Month: February 2015

Today Madison spent some time in her ladybug chair. The ladybug chair has a seat that slides forwards and back to help Madison sit with her legs at 90 degrees or to sit with her legs straight at 180 degrees. She is needing lots of hamstring stretches lately so she had some fun stretching out her legs while playing with puzzles and colouring. Deep muscle stretches and practising some fine motor skills…multi – tasking at its best!

New word: Today Madison  put two words together in two seperate phrases.

She looked at James and said “Hi Dada” and then turned to look at me and said “Mama book” pointing at her pile if books.

Great Day!

Today when I picked up Madison from daycare, she had paint on her shirt and in her hair. I was then handed a folder filled with art! My little peanut has a love for paint! I watched a video of her putting paint all over the table,  papers, on her face and in her hair and the whole time she was laughing and had a huge smile on her face. It’s so much fun watching her discover new things and seeing her be successful at them.

I was then told by one of her teachers that she successfully used her walker independently for most of the day! Go Madi! I was so proud of her that we went to the mall to celebrate! Timbits and a new stuffy! Wow what a day!

This is Madison trying to choose her new stuffy Hahahaha

New word for today: Duck!

On hard days, this book always makes me smile. We love it at bedtime!

#differentisbeautiful

Today was Pink Shirt Day!

Here is a snippet of the Globe & Mail article that describes how Pink Shirt Day began:

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied [for wearing a pink shirt]…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school.

‘I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’

So Mr. Shepherd and some other headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag.

As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled.

The bullies were never heard from again.”

I want to teach Madi that promoting inclusion, respect and empathy in schools is extremely important. Madi wore some pink today, and I will  be spreading awareness by wearing pink with my students on Friday. Let’s celebrate diversity and freedom to be proud of who you are and to not fear of what others think. Bullying needs to be erased in schools.

My little engine that could!

Madison had a great morning at Grandview.  She loves working with Kate (PT) and Kathy (OT) every week and did a super job on supported side sitting and walking. Her legs are growing and she is getting taller which means her little hamstrings are pretty tight at the moment. I predict lots of stretching in the next few days.

We are so grateful to our supporters at Grandview. Tomorrow is ‘Tape A Toonie Day’ which is a fundraising and awareness campaign for all Grandview locations in Durham. Madison’s daycare will be participating tomorrow and her PT Kate will be visiting her and her friends.

Madi loves to do things by herself and in her own way. She’s brushing her teeth and loving it! Mom loves to see the independence but isn’t the biggest fan of the toothbrush also being used to brush her hair and clean the tub. Oh well…pick your battles and celebrate! Look at those pearly whites…what a way to end the day…love her!

At 17 months Madison has already developed important life skills that will serve her well into her school years. Like taking charge and knowing how to work a room full of people. She enjoyed visiting with the Lynch side of her family today where there were 4 generations present. No matter what successes or challenges this kid will come across…we are confident that she will always have not just a room, but a stadium full of people who will have her back.

New word of the day: bird!

New favourite thing to do: smash Mommy in the face and laugh

The weekly grocery shop. Something most people dread, but for me I look forward to it every week. Ever since Madi was diagnosed with CP I have been looking for the small wins in our day to day life and have not focused on the big stuff. The small wins are what bring a smile to my face, and to hers. Madi is now 17 months and struggles to sit independently.  She wants to sit so badly because she loves seeing the world vertically like everyone else. When she sits in the grocery cart every week she beams with joy and is so proud that she can sit and see everyone all around her. It’s so much fun to wonder up and down the aisles watching her wave, say hi and blow kisses to complete strangers.  It brings me such joy to see all the smiles and laughs she puts on everyone’s faces she meets. She loves to kick her legs freely, try and throw things out of the cart and can be so gross at times trying to chew and lick the carts handles and metal pieces. Gross! But I love our time together at the grocery store where she can be proud and I can watch her shine. Cheers to the small wins!

The adventure continues…

Thanks for following and for celebrating the many adventures of Madison.

 The purpose of this blog is to provide a space for friends and family to share Madison’s highs, lows, appointments, therapies, fun times, special moments, firsts and day to day stuff.

Knowledge is power! This is a also a great opportunity to educate and connect with other parents to reach out and explore the world of raising a child with special needs.

Welcome to Madi Moves!