Cozy places

Maddie found a cozy place to take a little rest this morning. She loves to go in her baby brothers room, and she is very excited for his arrival which is just in 10 weeks. Hard to believe how fast the time is going. She is going to be such a little mother to her brother and she is already so helpful. She's a very animated child, so I imagine the baby will be extremely entertained by her spunky and animated personality!

2 Toots Train and Whistle Grill

Yesterday we headed to 2 Toots with the Reinecke's. It's a fun kid place in Glen Ellyn and the kiddos had a blast! Here are a few pictures:)

Trouble viewing the blog?

Hi everyone, I have gotten a few emails from people saying they haven't been able to view the blog. You have to create a google account and then sign in. I'm hoping everyone got the invite and was able to get in because I added a ton of people who asked to be added since I'm not on Facebook. If you end up reading this would u be able to write a comment saying you can view it or send me an email to cloud9salon@gmail.com to let me know. Facebook was much easier to figure out, but I feel like it is a better and safer way for me to share updates with you all. Then hopefully I can know who I need to resend it to. Otherwise I would have over 200 emails to type out. Thanks so much!!

Spring break week

This week is Maddie's spring break so we spent it doing a couple fun things plus some errands mixed in. We got our car washed, which is very exciting for Maddie because they have a big pond with fish inside and she gets to feed them. After that we headed to do a couple other errands and then ended our trip with a visit to the Easter bunny followed by a little lunch. I had a fun date day with Maddie today and I think she did too:)

Fish in the water!

Maddie had her 3rd private swim lesson last night. She is doing such a good job and actually swam all by herself a couple times with just a little floaty attached to her back. (Wish I had gotten a pic of her but I was clapping and cheering her on!!) She loves the water and is really getting the hang of swimming. The private lessons have been great and she is learning a lot. Look for Maddie in the Summer YMCA brochure for Elmhurst. They asked If they could take some pictures of Maddie swimming and put her in the upcoming brochure. She's an inspiring child who has a happy spirit! She's such a joy!

Friendships

We have made some wonderful friends since moving to Elmhurst. You know you have a close friendship when you can drop your child off at their house while You head to a doctors appointment. Maddie and Georgia have such a blast together and it's so fun to see how excited they get to spend time together. Maddie starts to scream in excitement whenever I say we are seeing Georgia today. She calls Georgia "HER BEST EVER." Here are some pics of Maddie and Georgia having some fun riding the car. You'll notice in one of the pics Georgia is covering her eyes while Maddie was driving because Maddie kept running into bushes.

Maddie is such a ham and I love it!! Outgoing, social, energetic, and just happy! This morning she asked me again, "Mom what happened to this arm?" Then she said with a big smile on her face,"it belongs to Jesus." She is the most joyful child and I know He is watching over her every step of the way. Her smile and spirit just light up a room!

Right hand Left foot

I love seeing how Maddie compensates for her other arm. Her left foot is just like her left arm. She also has a mean left kick!

Loving one another

This morning Bob took Maddie for a bike ride and then they headed to Wilder Park. He called to tell me Maddie had this whole clan of girls hanging out with her at the park. I came from my errands and met them at the park shortly after. They were the sweetest little kids and so interested in Maddie. They all asked about her arm, which I thought was sweet, and they just took her under their wings to play with her. It was truly neat to watch them interact. If only we could all come together like this all the time? All different, but it all comes down to love. I love these moments God gives us. It has been incredible. So blessed! Here is a picture.

John 13:34-35

Private

Hi friends, this will no longer be an open blog as of this weekend, so if you would like to be added to the list please e-mail me at cloud9salon@gmail.com. I will no longer be on Facebook either, so this will be a way to stay updated on Maddie and baby boy to come:) have a great weekend everyone!!!!

13 1/2 weeks to go!

Maddie is so excited about her baby brother, (*****)! He has a name and it has 5 letters:) we've told a few people, but for the most part not saying a lot on the Internet world yet! She can't wait to meet baby (*****) in June and she goes into his room everyday to tell him to not come out until June! Heres a recent pic of baby bump and Big Sis!
Her smile says it all!

Update on Maddie

Today was a very emotionally draining day. I thought instead of posting some long update on Facebook this would be easier. When she was born she had bone sticking out of her little arm and had it surgically removed at 28 weeks old. The doctor told us the bone might start poking through The skin again around age 3 or 4 and she may need surgery to remove some of the bone to relieve the tenderness. She has been bumping it here and there and when she does she cries so hard she can't catch her breath. She bumped it in Arizona on The carpet as she was rolling around and playing and the pain in her face and her cry told me she was hurting. Then today she got out of her car seat and knocked it on the door and cried so hard. It was so sad and I felt so helpless. She is so tough and barely cries, so I know this hurts. She has run into walls fallen and skinned her knees and gets right up without a peep. Today i just held her and let her cry not knowing what else I could do. Felt so very helpless.

After dropping her off at school i held it together and then went into the church bathroom and had a good cry. I called the doctor, crying hard on the phone to the receptionist. She was so sweet and Thankfully I was able to move her appointment with a specialist from 2 weeks to next Friday. This is a type of surgery he performs often, and if there is something That needs to be done it would be nice to not have to worry about this anymore. I really don't want Maddie to have surgery, but also don't want her to be in pain every time she bumps her little arm. Please pray for us.

I believe God uses everything for his glory. I have already seen His glory shine through this journey the Lord has given us. If I didn't believe this I don't know where I would be. I truly understand the phrase my mom would always say,"when you hurt I hurt more." Isn't that true being a parent? You just want to take your child's place so they don't have to go through any pain.

Thanks for Praying for Maddie and if you think to pray for this pregnancy that would be wonderful too. I try so hard to release my worries to him, but sometimes it's not so easy. Thanks everyone!

Arizona!

We spent a week in beautiful Arizona! The weather was sunny and warm with bright blue skies every single day. Maddie had a blast at all the pools, but spent most of her time going down the water slide all by herself. She's very independent and makes it clear that she doesn't want anyone to help her. We love her independence and fearlessness! Every morning we took a walk around our resort and it was so peaceful. Then in the late morning early afternoon we would head to the pool where we would spend hours soaking up the sun:) I also was able to spend some alone time by the pool while Maddie took a nap and bob got some work done. That was so nice!

We also ate a lot of delicious dinners, and ended most nights with frozen yogurt at Menchie's. We love Scottsdale and are so glad we get to go there every year:) Right across from the resort is a great outdoor mall called the Kierland Commons, with great shops and restaurants. We just had a great time and are already excited to go back next year! Here are some pics from our trip. I think the pictures speak for themselves:)