Happy Mother's Day!

Gracie and I hosted a tea party for our mothers on Saturday. They couldn't all come but we enjoyed our time with the ones who came. In the photo from back left:
Louise (Gracie's Godmother), Karre, Phyllis (Grandma), Hilda (Nan), Gayle (Nana) and Gracie!

New Playground Equipment!

After finding out about a grant called "All Together Kids" funded by the United Cerebral Palsy, I applied and received money to purchase playground equipment. I was awarded $1,000 to purchase new equipment for school. The purpose of the grant is to allow kids (particularly kids with CP) to play more comfortably in a school or camp-type setting. Gracie and many more kids her age at school were thrilled to have equipment they could use more independently. Oak Hill has a nice playground, but the majority of the equipment is better suited for the older children.

If you know a child in Davidson County schools with a severe disability who would like more information on the grant, please email me at the address on the front page of this blog site. I'd be happy to share my experience.

Tooth Fairy

On May 1st, Gracie pulled her first tooth. She was at school with her friends. When I was told by one of the teachers, I ran with my camera to see her. She was so excited! She was told all day about the Tooth Fairy and what to expect. So... when we got home she pulled another tooth! It actually was a loose tooth, but it really took some wiggling for her to get it out. After that, I made her promise me she'd keep her hands out of her mouth.

BTW- Gracie's tooth fairy brought her two $2 bills. She calls the bills "fairy money."

A True Princess!

Gracie attended Grace's birthday party on Saturday. There were princesses and pirates running around everywhere. She had great fun!

Naturally, she found her way to the swing. Swinging in this type of swing is something we are pushing Gracie to do. She still prefers the baby swing. She can swing in the type seen above. We are just working with her to pump her legs so she can keep up her momentum.

I don't know why the video below is sideways. I rotated it in my editting program, and it showed that it was corrected. Oh well. Just tilt your head I guess.

New Favorite Swing

Gracie went to Mary Virginia's birthday party last weekend. She had a great time with her classmates on a beautiful day outdoors. She absolutely loved the Air Pogo swing Mary Virginia had in her backyard! You can see the joy in her face in this video and in the photo. She had no trouble staying on the swing; the hard part was getting her off! She loved it! Gracie has always enjoyed swinging. It's something she chooses to do over any other activity.

Standing Up

In this video you'll see Heidi helping Gracie transition from kneeling to standing. This is hard work for Gracie but she can do it!

Easter Day

Hoppy Easter!

The Zoo

Hello Lily! I posted another page today just for you. I'm sorry I've gotten behind. I hope you enjoy this video and photo of our last trip to the zoo. Gracie loves the carousel.

Some people wish they had bodies like the stars. Well I wish I had arms like my daughter. Check out her muscles! We can't wait until her legs build up too.

Climbing Nashville!

Take a look at these pictures from Gracie's latest physical adventure! We took her to Climb Nashville. We were invited by Charlie, one of my students. His family decided to ask for donations to a worthy cause in lieu of birthday presents this year. So, he had his guest bring donations to the March of Dimes in honor of Gracie who was born 12 weeks early. Is that fabulous or what?

In these pictures, you will notice a couple of things. Gracie working hard, coming very close to reaching the top, and Doug following her up...in his dress clothes! He couldn't resist when Gracie said, "Help me, Daddy!" She proved to all of us, again, how determined she is. We were so proud of her!

Gracie Walks!

View the video below to watch Gracie achieve one of her goals. Gracie is walking from her bathroom to her bedroom using her own strong legs! I am following her simply to spot her. She decided to do this one night over Spring Break. She does this in therapy often, but she does not walk unassisted much at home. We were very proud of her! This happened after a week of walking solely with her crutches. She did it! We put away the walker for Spring Break and required her to use her crutches. Honestly, she didn't show much resistance. Hopefully she knows she is ready for the next step toward independent walking.

Spring Break

Our Spring Break begins today. We have prepared Gracie for a big step... She is putting her walker away over the break. She will be solely using her crutches, pink of course! She has used her crutches for a long time. However, we've allowed her to use the walker, too. She has gained confidence and no longer requires someone to be close beside her when she walks with them. However, she is still fearful and a bit slow. For this reason, she will go back to using her walker primarily at school after Spring Break. We will use the crutches at home.
Because she wanted to (this is huge for her), she used her crutches to walk to her classroom this morning. She took about 300 steps on them. It took us 20 minutes because her classroom is a good distance from the front door. She was commended the whole way! Everyone stopped to congratulate her which caused her to smile the whole way. It was fun to watch her be that proud of herself!
Wish us luck!

Morgan, A Friend

Calling all Gracie fans!
Check out this website: http://www.morgansangelsofhope.com/Home

This is a little girl who has a lot in common with Gracie. We will be praying for her and following her progress.

Snow Skiing in Nashville!

Gracie and Daddy love to play the Wii together. Here's a video clip of him coaching Gracie on her snow jumps! By the time they had finished playing, Gracie had worked up a sweat and "exercised" for 30 minutes. We are all big fans of the Wii.

January into February

Gracie has had a wonderful first month of 2009! She has been very excited about practicing her walking. We are all thrilled! We have often said that once she has the desire to walk, the rate of her progress will increase. I believe this. Gracie has taken 14 consecutive steps unassisted!

I look forward to Spring Break. I'll be the one taking Gracie to therapy. I will get more video of her for the blog. There is a big improvement in what she can do lately that will be more evident in a video clip. Gracie is also not being as adamant about having someone stand close to her when she uses her crutches. Whew!

A friend at school today reminded me that over a year ago I said it was hard to imagine Gracie taking a step on her own. While I realize she has a long way to go, I am very proud of Gracie and the progress she is currently making. I'm so glad my friend made me stop and reflect for a minute.

Magnetic art above by Gracie

A New Year

Up until this point, Gracie has always found comfort in the fact that we could carry her anywhere she wanted/needed to go. The other night she asked me a question that shocked me and excited me. She asked, "When will I walk by myself?" I made a big deal of it and told Doug. We were excited that she was thinking about it and hopeful that her mind would become focused on this goal. Since this conversation, she has been eager to practice walking without assistance. Something she enjoys doing right now is walking between two people, back-n-forth. Her steps are more slow and accurate. In the past, it was more like a lunge or forward stumble.

School is going well. Gracie is happy there and enjoys all of the people she encounters during the day. She still goes to therapy 4 days a week before school. She enjoys her time with Laura, her PT. We do get resistance from her some mornings though because Laura wants her to wear her theratog under her clothes. Gracie complains about it itching her and being tight. I believe her. It would drive me crazy. However, it helps her legs remain in a forward position rather than turned in. We will both be happy when she gets permission to stop wearing it.

Gracie still uses the electric stimulation machine at night and some during therapy. This promotes muscle activity. She doesn't mind it at all anymore.

This is going to be a great year for Gracie! This new interest in walking is so exciting!

Christmas Program

This is a video clip of Gracie's Christmas program at her school. It's a little unsteady but you can still see her with her classmates. She was actually shy on stage. That surprised us!

"Walking Beauty"

I just love the smiles in this recent video! Gracie is walking with her crutches in the hallway at home. We are all viewing the Christmas break as a time to devote to serious progress on Gracie's crutches. Fear of falling has been the hurdle with this skill. However, her confidence is slowly growing. I haven't seen it but her therapist has even persuaded her to walk with one crutch some during therapy!

Doing the Dishes

Gracie loves to help in the kitchen. So, to make this more possible, Doug ordered her The Learning Tower. It's an adaptive stool. She feels very safe because she is surrounded by wood. Take a look at this video.

Christmas Cookie Party

Gracie's class had a Christmas party where all of the kids decorated and ate sugar cookies. She enjoyed the party and certainly the cookies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're heading to Ft. Myers, FL in the morning to spend Thanksgiving with Papa and Grandma Neece. We're looking forward to some sand and sunshine.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Love, The Sloans

Dance Party

Gracie attended Ruby's 4th birthday party last weekend. It was a Shirley Temple party full of favorite old songs, authentic Shirley Temple drinks, and dancing shoes. It was fabulous to see Gracie enjoy herself so much on the dance floor!

Happy Halloween!

Only Gracie would choose to be a British nanny for Halloween! She was adorable though. She got to wear her costume to school and then out that night for trick-or-treating. We went to Grandma's house. Cal and his parents joined us for a stroll around their neighborhood. The weather was beautiful and the night was filled with all of the excitement a kid could take!

Visiting the Campsite

Doug and I took Gracie out to visit my family when they went camping last weekend. They were at Seven Points, on Old Hickory Lake. Gracie loves being at a campsite. We set up her little Mickey Mouse tent and brought all of her dolls, baby sleeping bags, and such. We stayed for dinner and roasted marshmallows. Then we went home. We came back the next morning to have breakfast and hang out with everyone. Gracie used her tall sticks to walk from the campsite top the playground nearby. It was hard for her but she was determined to do it and proud that she did. Donnie took us out for a quick boat ride on the pontoon boat. Gracie loved it!

Music & Molasses

We took Gracie to the Music & Molasses festival at Ellington today. We met her friends Gracie Simpson and Cal Slocum, two of her favorite little people. She had a big time from pretending to be a farmer to eating the great food! Gracie's favorite part was the area for the little kids where she pretended to paint a barn, weighed produce, hung laundry on a clothesline, and plucked the corn-on-the-cob. She wanted no part in feeding the goats so she just watched me feed them. We all laughed hard when Gracie attempted to bob for the apples hanging from the tree! Before we left, we all enjoyed watching the border collies herd the sheep. They were amazing!

New Camera!

Hooray! We got a new camera! I haven't been as diligent about posting new entries since our camera broke. We got another one so I'm ready to post again.
Doug and I chaperoned on a school field trip today to Gentry's Farm. For those of you who don't know, it's a pumpkin patch with animals, tractor rides, oldtime store, etc. Gracie had a great time. She brought home her very own pumpkin, picked right from the vine. Enjoy the photos.

First Field Trip

Gracie went with her class to the Brentwood Fire Station last week. She was apprehensive about going at first because of the gas masks they wear. However, once she got there and realized that they were not fully dressed she was fine and dandy. In fact, she was one of the most eager students there, so I heard. She now can tell us all about fire safety and firefighters.
Her next field trip will be on October 14th. I will accompany her class to Gentry's Farm, a nearby pumpkin patch.
She has now had a full week of fabulous drop-offs. She now kisses me (or a grandmother) at the door, wishes us well, and says goodbye. She promises to "be sad but not to cry." We're very proud of her.
Lisa, Gracie's Metro PT brought a swing to school last week that is easier for Gracie to use. She is having fun in this new swing.

Sadly, I have no pictures to post. Our camera is broken. Sorry.

Using the New Crutches

Our new focus has been getting Gracie more comfortable with her crutches (away from school). She had a bad fall using them last Thursday. She fell straight forward and landed on her chin. She, very bravely, got back up on her crutches later that day. Her chin is okay but it's a wide array of colors from the bruising.

In the pictures shown, Gracie is walking outside to go to her swingset. She has just now started using her crutches without someone either holding onto her or directly behind her. It is exciting to see her get more brave with them.