Pictures and a long overdue update

Sorry for the delay, but we have been busy and it has been hard to make the time to write.

On Saturday the 13th, we went to an LPA (Little People) event. It was nice to meet some other families and their kids. I am hoping that this will be a good community for Molly to be a part of as she gets older. We went with them to a pumpkin patch that also had some farm animals and Molly had a ball! She got to see some goats, chickens, pigs and sheep and was quite happy until they got too close to her by the fence - at which time she started firmly saying "No, No".

On Monday (the 14th) the wheelchair vendor dropped off a power wheelchair for Molly to demo for the next two weeks. She got the concept of stop and go almost immediately. We got her to drive all around the yard. It was so fun to have her independently mobile. It was the first time she had gone to the backyard on her own.

On Wednesday (the 17th) we went to the State Fair with our neighbor Lori, and had a blast. Unfortunately, I forget the camera, so there are no pictures :(. She got to hold a baby chick, which I think was a highlight, as were the cows and miniature horse. There were some performers singing and dancing with fiddles and banjos and Molly had us dancing the whole time and grinning from ear to ear.

I headed to the coast for the weekend with a bunch of ladies and Jim and Molly spent some quality time together. I had a wonderful time getting away. It was warm enough that we went swimming and got to take some nice walks along the beach. These ladies meet twice a year to make scrap books and I put together my first scrap book (an entire book of Molly photos). Jim and Molly had fun together, but while they were out Molly's chair rolled away (the brakes on her chair failed) and she tipped forward and smacked her face against the front of the van. She has a slight black eye and cheek, but thankfully came out with only minor bruising. Every kid gets their bumps and bruises, but it was more than a minor scare given Molly's fragile nature.

My Mom arrived today and will be here until Tuesday. It is so nice to have an extra set of hands and eyes to deal with all of the evaluation and work that goes along with caring for Molly.

I have been having trouble getting Molly to drive her chair anywhere and it seems to be getting worse each day. I'm not quite sure what her hang-up is, I am guessing she is simply enjoying the fact that she is in control. She is one stubborn little girl, but as people keep reminding me, it is her stubbornness that will allow her to be successful.

We are having our annual pumpkin carving party on Saturday and I am really looking forward to it. I will try and get some pictures up soon after the party :).

Here is a picture of Molly in her SUPER COOL power-chair (on loan)...
Molly doing some great standing at the dishwasher...

Molly enjoying her swing and her new glasses. She LOVES her new glasses and wears them even in the house :)...



Here is Molly with her good friend "Livie" (Olivia). You can kind of see Molly's "shiner" (her left eye)

Here are Molly and Livie playing at Olivia's house. They have been getting silly lately and squealing in a very shrill girly voice and laughing hysterically. It is so nice for Molly to have a friend to play with. Olivia is a year older than Molly, which has been great. Olivia told us this last visit that Molly is her best friend :)