Fun in the Seattle Sun

Three friends at the water table.


This week Max and Madeleine played with their friend, Tegan, at his house. The weather was beautiful and Tegan (and his mom, Brooke) were happy to host a play date full of pizza and a water table to boot! Tegan has such a big yard and wonderful garden, the twins had a lot of fun!


Babies got blue eyes...
Madeleine learning to ride a trike. Topless.

yogurt

Yogurt is good!
Look at my hands! Madeleine demonstrating that you do not need to use a spoon to eat yogurt.
Maxy doing the sign for all done.



As the babies are learning how to eat like civilized beings I have been trying to get them to use a spoon. This makes for great fun and sometimes messy twins! By the way, don't tell Michael I give the babies a spoon and bowls of yogurt and let them have at it!


The video (from the post "talkies") shows the tail end of our breakfast meal today. Although the babies have only a few words (mama, dada, more..) the have a bunch of gestures (or signs). Including all done, more and no! For whatever reason when Max shakes his head no Madeleine laughs!

talkies!

Finally figuring out how to upload a video- let's try this....

http://

I am not my body

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12643378&sc=emaf

Thank you, Lisa, for sending this to me so I could share it with others.

life post cast

The day before the cast was removed.
I can sit up now that the cast is off! (Madeleine in her shrinker sock)
I can even get around and push my brother!
No more exersaucer! I eat like a big kid now. Please excuse the messy counters (blush).

I have to say that now that the cast is off and Madeleine just wears the shrinker sock a lot of the stares and pitiful looks have stopped. No more questions.... so far. I guess people really think she was "born this way". I'm also trying to move beyond the disability. I'm going to try to enjoy Holland.

zoo

We went to the zoo on Saturday with our dear friend and her two little girls. It was the twins' first zoo trip, I'm embarrassed to say since we live maybe 3 miles from it. Funny that I have been to the zoo a number of times with other children that I babysat for (Aaron, Penney kids and others) but had never gone with my kids.

They liked seeing the animals particularly the cheetah and the emu. Although, humorously Michael and I refered to the emu as a 'chicken' or a 'turkey' (a throw back joke from our visit to the San Diego Zoo).

Other highlights included riding on the Merry-G0-Round and a trip to the 'Zoomazium' where the kids could crawl around and explore. I thought Madeleine would have been scared of the Merry-Go-Round, she was also riding a horse that went up and down but about 2 seconds into the ride she got the look of FUN on her face! She laughed and squealed and was delighted by the sights and sounds. She cried when the ride was over but soon got over her sadness at the sight of cheese and our other friends!

don't

don't
don't ask me why we couldn't lengthen

don't equate my child to a pirate

don't tell me about Heather Mills

don't tell me that they are doing amazing things with prosthetics 'these days'

do
do ask me about Fibular Hemimelia

do ask me about Madeleine's other qualities

do share stories about other children/amputees with me (if they are positive)

do realize that Madeleine is her own individual with unique strengths and challenges

do realize that Michael and I want the very very best for our daughter

do know that we did our research and feel confident with our decision