The Boy

TheraSuit Week 3 {Cliff Update}

July 29, 2012 10 Comments

Cliff completed TheraSuit last week!
We are AMAZED with his progress!
He accomplished all of the goals Lisa set for him and then some!

Three weeks ago, Cliff walked into The Therapy Place for TheraSuit in his walker.
Last Friday, he walked out of TheraSuit with his canes!

Cliff worked so hard for three weeks and his hard work has paid off!

Cliff’s body now moves in a different way, a good way!
He is so aware of his body mechanics now, it really is amazing!
He will point out when he is moving properly.

Cliff still needs to build confidence, but we are working hard on that!
We are praying that the Lord will give Cliff peace of mind and confidence so that he will be able to gain more independence!

Remember about a month ago when I shared this picture of Cliff standing with his canes all by himself?!

Look what Cliff is doing now:

This is nothing short of a miracle!
We are so so SO proud of Cliff, his hard work and dedication!
We also want to say a huge THANK YOU to Lisa who worked with Cliff over the past three weeks, who pushed him to his limit, who REALLY challenged him, who cheered him on when he wanted to give up and who fought back tears when Cliff was pushing through a difficult task, who had total confidence in Cliff’s abilities and helped make his dream of walking with his canes all by himself come true!

Of course we must stop to praise our awesome God!
God’s hands have been on Cliff since Cliff was born!
Watching Cliff is truly watching God perform a miracle.
We are so blessed to see God perform miracles right before out eyes through Cliff!

Thank you all for your prayers and support!
We are so blessed to have each and every one of you who cheer Cliff on, send the sweetest emails and pray for Cliff!
We read each and every comment, message to Cliff and they mean so much to him and us!

You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
Psalm 77:14

Filed Under: Faith, Family, The Boy, TheraSuit

I Love {Their Love}

July 24, 2012 5 Comments

They have moments that melt my heart.

Moments that are unscripted and full of love.

Moments that make me burst into tears and thank God that he blessed them with each other.

Moments so precious that they make all of the usual bickering, crazy chaos and sibling arguments melt away as if they never happen at all.

I love their love.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Life, The Boy, The Girl

TheraSuit Week 2 {Cliff Update}

July 22, 2012 2 Comments

This week Cliff did AWESOME!
He never fails to amaze us!
He has been working really hard with his canes.
Also, Lisa did not put the lower half of the suit on him much this week because he is doing so well without it and it’s time to start “weaning” him off the suit since next week is his last week!

(See his scars from the PERCS surgery he had in May?!)

Here Cliff is working hard in Spider.
The bungees give him a little support and balance, but Cliff is really doing all the work!

I am still amazed to see a 4 year old work so hard and push himself to the max!
He never gives up!

His core is getting much stronger and he is standing up taller this week!
This week Cliff stood for 8 seconds without ANY support or braces on!!!!
We are sooooo proud of him!

Cliff is working hard on learning to shift his weight.
See that tongue sticking out?!
That means “THIS IS HARD!”
But he still pushes through!
(oh yea… and he is standing in spider ALL BY HIMSELF and shifting his weight!!!)

This is the pulley system used to strengthen and isolate certain muscles.
Cliff really likes “doing his exercises!”

This week the firemen came to share fire safety tips with the wonderful children at The Therapy Place.
Cliff was thrilled when they let him spray the fire hose!

This little boy is the hardest working individual I have ever met.
We are so so So proud of him.

Despite all the everyday struggles Cliff faces, he always has a smile on his face.

Words cannot express how much we love him!
He shows us on a daily basis what REAL hard work is!

My heart melts when I see the connection Cliff and Lisa have with each other!
It really is amazing and we are so blessed to have her work with Cliff!

Here is a video of Cliff walking with is canes ALL BY HIMSELF at the end of a three hour session last Thursday!
This video was taken at the end of him walking a LONG distance with his canes!
This video is tough to watch, but it really shows how hard Cliff works despite exhaustion and how determined he is to walk independently!

Even with all of the hard work, they still manage to have fun and lots of laughs:

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

2 Chronicles 15:7

*A HUGE thank you to the Therapy Place TheraSuit Facebook Page for allowing me to snake pictures of Cliff this week!

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, The Boy, TheraSuit

Cliff {Therasuit Week 1}

July 17, 2012 12 Comments

Cliff started an intense therapy called TheraSuit at The Therapy Place last week.
We are so blessed to have these resources just minutes from our house!
Cliff will get to work one on one with Lisa, who is highly trained in the TheraSuit method, for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks.

The TheraSuit Method is used to encourage proper gross motor patterns and isolate certain movements.
It also strengthens the muscle groups responsible for specific movements.

The main goals of TheraSuit are the improvement of range of motion, increased muscle strength and joint flexibility, as well as overall improvement of Cliff’s functional skills.

I pop in during the last 30 minutes a few days a week to snap pictures and take video of Cliff’s hard work!

Every step these feet take is truly a miracle.

Cliff is so determined.
His strength and endurance will forever amaze us!

When his tongue sticks out,
you know he means business.

Cliff works extremely hard the entire three hour session.

Even when extreme fatigue takes over, he pushes through.
It amazes me that a four year old has this much drive and fortitude.

Cliff is already getting stronger!
He is now able to use his canes without his braces!
In fact, we are going to put his big braces (Turbo’s) up
and go back to his little braces (DAFO #4’s)!

Despite being completely worn out at the end of each day, Cliff’s spirits are high!
He is still silly and the every moment with him is like being at the best party in the world!
Yea, he is amazing!

At the end of the day, Cliff has to walk to the star and touch it!

The pride written all over his face when he is finished with an intense day of TheraSuit is priceless.

Here Cliff is walking to the star at the end of the session last week:
(make sure to pay close attention to his last 4 steps)

Cliff took 4 steps with his canes ALL BY HIMSELF!!!
We are so so SO proud of Cliff and his hard work!
Words cannot express how blessed we are to have him in our lives.
He is our miracle and our daily reminder of God’s good work!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Special Needs, The Boy, TheraSuit

Little Moments {Big Memories}

July 5, 2012 2 Comments

Lately, our days seem to be filled with little precious moments and when I remember the days that have passed by, big memories flash through my mind.

Cliff and Harper seem to relish in these little moments already and I smile knowing that when they look back on these little moments, they will have big memories too.

Sometimes jumping on a crazy fast speed boat is just what your soul needs at the moment.

And even through my stomach dropped when Ross and Cliff eagerly hopped aboard this boat that goes way too fast and turns so fast the boat disappears behind the wall of the water it creates, I smiled knowing that this experience is one Cliff will never forget.

Seeing the smiles on their faces when they safely returned to me and Harper was totally worth holding my breath for the entire 5 minute ride.
This is daddy/son bonding at it’s finest.

Memories aren’t just for the littles.
Ross and I also enjoy taking tiny moments and turning them into big memories with each other.
Little moments that we will never forget.
Moments that in 30 years from now will be the topic of a “remember when” conversation.

Exploring the world from a different point of view.
Little moment – BIG memory.

The excitement Harper felt when she was surrounded by countless fish is sure to be a moment she will always remember.

Staring at the moon is it’s full glory.
This was a moment that will forever be engrained in my soul.

Creating memories with family is so important.
(We are so blessed that our littles have sweet cousins!)

The little moments of this summer will for sure come together to create some wonderful memories for our family in the years to come.

The little moments often come together to create big memories.
Life is so good.

Filed Under: Family, Inspiration, The Boy, The Girl

{The Beach}

June 19, 2012 5 Comments

The beach is our happy place.
Where we love to spend our summers.
Growing up, summer meant playing in the sand, riding the boat out in the ocean, feeling the burn of salty water mixed with sunscreen on my sun kissed cheeks, spending days and days with cousins and being surrounded by family.
Ross and I feel so blessed that our littles can spend a good bit of their summers at the beach.
After all, it is our happy place.

They are comfortable on the beach.

Occasionally a big wave will come and Harper runs to me and yells
“hold you hand Mama!”
And of course I secretly love those big waves because they mean that I get to hold her hand.

Don’t even get me started on these cute, squishy, sandy cheeks.

Our days on the beach are filled with squeals of delight, laughter and pure happiness.

This year, The Boy is convinced he can surf.
Ross and I could sit there and watch him “surf” all day!
He is so stinkin’ awesome, if I do say so myself.

Sometimes we take walks on the beach where we spend time chatting with the littles,
asking them questions, listening to what life is like through their eyes.
They see the magic that this world has to offer and their sweet, innocence makes my heart melt.

Happy.

Freedom.

Late afternoons are spent on the boat.

On the boat, Cliff is in his element.
Asking Ross a ton of questions.
He is a little captain in training.

The best part is when we have friends with us.
Ross is able to sit in the back of the boat and enjoy our family.

This is our happy place.

Smiles fill our faces.

Being together.
Soaking up every second.
This is what life is about.

Exploring the inlet is always so much fun.
And so beautiful.

Then the moment we have waited for is here.
Sunset.
So stunning it takes your breath away no matter how many times you have seen it.

Ross and I laugh when we ride across the inlet to the restaurants and the littles scream and point to the “real” pirate ship!
No matter how many times we drive past it, Cliff always reassures Harper that our boat goes WAY faster than that pirate ship and those pirates will NEVER be about to catch us!

Taking the boat to dinner is always a fun treat.
It’s different and exciting to pull up to the dock in front of the restaurant!

At the beach,
we are all high on life.

Life is so precious and there is something about being here that always reminds us to be thankful for every second we have together.

The beach,
our happy place.

Where is your happy place?!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Seasons, The Boy, The Girl

Cliff Update! {Post Op Week 3}

June 3, 2012 3 Comments

Cliff has been a ROCKSTAR this week!
He is venturing out in his walker and is requesting that he walk everywhere!

We are thrilled that he WANTS to walk and is now able tackle long distances.
His resilience is amazing!

Cliff worked super hard at PT this week!
And he is asking me to stretch him every night because it will help him “be taller!”

Cliff is working hard to strengthen his hip flexors.

And walking with his canes is still very challenging,
but no longer intimidates him!

Seeing Cliff work so hard with a smile on his face makes me one VERY proud mama!

He is one determined little boy and we are amazed at his progress in just three short weeks!

We are so excited to see what the future holds for Cliff!
I know the Lord has BIG plans for this little boy!
We are so thankful for Cliff!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, The Boy

Cliff Update {Post Op Week 2}

May 26, 2012 4 Comments

This week started out ROUGH!

Cliff was not wanting to bear any weight on his right leg and would not straighten it out! He refused to even look at his walker and would pitch a fit when I tried to put his braces on him.
I was starting to panic and even had a complete break down one time because I started to question if we did the right thing.
Well, this only lasted a few days and by Tuesday, Cliff was doing this:

{11 days post op}

I took him to The Therapy Place on Tuesday for his last day of The Bridges Program and after being there for 6 hours and having an AWESOME hour of PT, I walked in to pick him up and he was WALKING in his walker!

Everyday, Cliff has been getting stronger and faster!
He is getting heel strike with his left foot AND his right foot!
He is finally able to straighten his right leg completely and really swing his leg out to take a proper step!
In the video, you can see how Cliff’s left foot turns in a little.
This is because of muscle weakness, but he is learning to correct it on his own!
We are so proud of Cliff and all that he has accomplished in just two short weeks!

The rest of this week has been magical for Cliff!

He is doing things that may seem so small to many people,
but are HUGE for him!
He is walking with FLAT FEET and gets tickled with himself with every step he takes!

He will stop, giggle and say “Look, Mama! I am walking with FLAT feet!”

He says his legs are feeling MUCH better but are still a “tiny bit sore!”

And he is asking to walk pretty much everywhere!

He is such a brave, strong little boy and we are so blessed that God allowed us to be his parents!
Cliff is such a blessing to us and is our daily reminder of God’s love.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1

Filed Under: Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, The Boy

Cliff Update {Post Op Week 1}

May 17, 2012 6 Comments

Cliff’s PERCS surgery was one week ago today!
And he has come a long way already!
Seriously, his determination and strength amazes me.
I am in awe of my four year old.
He is by far the strongest person I know!

As soon as we got home, Cliff started crawling around and climbing off of furniture.
He really did not skip a beat!
Everyday we do post op exercises and he tries to stand.
Cliff had his first hour of physical therapy with his amazing, wonderful therapist, Danielle on Tuesday!
He did well considering he just had surgery 4 days prior.
He tried to stand, but it was very difficult for him.
He is sore and he is feeling sensations he has never felt before.
He has to learn how his “new legs” work and it is scary for him.

Oh yea, we also took his bandages off on Tuesday and his incisions are looking good!

Today the littles slept until 9:00!
And the planets must have been perfectly aligned because we all woke up in great moods!… maybe it was the extra sleep we all had!
Today, Cliff arrived at PT ready and excited to work hard!

Cliff stood up with more confidence today!

And even though this is very challenging to him,
he rose above the challenge with a smile on his face!

Cliff let go of Ms. Danielle’s hand and pointed!

He said “I see a C for Cliff on the wall over there!… it’s red!”

(Note: this is all while STANDING with ONE cane and a little support from his PT!)

Then Cliff walked in his walker for the first time since his surgery!

It is very difficult for him and he has to learn how to use his legs properly.
He was so proud of himself!

…and then a split second later,
soreness and defeat took over.
But with a little cheering, he managed to take a few more steps and really push himself!

Did you notice that Cliff is getting HEEL STRIKE?!

He is doing really well lifting his left knee and swinging his leg through to achieve heel strike and take a proper step! The right leg will get there, he just needs to strengthen his hip flexor in his right hip (like stomping). His steps are MUCH better already and I know they will continue to get better and better everyday!

We are so thankful!
Our Lord continues to bless Cliff!

Seeing Him perform miracles right before our eyes is simply wonderful!

God is soooo good!

"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."

Job 9:10

Filed Under: Faith, Family, PERCS (Tendon Release), Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, The Boy

{Happiness}

May 16, 2012 5 Comments

Happiness is everywhere.
It surrounds us and even though life can be a little crazy… ok, a lot crazy,

happiness is still there.
Sometimes you just have to look for it.

Happiness is seeing that Cliff and Harper want to sit next to each other and giggle about silly things together.

Happiness is the fact that even though The Girl is growing up way too fast,
there are parts of her that are still baby.

It is in the excitement of watching The Boy become giddy with glee over the fact that some planes can land on water and float like a boat.

Happiness is watching them play fully content, in their own little worlds, but within arms reach of each other.

It is in the way she is enamored with sand.
She acts like she has never seen it before.

Happiness is being surrounded by great friends who love our littles.

Even though it kind of breaks my heart when Harper, just like a big girl,
does this with ease…

the way she grins with pride as she replaces the cap is pure happiness.

Happiness is sitting back and watching boys be boys,
even if they are breaking the rules and spraying sunscreen at anyone who passes by.

It is in the squeals and laughter of those who unexpectedly become the next victim on the wrong side of a water gun filled with cold super water.

Happiness is watching The Boy have the time of his life.

And being proud when sister, the usual water gun target, dishes it right back…
never skipping a beat!
(You go girl!)

Happiness is editing photos and coming across an unexpected moment that Ross happened to capture.
Soon there will be three little ones to love with all my heart.

That is happiness.

It is in the way his soul is so sweet and pure.
When you look into his eyes, you can help but be filed with happiness.

Happiness is kissing soft cheeks.

And capturing one of his facial expressions that would have most likely been forgotten in years to come.

Happiness is taking a moment to see, really see the beauty that the world around us has to offer and soaking it in, just like God intended us to do when He created it.