Mini-van

Well, we bought a mini-van. Now we'll be able to haul Grace's Standing Dani around, which will be a good thing. We also got a loaner ramp this week, and eventually we'll purchase one. The ramp we have is one that folds out, so it's pretty convenient for travel. We're definitely excited to be able to take Grace to places such as the mall and let her cruise around in her Dani. She's pretty much been confined to our home, with a couple exceptions when Grandpa and Grandma were around with their van--and we think she'll love some open spaces.

Spring

Grace and her parents looking forward to spring finally getting here. It's been a long, long winter. The next item on our to-do list is to buy a mini-van and get a vehicle ramp to allow us to haul Grace's Dani around. Hopefully we'll get this accomplished in the next couple weeks.

Grace had a really good therapy appointment this past week. Her therapist was saying over the last couple months that she seemed a little weaker, but this past week she did really well. She cruised by herself to get things, and she's been doing that at home as well. We're trying to keep her standing (either at the end table in our living room or in her Dani) as much as possible.

We're planning on Grace riding horses again this spring, and she's still going to her swimming once a week. She's missed the last few weeks of her music class, mostly because her mom was taking her to her daddy's basketball games on those same nights. Now that hoops season is over, she should be able to get to that on a more regular basis--which is a good thing, becuase she loves that class.

Updates

We had a big meeting with Grace's AEA therapists this past week to discuss how things will change when she turns 3 in May. At that point she'll move into a different level of coverage from the AEA. Among the options we're considering are having her go either half-days or full-days to a preschool next year.

Grace had a great Valentine's Day. She made Valentine's for all her friends at her daycare, and she brought home a lot of candy. Her daddy got her some Dora books and when I told her we would read a couple before bedtime that night, she responded by saying, "Daddy, that's a great idea."

Also, Michelle has taught Grace to do the "Macarena", and she's pretty good at it.

Grace and Basketball

Grace likes going to Briar Cliff's basketball games, but unfortunately, she's not really into the basketball. She is, however, into the dancers and cheerleaders. And playing her dollies in the bleachers. And driving her Standing Dani around the second level balcony.

The next session of her "Taps" class starts next week, and she'll be excited about that. Taps is a once-a-week hour long music class, and Grace really likes it.

The RAGBRAI route was announced recently, and we'll talk with Beth about plans for that and our goal to raise some money for SMA research.

Good Week

Grace had a good week this past week. She's getting better and better at driving her Dani. She met with both her AEA therapists and her water therapist. We're looking into vehicle ramps and options to make our home more accommodating to her new equipment. We want her to be able to access as many of her toys from her Dani as possible, so we're looking at shelve and table options.

Getting Acquainted

Grace is getting used to navigating her Standing Dani around our house. Her favorite games are "Hide the Horsies" or "Hide the Seashells". To play this game, you hide her horsies or her seashells around the house, and she drives her Dani around to find them. She loves it, and it's been a good way for her to work at her driving ability. Our doors, walls, and furniture will have a lot of scratches and marks on them, but it'll be worth it. Otherwise things are back to normal for Grace after the Christmas season. She resumed her water therapy last week, and our family's next project is to get a van and ramp to allow us to haul the Dani around.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve 2007. Grace is looking forward to Santa coming tonight. In a way he's already come, because she has her Standing Dani. She's doing really well with it, and we think it'll be a great thing for her. It will help a lot with keeping her upright and therefore keeping her spine healthy, and it will be her first experience with the independence that mobility brings. We can't believe how good she is at driving it after only a week or so. She drives it with a small joystick, and we can control how fast it goes. It's really a pretty incredible piece of equipment, and I'm sure Beth will get some pictures on the site as we take them.