Long Time, No Blog

Wow, it's been a long time since I actually blogged last! I apologize to those who have been anxiously waiting for updates on Leyla!


Leyla is doing great! She just turned 18 months old! Man, where does the time go? She is making major improvements and developing really well. The holidays were a blast with her, she loved seeing family and crumpled up wrapping paper was pretty exciting!

Better late than never with the Christmas card post, right?

Christmas Eve - 12/24/10

The un-smiley side of Leyla...enough pictures already mom! This one is especially for those of you that think Leyla is ALWAYS smiling!

Christmas Day - 12/25/10

Santa brought Leyla her very own comfy chair with her name on it...she loves sitting in it like a big girl!

This was really exciting for us!  Leyla started using knee immobilizers to help her get used to bearing weight through her knees and hips!  We've been working really hard on standing with and without the immobilizers! 

And finally, last week Leyla was part of a sales meeting for the National Sales Representatives for Otto Bock, an orthotics and prosthetics company.  Below are pictures of Leyla during the meeting...her first big break!

Leyla being assessed by Claire, the Occupational Therapist from Ireland.

Claire (the OT), Chrissy (in front, one of Leyla's Physical Therapists) and one of the sales representatives making sure that Leyla is securely strapped into this stander.

Not too sure...Chrissy is still making sure she's completely strapped in!

I think we're all set!

Here she is, all strapped in to the stander and working the crowd!  She did great, she tolerated it for about 15 minutes until the meeting was over and we had to go home! 

Hopefully, more 18 month photos to come in the next few days!  Leyla is growing so much and starting to really look like a toddler as we are now half way through he second year! 

Have a wonderful day!

Jenni



Wordless Wednesday

I've never done a "Wordless Wednesday" before but, here it is...Leyla on her knees all by herself!

LEYLA WON!!

Yay!  Leyla won the 2010 Halloween Costume Photo Contest for Feather Blue Studios!  No idea what she wins but, she won!  Thanks so much to everyone that took the time to vote!



On another note, Leyla had a speech therapy assessment yesterday and did really well!  Her verbal skills are pretty much where they should be, it's just her taking direction/ listening skills are low.  So, she'll now be going to speech therapy once a week. 

Oh, and...We received a letter in the mail last weekend from our Genetic Counselor.  The results of all of the genetic testing came back negative for the genes that are linked to Joubert's Syndrome.  We really have no idea what this means at all.  We'll just hang tight until April when we see the geneticist.

Have a great day!

Jenni

Leyla is in the Top 3!

Last weekend I took Leyla to Java Train Cafe to be a part of a Mini Shoot done by Feather Blue Studios and it was also a costume contest!  Well, she made it into the top 3 finalists and now it's time to vote!! 

Go to: http://featherblue.blogspot.com/2010/11/halloween-costume-contest-finalists.html

And comment with your vote for Leyla!

You can also vote a second time on Facebook by going to Feather Blue and "liking" Leyla's pictures!


Thanks in advance for all of your votes!


Have a great weekend!

Each Child is Unique

This is a post from Faith Minute, a Christian broadcast that is heard on several radio stations throughout MN.  Eric sent it to me last week and I haven't stopped thinking about it. 

There’s a proverb in the Bible that goes like this, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Now, most of us think that means teaching our children to have faith in God and to be “good kids” so when they’re grown they’ll be good adults. But I think we’re missing an important point. A baby may have mama’s smile or daddy’s eyes, but that baby is more than a composite of their traits. From the moment of conception, God created the uniqueness of each child. Training our child “in the way he should go,” literally means identifying the special way God created that child and helping him or her in that direction.



Next time you’re asking God for wisdom on what to do with your child, remember to ask for wisdom in understanding his or her uniqueness.

I recently have had discussions with a few people about what it's like watching Leyla with other kids that are around her age or younger that are now starting to walk and even run...they're moving all over the place! While Leyla absolutely LOVES to be around the other kids and she gets so excited to see babies and other friends it honestly is heartbreaking to watch your child be the step stool/ leaning post for all the other kids to steady themselves because she can only sit there and she's a pretty calm little lady so, she doesn't really protest when the other kids use her to lean on. This post has been a really good reminder of how amazing Leyla is and how much we cherish and are so thankful for every little thing that she does even if she's not at the level that all of her friends are!  We praise God for every finger snap (if you've been around Leyla lately you know what I'm talking about), every "dancin, dancin, dancin," every time she finds her button or piggies, every "O" face, every tongue click, every small thing that others just expect their kids to do, we thank God.

Have a great day!
Jenni

UPDATED: Happy Halloween!

Leyla was a Garden Gnome for Halloween this year!  Cutest Garden Gnome I've ever seen! 

And....We're Rolling!

Whoop whoop!  Leyla rolled from her back to her belly for the first time last night!!!  Needless to say, I am a VERY proud mama!!!

Have a great day!

Jenni