4 Chid's: The news that rocked my world.

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of one of the most memorable days of my life. On June 30, 2009, we found out that Addie had Down Syndrome. I thought that my life would never be the same, and I have to say that it hasn't. It is amazing how news that I was never ready for would make my life so much better. We have been blessed beyond measure by Addie and her 47th chromosome. I am inspired by her persistance. I am amazed by her ability and determination. I am so glad she is who she is. She has changed my life and most importantly, she has changed my heart. Tyler gave me the gift of becoming a Mother and Addie made me an even better one. Today I am thankful for God creating her with a little something extra!

"What happened?"

Best friends. She is just about to lick the powdered sugar off his face!

My Princess

We recently went to the beach and had such a great time! We had a lot of one-on-one time with Tyler, thanks to loving grandparents to watch Addie. We needed this time together. We went to the beach, movies and played the games that he wanted to play. We laughed as we played in the waves or "major crushers" as he calls them. We looked at starfish and ran up a huge sand hill. It was an amazing blessing to focus just on him for a while.

Handsome boy

My love

As usual, I had a list of "therapy" things to do with Addie while we were on vacation. But, I wanted all of us to have a relaxing week, so we did none of it... and boy, did that feel good! There were no tears, from Addie or myself. We just played and snuggled and loved each other.

Now that we are home, we are back into therapy. Addie got her custom made orthotics and special shoes this week. She has very weak ankles and these are specifically made to stabilize her when walking. She seems to not mind them at all, for which I am so grateful because she has to wear them for hours a day. We have also been using Talk-Tools therapy items with Addie. They are designed to improve her facial and mouth muscles for improved speech clarity. She is currently on the 3rd straw of an 8 straw series. She is doing amazing well and we are so proud of her.