One more cast down!

Some elf fun first:














Some goodies from RMH :)


Therapy dogs are our favorite!


This is Josie



This is Stella

Last cast till next year!!



Gerri loved telling everyone "see you next year !"
"Next time you see me I will be 9!"

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Catching up!!

Put up all the decorations!!

stockings are hung!

We drove to philly for recasting on her left foot, as you can see her foot has regressed quite a bit. but we are not surprised as she has had several growth spurts this past year and her left side is more affected  and was very stubborn the first time around

you can see how she was walking on the side of her foot again  :(

trying to get used to a cast again - she was very uncomfortable

stopped for lunch on the way home - ready to play!

by bed time she was up and walking!!

Then 4 days later we were heading back to Philly for a cast change

Temple University has students caroling!

after 1 cast you can see some movement!

fell asleep waiting for dr vB (we left home at 4:30 am)

We left Philly at 3:00 pm and hit all the traffic and did not get home till 10:00 - I was exhausted!

We adopted an elf! Meet Jingles!!

Silly boy!! the kids LOVED this!

Bad boy making a mess!!!

Can you see me???? I told him to dust while he was there!

hugging (choking) my buddy

Went to Danny's 4th grade winter concert!

Danny is middle row next to last on the left - he did Great!!

An elf after my own heart!! he had to put a blanket on  cause it was cold in the fridge

ooh ooh!! bagged!

This morning we left home at 7:00 to drive down to Philly

look at the difference with 2 casts!! almost flat  again!!!

she is VERY happy with their new colors!!
and it is lightweight.

We are staying in Philly for the weekend as Gerri is beinng casted again on Monday. As soon as she is done we will jump in the car and head home. We hope to be home before the storms hit.

Prayers go out to all the families in Newtown, CT that are going to sleep after saying goodbye to their loved ones today. I just can't imagine. I heard about it while in clinic and can't imagine how someone could harm so many innocent people.
hug your children extra tight tonight!!

On our way home !

Had so much fun at RMH



Gerri is always amazed when she meets other kids with AMC :)

Here is her left foot, she is walking on the outside of her foot



They love the tree and train set at Shriner's


Luckily I remembered the pain reliever before casting :)

They did her height and weight and OMG!! She has grown 6 inches and gained 8 pounds in the last year!!!


She is trying to remember how to get around in her wheelchair :)

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Made it!

We stopped in CT for lunch at Bertucci's :)



Made it to RMH oh Philly in time to watch the Pats WIN!!!!!!



Then the girls played in the play area ;)



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On the road again!

Just fueled up, ready to get on the road and head to Philly!


You can't see it, but Gerri's wheelchair is in the back :(
We are casting her stubborn left foot in preparation for surgery in January to remove her hip hardware and do scar tissue releases along with some other releases to hopefully gain back the ROM she lost with her last hip and ex fix surgery.
Understandably Gerri is very upset about losing her mobility as am I, but hopefully it is short term.
I am in charge of the big picture as hard as that is to explain to an 8 yr old :(
But we hope to see some AMC friends too :)



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feeling a little bit like Christmas!

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In honor of a beautiful little boy :)

As many of you know I am the stateside helper for Reece's Rainbow, it has been my way of paying it forward for almost 3 years now. I work with families from the time they commit to the time they come home with their treasures. I have helped hundreds of families and am honored and blessed to call them all my friends. I have met a few in person but mostly are via phone calls, emails and messaging.

One of my families lost their precious bundle of joy way too early.

He was blessed with a loving, amazing family for 14 months.

Today the family is doing the unthinkable, burying their beautiful sweet baby boy.

Many of us in the RR and the special needs adoption community have been praying and holding this family up as they do the unthinkable. 

Henry you were SO loved by all of us!!

Rest in Peace Sweet boy!

We are all burning candles in his honor!

We all love you Henry!!