4th of July Vacation

We decided this year's family vacation would be a week long stay at the Lake of the Ozarks.  Before we headed out of town, however, we thought Sadie might enjoy Kaleidoscope and lunch at Fritz's.

 Waiting in line with Grandma. We were the first ones there!

 Water coloring. Something I rarely get to do!

 Drawing like an expert.

 

 Final touches on my masterpiece.

And of course I have to finish lining up all my supplies! I am so organized!

 

YAY! Lunch time!

 

The next day we headed down to the lake. We had some relaxing time before the rest of the family joined us, so we decided to take Sadie on her first Go Kart ride, as well as watch the sun set with a glass of wine (water for Sadie of course).

 

 Getting ready for Nascar!

 Special treat for mom and dad!

 

Later that week the rest of Troy's  family arrived.  Sadie LOVES getting to spend time with her cousins.



 

 Happy Americas!

Cousin Nolan and Aunt Veronica.  Nolan is a heart breaker! 

 Making cupcakes with Pap, Caleb, Nolan and our buddy Roman!

 Um, this is pretty good

 

 

And of course I have to jazz up my 4th of July outfit!  Scuba mask..the perfect accessory!

 

Oh, and I did a little artwork while I was down at the lake. 

Yep, I can color better than my mom and dad!

 

Later that night we headed out on the boat for some fireworks! Sadie really enjoyed them..for about 5 minutes. Then she was off to play with her buddy Kate!

 Watching the fireworks in the front of the boat with daddy!

(PS-Anyone else have hair envy of this child!)

 

Sadie and her buddy Kate!

 

 

We had a great vacation, even if we didn't travel too far.  We got to spend lots of quality time with Sadie and enjoy our boat!  Sadie even got the be the captain!

 

I rule this joint!







Summer Time Fun!

We have kicked off the summer right by spending lots of time at the lake, as well as Sadie enjoying her first Royals' Game. 

We headed to the lake for the first time over Memorial Day.  The water was FREEZING, but that didn't stop Sadie from jumping right in (her daddy was so proud!).  She is going to be a fish in water, just like her dad.  We had some friends join us for the weekend, so Sadie had a great time playing with Stella and Baron.

 Nice night to chill, don't you think Stella?

 Model Pose!

 Boat Ride!

 

 

 Swimming with dad, I don't care how cold it is!

 Might as well drive the boat while I am at it!

All snuggled up with Stella!

The following weekend Sadie got to experience her first Royals game.  Troy's company purchased tickets for all of its employees, as well as family members.  All Sadie could talk about the week prior was going to the game and getting cotton candy.  I got a little backlash from a friend for not dressing Sadie in any Royals gear (ahem, Jenn), so I ended up splurging and getting Sadie a Royal's hat while we were there as well.  She was quite the trooper and actually made it through the entire game.  Within 5 minutes of getting into her car seat, though, she was fast asleep.  It definitely wore her out!

 A little ladder golf lesson before the game.

 Me &Mommy!

 Finally....some Cotton Candy! (Notice my new hat too!)

Family pic!

I won't smile for mom, but I will when Nathan takes my picture. Hmmmm?!

 



Last weekend we headed down to the lake again with some more friends.  The weather wasn't all that cooperative, but we still had a great time. 

 I'm ready to snorkel!

 Hannah enjoying the lake!

 Sadie hangin' in her boat!

 Mike, Tracy and Maddie!

 More chillin' on the patio

 

 

 The girls!

 Um, dad, what is on your head?

 

Wasn't that just on dad's arm?

Transition

When Sadie hits 3 years of age, she will no longer qualify for services from First Steps.  First Steps is an amazing program run by the state of MO that allows children with disabilities get the therapy they require in order to progress as any "normal" child would.  After First Steps the local school district then takes over any services that the child would continue to need.  In April when Sadie was about 2 1/2, we met with our school district to transition services.  What this means is that Sadie would transition from an IFSP (Individualized Family Services Plan) to an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) through the school district.

Sadie went through several Hearing tests and Speech tests with the Early Childhood Center to better understand what her needs were and if she would qualify for any services.  It is with such overwhelming (and unbelievable) joy that I  announce Sadie did not qualify for ANY services.  Basically she is doing so well there is nothing that she needs additional assistance with at this time.

Let me give you a breakdown of the tests that were conducted for Speech:  (90-110 is within normal range, with 100 being Average):

1. Wiig (WABC): Combined score of 116 (112 receptive, 116 expressive)

2. Goldman Fristoe: Score of 101 (27 errors on 77 tested phonemes)

3. Language Sample: 1-7 word utterances, 4.9 average. Most words were easily understood with a few words not discernible.

4. Preschool language Scale (PLS-5): Combined score 126 (126 receptive/122 expressive)

 

She also had a couple hearing tests, but those are a little more difficult to explain, so I won't :)

While I am absolutely thrilled that Sadie is doing so well that she will not qualify for any services, I am also a little nervous. The last thing in the world I want to happen is for Sadie to regress, or even plateau for that matter.  So Troy and I have decided that we will continue with speech language services for Sadie even after she is through with the First Steps program.  We are very fortunate to still have services through a free program called Families First.  Sadie can get weekly (currently we are doing bi-weekly) speech therapy until she is 8 years old, and then we might also supplement with monthly speech therapy that is out of the Midwest Ear Institute.  We are blessed that her Families First therapist is also the Hearing Impaired teacher at our local school district so Sadie will always be "watched" over.

Once Sadie hits Kindergarten we will work to get her on a 504 plan. The 504 Plan is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.  So we will want her to have an FM system, as well as make sure she sits at the front of the class, has closed caption on all videos, etc. 

When I look back on Sadie's journey, I never imagined we would be in such a wonderful place.  I remember everyone telling me how lucky we were that she was diagnosed/aided at such an early age and that early intervention was key.  I also remember thinking that if I heard one more person say how great early intervention was I was going to scream.  Ironic because today I cannot preach enough about the power of early intervention :)  One of the SLP's that did Sadie's testing said that at a recent conference she attended they discussed that with the technology and resources today, there is absolutely no reason a hearing impaired child can't grow up and progress as any "normal" child would.  Sadie proves first hand what can happen when you are aided early, have determination, great therapists, and a wonderful support system to help you along the way.  A huge thank you to every single person that has touched Sadie's life.

Way to go Baby Girl. I am forever proud of you and your accomplishments!!

Trip to Houston

We headed down to Houston, TX a couple of weeks ago to visit Troy's brother's family.  Sadie absolutely loves her cousins, so we thought it would be a nice getaway.  While it was not exactly what we had in mind, overall, it was still a great trip.  It started off with us having 3 plan delays and a missed layover, leaving us stranded in Dallas Thursday night. 

 I got my backpack, let's get this journey started!

 I got my blankie, I am ready to go!

Okay, after being stuck in Dallas, I am REALLY ready to get to Houston! (especially since I didn't have a change of clothes!)

 Patiently waiting for the plane.

 Come on...let's blow this joint!

 

Finally after many more mishaps (I won't go into detail), we finally landed in Houston.  Sadie was so excited to see Uncle Cody and her cousins Caleb & Nolan (oh, and Aunt Veronica too!)  Unfortunately Saturday we ended up in Urgent Care because Sadie had yet another ear infection.  But at least we got some medicine and she was up and ready to go later that day!

 

 

This is pretty fun!

 

 

And here is a video of Caleb driving Sadie around.  She loved it. Poor Nolan didn't get to ride shotgun like he normally does because Sadie was here!  You can view it on Youtube.

http://youtu.be/nlbnI8kWK3I

We finally headed home on Monday morning. We were all exhausted, but it was a great trip and we can't wait to see them at the lake this summer!

 





Sadie with Caleb & Nolan.

Easter 2013

Sadie had a very enjoyable Easter this year.  It started off with breakfast at Hardees (a rare, but fabulous occasion at our house).  Then we headed to church with Troy's mom.  Sadie sat through about half of the service very well.  I thought that she would actually sit through the entire service since she was"reading" the Bible and turning EVERY page, but unfortunately she couldn't find enough pictures to hold her interest :)  I took her to the back of the room and we organized the brochures for the rest of the service.  Next we headed over to Troy's parents house for an Easter egg hunt and lunch.

 All ready for Easter Sunday!

 I found an Eggie!

 Running to show us

 And I'm done!

 Opening my eggs.  Really pennies? Where is the candy?

The Easter Bunny got me a new wallet, now I see why I got pennies!

 

This video is a little long, but cute.

 

We have been working on potty training with Sadie, so she has been getting money (change) every time she tells us she has to go to the bathroom.  This weekend we emptied her piggy bank and told her she could either save it, or buy something (she had $6).  She IS my child, so she chose to spend it.  We went to Walmart and I only let her get something that cost less than $6.  She handed the item to the cashier, and also her money (although rather reluctantly. She tried giving her $1, and I told her she had to hand over the other $5 bill.) And below was her purchase.  A Polly Pocket Doll.  She was actually quite smart in that she almost bought something else, but then she saw this had more "things" in it (clothes)....more for her money. 

 

Yeah for money!!!

 

And finally just a cute picture of some buddies.  Stella and Sadie.

 

Hey Stella..whatever you do, don't look at the camera...  That will be funny!