that will come soon.

So how is Hailey adjusting to this? Well, when we first came home, she wanted to wear them. Of course, she can't. She also is not allowed to wear Hannah's new tennis shoes (we had to buy some to fit the braces). Luckily, Nana had just bought her some new flip flops. Hannah can't wear flip flops so this is something unique that Hannah does not have. She seems to be content with the fact that Hannah has "boots" and she has flip flops. In fact, she LOVES her flip flops! After the first few times of being told that the braces were Hannah's, she has not cared to try and put them on again.

It has taken me a few days to adjust to all of this. It seems like it is more difficult for Hannah to crawl with the braces, yet she can't walk on her own. It was pretty rough for me the day we go the braces. I had been so excited thinking this was such a big step and now seeing her trying to figure out how to move about in them is so difficult. It's just one of those hard things in life I guess. She is such a happy, content child and yet I ache for her to be able to do all the "normal" things 2 year olds do. Now don't get me wrong, Hannah is one determined little girl and she usually finds a way to compensate.

All I know to do is try my best to put our faith in God and know that His will is what is best. All I can do is pray for His will to be done and that I will relinquish all control to Him. He has gotten us this far so I am positive He can carry us the rest of the way. To put things in perspective, I try to focus on just how far Hannah HAS come. This time a year ago, she couldn't even crawl. She'll get there.

The next step...

Hannah's physical therapist has told us that he wants to go ahead and get Hannah in leg braces. They will be AFO braces (which I had to google after Matt told me because I had no idea what they were...). He says they will help to stabilize her and get her stand up straight and hopefully walk all on her own! I'm so excited and anxious about this next step. I don't think the braces will be uncomfortable but we will have to hope that she WANTS to wear them! We've already been thinking up ideas on that end... i.e. a new pair of shoes, letting her decorate them with stickers, and really talking them up like it's a huge deal (which it is!).

They're Two!

Well, our little girls turned two back on February 5th. We had a party the following day and had an awesome time with family and friends. Hailey and Hannah were really into opening presents this year. They got a lot of clothes which they were fine with. Every time Hailey pulled a dress out of a bag, she said, "Ohhh pretty!" Hannah had just as much fun with the tissue paper as she did playing with her new things.
It's hard to believe that they are already two years old! Time is passing way too quickly... I'm looking forward to all the new things this year is sure to have in store for us!

Hannah's OT

Hannah was evaluated by the occupational therapist today. She's decided she will see her every other week and give us home exercises to do. So Hannah will have one hour of therapy every other week: 30 minutes OT and 30 PT. The physical therapy will still be every week. Tonight she leaned up against the wall in her room so she could have both hands free to do the wiggle dance with Hailey. (Wiggle wiggle wiggle go! Wiggle wiggle wiggle go! Wiggle wiggle wiggle STOP! Hold stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillll..... For all you non Yo-Gabba Gabba fans out there!) I'll have to try and get that on camera.

What? I have a blog? Seriously?

Ok, I'm going to self proclaim myself as the world's worst blogger. I thought it would be a fun way to keep people updated and um... as you can see I have not kept anybody updated since August...
My last post was all about Hannah not having to go to occupational therapy anymore... well, on Monday she getting evaluated again by an occupational therapist who thinks she may need some more. I'm not really upset about it or even viewing it as a step back. She is still making amazing progress and if this is something she needs to help her move forward then there is no way it's a step back.
Just to give a little update on how the girls are doing...
Hailey is walking/running/jumping all over the place. She is very busy most of the time but still likes to cuddle with me at the end of the day (or days that she is being very clingy). She is talking like crazy. There is no way I could try to list or count the things that she says now. She is also talking in short sentences, like "No no kitty. Outside kitty!" and "TV on!" (when we get in the car and she spots the DVD player we got for Christmas). She has gotten very good at actually telling us what she wants. She also talks to and takes very good care of her baby doll.
Hannah, as I mentioned, has made outstanding progress. She is cruising everywhere, can get in and out of her little chair, can get off the couch (without falling!), and, can lean against the wall or couch and not hold on! She can push a walker toy and loves to get in the crib and "jump jump jump!" Hannah is talking a lot too, maybe even more than Hailey. She has begun to talk in small sentences and will repeat ANYTHING that somebody says. When we leave somewhere she says "bye bye" to just about everything... blanket, bed, chair, couch, etc. She likes to tell Hailey "no" and has gotten very good at communicating what she wants.
Both of the girls are so much fun right now. We love to play with little people, read books, color, sing, and just about everything else two year olds like to do. What? TWO??? Yes, in less than a month my little babies will be two years old! I can hardly believe it myself.
Overall, we are having a great time and everybody is doing wonderful! Here are some pics from Christmas.

Bye bye occupational therapy!

So, I'm not the best blogger but thought I'd pop in and give a little update. About 2 weeks ago we were told Hannah no longer has to do occupational therapy! Her fine motor skills and the problems in her neck are looking great! She is continuing with the physical therapy for now. She is crawling ALL the time and I very very rarely see her try to scoot on her belly. She is gotten pretty quick too, it's beginning to be a challenge chasing her and Hailey around the house. Today they managed to absolutely destroy my bathroom while I was getting ready for church. Both of the girls are starting to say more of what sounds like actual words instead of just babble. They will say each other's names and point at each other but I don't really hear them say their own names. Hailey likes to call Hannah. If she's in another room she will say "ann AH ann AH!" She also likes to wake her up if she's sleeping. She'll stick her arm in the crib and grab her saying "Hey sissy!" They are so much fun to play with at this stage and we have a great time hiding behind corners and jumping out, tickling, all that good stuff. That's all for now, maybe a new update will come soon!

Hannah on the go

Well, I finally managed to get Hannah on video crawling on all fours. She is doing this more and more consistently now and scooting on her belly less and less. Yeah for Hannah!!! She is also pulling up on things and even pulling up to standing. I'm just so proud of the amazing progress she is making! God has truly blessed us.