Ashlyn's World

Christmas In Lee's Summit

2011-11-28T10:25:00.004-06:00

Ashlyn has met with several news outlets over the past few months. Most recently with Terra Hall of Fox 4 News. After finishing our last interview on November 14th, she was invited by Terra to help Mayor Rhoads light up downtown Lee's Summit on November 18. This our hometown so we were super excited. I work for the City, so Ashlyn had met the Mayor before, but this time it was going to be for something more fun than just going to my work.

I thought Ashlyn might actually get a bit shy as we approached the stage that evening. There was a large crowd gathered around the stage for the lighting and to see Santa Claus. Oh yeah, that was an extra bonus. She would get to see Santa FIRST! My worry was for nothing. She didn't get shy at all. She loved the attention. Go figure.

As Terra introduced her on stage and explained that Ashlyn was born missing her left arm from the elbow down, Ashlyn proudly held up her little arm and grinned from ear to ear. As she finished the introduction Ashlyn said "Merry Christmas!" loudly into the microphone and resounding "Ahhhhhhh!!!" came from the crowd. *proud mommy smiles*

She did a most excellent job of helping Mayor Rhoads and his grandson turn on all the Christmas lights downtown. She enjoyed every single minute of it.

She's so going to be in the movies someday. Hee hee!

In the news!

2011-11-14T13:46:00.002-06:00

Ashlyn and I have been interviewed my several local news outlets over the past couple of months. We have shared her story and that of Winter the Dolphin with anyone that wants to listen. Check out some of these stories:

Fox 4 News
NBC Action News
Channel 9 News
Independence Examiner
Lee's Summit Journal

I am a single mom that hasn't really found the extra time to do special things to raise awareness. (Do single mom's get "extra" time? :) ) I've met some fantastic people that are doing great things to inspire and educate and I hope you take time to check them out as well.

Born Just Right and Lucky Fin Project.

Thanks for visiting!!!

Day 6 - On our way back home.

2011-11-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

Sadly, Sunday, October 6, 2011 marks the end of our time in Florida.

We woke up late again. No reason to rush to the airport today. I gave Ashlyn a much needed bath after her princess makeover left her hair a bit stiff...and glittery.

We all got ready to go. Had our bags delivered to the airport and enjoyed one last lunch at the resort. We had no idea that we almost missed our bus, but we made it just in time.

We were headed to the airport at 1:30 pm. When we got to the airport, Ashlyn found one more princess to have her picture taken with. She doesn't miss a princess. *smile*

She also found a nice big giraffe at the Sea World shop.
Giraffe's are one of her favorite animals so we HAD to take a picture.

From there we made our way through security and waited for our plane. Ashlyn was getting a bit cranky and finally fell asleep on moms lap about 30 minutes before our plane was ready to load. I was hoping that meant she would sleep quite a bit on the plane. No such luck.

We arrived in Kansas City around 6 pm. My uncle met us at the airport and we headed home.

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Mom, Ashlyn and I got to spend a lot of quality time together. This is a trip that none of us will soon forget.

(Pedometer Steps: 8,670 - A mostly "sitting and waiting day")

P.S. By the time I got to work on Monday it seemed like it had never happened.

Day 5 - Epcot and Downtown Disney

2011-11-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

Saturday we headed to Epcot! We FINALLY had the chance to meet some blogging friends that I've gotten to know since before Ashlyn was born. It felt as though I already knew them...but getting to meet them for the first time in person was exciting. They are great people and just as fun in person as they are on Facebook and blogging. So glad we got to meet them!

(Thank you Trish and Marty for showing us around for a while. Still sorry we didn't make it back in time for our picture. Maybe we could photoshop something? *smile*)

align="center">We all made our way to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. What a cute little ride it has. Just takes you on a search for Nemo. Then project Nemo, his dad and Dory into an actual fish aquarium so it looks like they are really swimming with real fish. That was great!
align="center">We even found the REAL Nemo and Dory!!

align="center">After Nemo, we walked around looking at the different fish and aquatic life including seahorses, eels, manatees and yes, even dolphins!

After checking out all the animals, we went to Turtle Talk with Crush. This was super cute. All of the kids got to sit on the floor at the front of the theatre and the parents sat on benches behind them. Crush is animated but interacts with the audience. He would talk to you, make faces, move around the screen as he interacted. It was MAGIC!! We all loved it.

align="center">We went our separate ways from Trish and Marty after this as they were going to ride something that looked awesome ("Soarin'") but Ashlyn was too short and the fast passes were for MUCH later in the day and I wasn't sure we would be there then (and we weren't). We thought we would catch up with Trish and Marty later...but that didn't work out. *sad face* It was still great to visit with them for a little while. *happy face*

We had lunch at Epcot and then headed to Downtown Disney. There was a lot a wanted to see and do there. Who knew that there was no straight shot there from Epcot. Bah! align="center">As soon as we arrived in Downtown Disney, Ashlyn was ready for pictures. She found some odd little soldier fellows and without me even asking she posed perfectly with them...and Mickey and Minnie too! She's such a character.
align="center"><

We then went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for Ashlyn to get a princess makeover. I didn't even think about it being Saturday afternoon and that they might now be able to do it. Fortunately I was told they were accepting walk-ins which was highly unusual, especially for a Saturday afternoon. Shew...that was close. They got her right in. She got to pick her hairstyle, color and make up. She sat so perfectly still that I wasn't sure she was still my kid. She NEVER sits that still when I'm doing her hair. *shaking head*

The transformation was unbelievable. When they pulled all of her hair back she looked several years older. If you had walked me out of the room while they were doing it and back in when they were done, I'm not sure I would have recognized her. Seriously. Look.

Just getting started...

Halfway done...

Then final touches... GLITTER!! The final prodcut.

I TOLD YOU...she looks like she's 6+ years old now!

We completed our tour of Downtown Disney and enjoyed dinner at Wolfgang Puck's. Mmmm!!! Then we returned to the Magic Kingdom for one more evening of princesses, fireworks and light shows. We would be heading home the next day so we wanted to make the most of it!

We decided to try to get in to see a princess before they left for the evening. We actually got to see THREE! The fireworks were getting ready to start, so the line was incredibly short. Yay!

After the royal visit we went to Adventureland and got to meet Tinkerbell and Terence.

Another short line due to other things going on in the park. Woo hoo!

Finally, her autograph book was full!!
We then went back to the hotel and I began the process of getting things ready to go home the next day. Ashlyn wasn't much help. I got all of her make-over undone and she passed out. Oh yeah...her hair was hysterical the next day. Thank goodness we had time for a bath 1st thing in the morning! Hee hee!

(Pedometer Steps: 19,682)

Day 4 - Hollywood Studios and Relaxing

2011-11-04T11:23:00.014-05:00

We decided to venture to Hollywood Studios on Friday. We got a late start to the day as it was raining first thing in the morning. We decided that we would take it easy. No need to rush around ALL the time. So we ordered room service for breakfast and ate on our balcony. We watched people walking around the courtyard with umbrellas and ponchos. Yep, no reason to rush anywhere with the rain.

We finally made it to Hollywood Studios around 11am. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining once again. We wandered aimlessly for a little while and then found that we would be able to meet Mickey at one of the locations we were planning to head to a little later. We went ahead and made our way there. We didn't have to stand in line too terribly long....considering it was Mickey and all.

We did go to the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" attraction, but Ashlyn took off like a bolt and I couldn't catch her. It terrified me everytime I could just catch a glimpse of her up ahead of me, but due to the other children and parents I couldn't actually reach her. Finally I caught up with her at the bottom of the slide and drug her out of the play area. She threw a humdinger of a fit and I felt bad for making her leave, but I panicked at the thought of her getting separated from me and not being able to find her. So after a several minute fued, we found some snow that she got excited about.

No, not real snow...not even soft snow. As a matter of fact, when she fell on it her knees got pretty scraped up which began another crying fit. Man, oh man. It was time to head back to the hotel. As we made our way back through it appeared to be an epidemic. 6 out of 10 children where screaming and crying. We all just shared the knowing look and smile. I guess it was just that time of day. Time to head back to the hotel. Yay!

There was a lot going on at the hotel that evening. We grabbed dinner and then headed to the beach (sand beach on Buena Vista Lake). We roasted marshmallows and then got to sit back in chaise lounge chairsand watch a movie (Mars Needs Moms) on the beach. When the movie ended we moved to another part of beach where you can see the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom. That was pretty neat.

Then we saw a line of boats. Then we heard them playing fun carnival type music. They were all dark except a single green light on their bow. They stopped infront us and then they light up with animals made of lights. It was parade of lights on the water. How cool is that? When the animal song ended, then the lights changed to stars and american flags. Very very neat. Glad we didn't miss that.

Ashlyn played with a new friend for a while on the beach and playground while mom and visited with her parents. Then it was off to bed. We were meeting friends the next day at Epcot! Yay!

Pedometer Steps: 10, 126)

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

2011-11-03T10:35:00.026-05:00

Today we set our sights on the Animal Kingdom. Another amazing place. Full of animals, characters and fun rides. Our first stop was at "It's hard to be a bug". First off, I didn't know this was from A Bug's Life and I had been warned it was a little creepy. Once inside, I realized I might have made a mistake. It's a 4D movie type thing. Ashlyn thought it was great until Hopper (the mean grasshopper) came out and proceeded to call on the mean bugs to take care of us human folks. The spiders are what really got Ashlyn. She was DONE with it. LOL. It was pretty neat though to have air blown at you, water sprayed at you, smells in the air and "critters" moving in your seat. She laughs about it now, but at the time she was so over it. Ha ha!

We wandered around quite a bit until we found a ride that she enjoyed. It was just a ride that goes around and around and up and down (at your control) as we sat in a dinosaur. We could see a lot of things from up there as she liked me to us as high as we could go. She's such a little dare devil.We also got to meet several characters such as Pluto, Goofy, Chip 'N Dale, Donald, Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Pocahontas.
We had so much fun walking around, visiting with the characters and seeing the animals that it was hard to make ourselves leave. However, just as we were making our way back out of the park, my little princess fell fast asleep. This made the walk back to the bus a little bit more difficult carrying 30+ lbs of dead weight. LOL. But we made it and she slept the whole time we were on the bus back to the hotel. She woke up at just the mere mention of going swimming for a while before the party.

The pool at the hotel was beautiful. A bonus to stopping by mid-afternoon is that there weren't as many kids in the pool either. We got to enjoy it for about an hour before we had to head back up to the room and get ready to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party. How exciting!

I got Ashlyn all dolled up and ready to go as Cinderella. She looked so adorable. As you might have guessed, in Disney World she was not going to be the only Cinderella. She was one of probably 1,000 of them. But she was the cutest one in my eyes. *smile*

We made our way back to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy all the wonders of the party. We walked. We danced. We watched the parade. We rode a few rides (including the infamous teacups).

We watched the incredible fireworks. We trick or treated. By the end of the night we were completely exhausted and ready for bed.

It was another wonderfully busy day. We were ready to rest up for Hollywood Studios the next day!!
(Pedometer Steps: 21,148)

Day 2 - A Day with Winter!

2011-11-01T16:23:00.028-05:00

This was what the trip was all about. Earlier in the year Ashlyn and a fellow blogger's daughter ( http://www.bornjustright.com/) Jordan had the incredible opportunity to meet Kevin Carroll, Vice President of Prosthetics for Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics. Mr. Carroll is co-creator of Winter the Dolphin's "helper tail". This was also the first time the girls had the opportunity to meet each other and there was an instant bond. We had no idea at the time that we would be presented with such an incredible opportunity!!

After this meeting Ashlyn and I began the process of working with Hanger Prosthetic and Orthotics in Independence, MO for her new myoelectric arm as well and her swim arm. They have been so fantastic to work with. From there we had the opportunity to meet with several media outlets to discuss the opportunity to meet Winter live with the help of the Hanger Prosthetics foundation. Oh yeah. You better believe we were excited. We made plans with the other family and worked with Mr. Carroll's assistant (Ms. Carol Wade) and set our sights on Florida for this October trip! Fast forward to last week - we woke up early on Wednesday (after arriving at 1am the night before) and headed for a quick breakfast. Our limo was waiting outside promptly at 9am to take us to Clearwater, FL for the big day. The limo was impressive to say the least. Jordan and Ashlyn sat behind Jen (Jordan's mom) and I and picked up where they left off several months earlier and as if no time had passed at all. It was definitely an "Ahhhhh" moment. *smiles*

We arrived at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium 2 hours later and ready to meet the animals. We were given the royal treatment with a tour guide showing us the ins and outs of the aquarium and the different aquatic life that has found their new home at this very special place. Ashlyn and Jordan looked at the animals swimming above as soon as we walked in.

After touring the facilities the girls (and Jordan's brother, Cameron) were given an even better special treat. The chance to get up close and personal with Winter herself. Yeah, I'm jealous that I didn't get to touch this beautiful creature. However, watching the kids enjoying this moment was even better to me. It made my heart all warm and fuzzy. *smile*

They got to touch her, feed her, wave at her, talk to her. It was more than incredible...but I am at a lack of words to describe how awe struck I was. It was....beautiful!

Oh yeah...Ashlyn totally kissed her!! *squeal*

We enjoyed the afternoon at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, learning about the different animals that live there, how they came to be there and how the aquarium gives them an incredible place to live, make friends and be happy critters.

After the aquarium we managed to squeeze an hour in at the beach. Clearwater is absolutely gorgeous. I could easily live here. We walked into the water and strolled around on the beach.

On the way back to Orlando, we all caught a quick nap in the limo. We needed a little refresher before heading to the Magic Kingdom that evening.

We made our way to the Magic Kingdom to change our Not-So-Scary trick or treating tickets from Tuesday (when we got in at 1 am) to Thursday so we could enjoy this special treat. We decided to explore the Kingdom while we were there. It was nothing like I expected...it was even BETTER!
We stayed for the fireworks and then decided we were exhausted and wanted to get some good sleep in order to enjoy a full day at the parks on Thursday.

Ashlyn barely stayed awake for the ferry ride back to our hotel. We had a terrific day with Winter and friends. This was probably the best day EVER!!

(Pedometer Steps: 9,682)

Florida Bound - Day 1 (The Flightmare!)

2011-11-01T11:23:00.010-05:00

Prepare yourself for a daily recap of our adventures. I know I'll probably bore you silly, but this is going to act as my journal as well. So read on...lots of fun and excitement is ahead. *smile*

On October 25, 2011, Ashlyn, my mom and I headed out early to KCI. Arriving just a little after 8 am for a 9:25am flight. Upon our arrival there was an incredibly long line for our terminal. We had no idea what was going on. My Uncle Frank (my mom's brother) was dropping us off. We piled out of the car with all our our luggage, carry-on's and car seat. It was no small feat just carrying this stuff to the end of the line. He went on his way and there we stood. Not moving. Finally getting the news that the terminal had lost power much earlier in the morning. The only flights affected were Southwest and Delta. Oh yeah, that would be us (Southwest). About 45 minutes of standing in line not moving we were advised by an overhead sound system (Where did they get the power to operate that annoying thing? *shrug*) that the power would be out for some time and we should reschedule any morning flights.

Awesome. Stuck in line with 3 suitcases, 3 carry-on's, a car seat, and an anxious 4 year old. We finally did get our flight rescheduled. From 9:25 am to 6:10 pm. We went from a straight through flight to having to land in Nashville for a connecting flight. We also went from arriving in Orlando at 1pm to arriving at 12:10am. Oh yeah. This was a great way to start Ashlyn's first big trip ever. Let's just say by the time we made the arrangement my nerves were already shot and I had 6 days to go. *joy*

We made our second flight at 6:10 (it was slightly delayed) but at least we were on our way. Finally.

We had to make arrangements (VERY last minute) through the travel agent for transportation from the airport to our hotel. We were staying Wilderness Lodge - a Disney Deluxe Resort...and the buses stopped running just before our arrival. We were instead provided a limo to our hotel. Oh yeah, we were treated like royalty. Ashlyn is an excellent traveler on planes. She enjoyed every minute of it.

We arrived at our hotel at 1am so our first day was filled with travel. We were tired yet still excited as heck. We had to get some sleep in before the next day. It was going to be a BIG day of travelling to Clearwater to meet Winter the Dolphin face to face (literally)! Stay tuned!!!

Seeing "Dolphin Tale"

2011-09-26T09:19:00.006-05:00

Kaitlyn (my niece) and Ashlyn waiting to get in to the movie.

We finally got to see this FANTASTIC movie. Wow. It is amazing. It started out a little slow, not for lack of a story line, but because I wanted to jump right in and watch this amazing animal begin the prosthetic process. It probably would have been better had I not known what the movie was about and if I didn't have a personal reason for wanting to see how this beautiful dolphin worked with her prosthetic.

It was an incredible journey though. Ashlyn was just excited to see Winter in the movie and to already know the story. She did, however, ask me if Winter died. She was a little confused by the story line about Sawyer's (the main character...next to Winter) cousin. I said, "No silly, remember we get to meet her."

I, of course, laughed and cried. There were moments that struck me so deeply and profoundly that I didn't just didn't expect it. I would explain them to you, but most of you probably haven't had the opportunity to see it since it just opened this weekend. So hurry up...get out there and see this incredible movie so I can tell you all about the parts that really struck a chord with me...or else I'm going to ruin it for you. *smiles*

It also made it nice that our group included Ashlyn and I (of course), my dad and step-mother, my sister, my brother-in-law as well as my niece and nephew and one of the main lines in the movie is..."Family is forever." Now that's what memories are made of. *warm fuzzies*

The New Arms are fantastic!!

2011-09-20T10:37:00.006-05:00

We finally made it to the end of the process...well almost. We picked up Ashlyn's new helper arms yesterday.

She has a new PINK swim arm which is lightweight and, of course, waterproof. Now we just have to find a good indoor pool to give a try. She really likes this one since it will help her swim and she has and incredible interest in Winter the Dolphin right now, so she totally sees the benefit of this one. Though, I must say, she is quite and incredible swimmer without it. I think she maybe a candidate for a swim team already. She's amazing!

Dr. Keith told her about the pink dolphins and we are excited to learn more about them too. Hmmm...maybe she will be a dolphin trainer some day. That would be okay with this momma!

We also got her new myoelectric arm. Wow. It's fantastic!

It will take quite a bit of adjusting and practic to operate it, but I think she'll get the hang of it in no time. It's a little heavier than the swim arm but once she learns to use it as a tool, I have a feeling she will become a super user.

She learns things so fast (like how to work my phone, how to navigate the internet and computer games) that I think this new helper arm will be a breeze to learn.

We are going to start Occupational Therapy as well, so that might give her an added incentive and insight on how to use it and how it can benefit her in some activities.

Hanger Prosthetics has been absolutely fabulous to work with. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend them to anyone that needs prosthetics or orthotics. Our appointments were easy and fun. We really liked the prothetist (Dr. Keith) we worked with also. In fact, the entire office team was great. So fortunate to be able to do this, and close to home. Very thankful to everyone that had a part in making this happen for Ashlyn. She's going to do amazing things!!

Happy 4th Birthday!!

2011-09-06T11:37:00.014-05:00

I cannot believe that it has been 4 years since I first met my little princess. She has grown up so much in those 4 years that I can't even imagine what the next 4 will be like, and I hope I have the patience/wisdom/strength to handle the next 4. *smile*

We celebrated the big day at Lake Jacomo (Shelter #6). It started out rather warm (97 degrees) with a pretty strong wind. We got the celebration underway around 1:30 with most of my family and friends, her dad and grandma and Ashlyn's favorite cousin and her two best friends on the planet. She was in 7th Heaven!! She got to play for quite a while and then enjoyed cake, ice-cream and snacks as well as punch and water.

As we started the "present opening" portion of the festivities it got darker and darker with thunder and lightning looming just to the north. I rushed her through her present opening to make sure we got through all of them, but I don't think either of us got a real chance to actually SEE what she got. By the end of the presents it was storming like crazy. We covered things up and everyone pitched in to get things put up in my car so they wouldn't get ruined.

We got to say goodbye to family and friends as they made their way out in the storm and headed home. We stuck around for a little while with the few family members that stuck it out as the rain turned to a sprinkle. Ashlyn was soaked (as was I) from head to toe, as she caught a few extra raindrops on her tongue.
It was a very happy birthday for her and great to see so many people come out and enjoy her special day. She's an amazing girl. I still just can't believe she's already 4.

Happy birthday baby girl! (Yeah, she'll ALWAYS be my baby girl...even when she's 80.)

Creating Ashlyn's 1st Myoelectric Arm

2011-08-22T14:33:00.010-05:00

This is going to be a longer process than when we went to Shriner's for her mechanical arm. That arm required a harness and it never really fit "right" for her. It was very cumbersome and she got very little use of out it. It was done in 2 appointments. One for the casting...one for delivery. This time, we are making sure it's done so that she will use it by making it fit right and by teaching her to use it correctly.

We are going to Hanger Prosthetics and Orthodics in Independence, MO. Instead of 4 hours each way, it takes 15 minutes each way...in traffic. Super excited!

Day 1 - August 15, 2011

Today she was cast for her new arm. She did everything exactly the way he (Dr. Keith - her Prosthetist) asked. She could not have been better. Once that was complete, we headed to the mall for a quick carousel ride and then we went to lunch at Logan's Steak house. It was a good day for all.

Dr. Keith casting Ashlyn for her 1st Myoelectic Arm

Day 2 - August 17, 2011

Today we just went in to see if the mold fit her correctly. This is one of the most important parts because if the mold doesn't fit her like a glove then the measurements will be off, it won't stay in place when the weight of the prosthetic is added, it just won't work properly for her at all. Unfortunately, the first mold did not meet all of these criteria so adjustments will have to be made. It's okay though, because I know the end result will still be amazing!!

Waiting to see if the mold fits

Day 3 - August 22, 2011

Today we went back to see if the mold would fit correctly. Well, it certainly did. It fit perfectly. Dr. Keith added a weight to it to see if she had any strength or range of motion. Incredibly, she had both. She could move the weight around (it was long like an arm and weighed the same as the prosthetic device will when this is complete). She raised it up and touched his nose with the end of it, which means she has the range of motion as well as muscle control. Yay Ashlyn!

Just like Cinderella's glass slipper, the mold fits perfectly!

The next step will take a little longer as they will work with all the information they have as far as weight, length and range of motion. Now they will begin work on her new arm with everything except the actual electric part. Once we have the next step complete then we work on the electric part and then begin OT so she can learn to use it the way it was designed. :) Did I mention I'm super excited to see how this works for her when it's done. SOOO excited! Then we will get her swim arm done as well. Woo hoo!!

In the news...

2011-08-10T16:52:00.002-05:00

I'll make this short and sweet. Ashlyn and I made the front page of our local newspaper.

We are so excited. I just hope that this reaches many people as awareness was/is my main goal. And when that awareness comes in the cutest little girl ever...well heck...that's news!!

Check it out here: Ashlyn's Tale

Happy times!

P.S. Our fitting for her myo and swim arm got rescheduled to next week. :( I guess we've had to wait this long, what's another few day? :)

Going back to Hanger Prosthetics

2011-08-08T11:14:00.004-05:00

This week is going to be an exiciting one. Ashlyn and I will be going to back to Hanger Prosthetics to have her cast and measured for her new myoelectric arm (with a "cookie crusher") and swim arm. I cannot wait. I'm hopeful that these will be less cumbersome than her current arm with the harness and that she will find them as useful tools in accomplishing everyday tasks. Actually she already does everything she needs to do, but I want her to know these "tools" make make some things easier...as I know it will also make some tasks more difficult until she really learns how to use this.

I am also hopeful that our insurance is going to be covering this at 100% (after my co-pay). I've been told by the insurance company (via email so I have it in writing) that it will be. But, I've also heard numerous other parents complain that insurance doesn't cover it. I know that where there's a will, there's a way (Ashlyn is living proof of that)...I just don't feel like I should have to fight for my daughter to have something that most people are born with. I will, in necessary, don't get me wrong. I just don't think I should HAVE to. We'll see how it goes and I hope that no fighting with the insurance is required. *fingers crossed*

In other news (pun intended)...Ashlyn will be featured in our local newspaper, The Lee's Summit Journal (http://www.lsjournal.com/). We interviewed with the journalist (Mr. Roberts) yesterday and her article should be in the paper this Wednesday. I kind of talked in circles (as I'm not regularly interviewed) but our focus was on Limb Difference awareness, insurance, technology advancements in prosthetics over the years and Ashlyn's new favorite friend, Winter the Dolphin (as the movie will be coming out in just a few short weeks).

Lots of exciting things going on. Hopefully I'll have more news this week on her new arm and when you may be seeing another photo shoot to show them off. :)

A New Opportunity

2011-07-14T13:26:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to say that Ashlyn and I will be going to an Upper Limb Clinic at Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics next week. She is starting to get very excited about the possiblity of getting a pretty new pink princess arm. She fell in love with one that we saw Jordan wearing on Born Just Right. I think she might actually use her arm more often if it weren't for the harness part...which Jordan does not use.

Last year at this time my insurance didn't cover (or barely covered) prosthetics. However, we have recently switched insurance carriers and I have been informed they are now covered at 100% (+ copay). That means that we won't have to travel 4 hours (each way) to St. Louis. Now don't get me wrong I LOVE Shriner's and they were wonderful to work with and we did enjoy our trips there. However, I don't have a lot of vacation time and the hospital isn't open on the weekends. Not to mention that a very active 3 year old (almost 4) in a car for that long makes for an even longer trip.

I think we are both excited and the opportunity to see what they may be able to do for her. They also mentioned a new swim arm. She's swimming like a little fish this year. She has really impressed me with all she can do, including diving under water and picking up dive sticks and returning to the surface. She hasn't figured out how to tread water yet...but it's in the process and I think she'll get there. I do think, however, that a swim arm will help her with the ability to get resistance to move both sides of her body equally. Eh, she would probably figure it out in time on her own, but I want to show her there are "tools" that can help. :)

This clinic will be an opportunity for me to really discuss my wants and her needs. Yes, she can do just about everything with her right hand and little arm, but I just want to try to open even more doors for her and introduce her to these tools bas soon as possible.

So excited!! I'll let you know how it goes!!!

I was born this way.....

2011-07-06T13:10:00.002-05:00

I know that I probably shouldn't find satisfaction in this story...but c'mon...my kid isn't going to take any poop from anyone and I'm proud of her for that!!

Ashlyn recently went to a birthday party for her BFF. She was so excited to see her again as she has recently transferred out of Ashlyn's daycare, and they were BEST friends. I, unfortunately, did not get to attend as I had a family medical issue that took me out of town, so this story was told to me by one of Ashlyn's teachers that attended the party also.

Ashlyn was having a blast with all the girls at the party. Playing, swimming, running, eating, giggling...you know, being a complete girl. *smile*

While playing another little girl came up and asked Ashlyn what happened to her arm. Ashlyn gave the standard, "I was born this way" response. That apparently wasn't good enough for the little girl. So she asked what happened to it. Ashlyn responded again, "I was born this way. Do you want to play?" The little girl seemed scared of Ashlyn's little arm and said, "No, you're missing your arm." Ashlyn responded again, "Yeah, I was born this way. Will you play with me?" The little girl didn't want anything to do with Ashlyn and her "missing arm" so she began to back off and try to get away from her. Well, my kid doesn't take kindly to being told no...and most certainly not for something as silly as her arm, so she began chasing the other little girl, hitting her with her little arm and yelling, "BUT I WAS BORN THIS WAY!" repeatedly. Hahahahahaha!

Okay, okay, I know that I shouldn't encourage that type of behavior. I never encourage hitting anyone. But sometimes, well, this is what it takes for others to see there is NOTHING wrong with my kid. To me, she is beyond perfection.

First meetings...

2011-06-06T09:18:00.007-05:00

Jordan and Ashlyn hiding from Jen

Saturday, June 4, 2011, will be a day I don't soon forget, and I'm pretty sure Ashlyn won't either. We FINALLY got to meet Jen and Jordan of Born Just Right and it was AWESOME!!

The girls were a little shy for a couple of minutes, but Ashlyn doesn't let that keep her down for long. She finally approached Jordan and asked her if she wanted to play. She then noticed, and pointed out, that both girls had the same little arm and BAM they were off and running, screaming, giggling and having fun. We also got to meet little Andrew and his family. He's 15 months, so he wasn't of the running and screaming age just yet, but he and his family live close so we are hoping to make a connection there and become friends and supporters very very soon! (In fact, I have their card on my desk to make sure I email them today!).

Andrew and his mom Sarah, Ashlyn and Jordan

The girls enjoyed running around like wild childs throughout the Rainforest Adventure at Crown Center. Anything Jordan did, Ashlyn would mimic and sometimes add a scream or giggle of her own. LOL. It was just so cute!!

Ashlyn and Jordan

I spent a majority of my time trying to chase down Ashlyn, so I didn't get to talk to Jen as much as I would have liked, but we are FB friends and she has that awesome blog that I talk to her on, so I guess it was really all about getting the girls together.

We did have an awesome chat with Kevin Carroll though. He helped build a helper tail for Winter the Dolphin and though he was out of animals and books at the time, he promised to send Ashlyn one soon (another email and/or phone call I need to make today). He was such a nice person and loved talking to the girls even though they were easily distracted.

Such and amazing visit with such incredible people. I'm so excited about entering a new world of contacts and connections with these families. I'm not passionate about too many things in life, but the one thing that I'm very passionate about is my daughter and giving her memories, friendships and connections that will last a lifetime!!!

One of the fountains at Crown Center

Mommy failure

2011-05-24T10:27:00.006-05:00

Ashlyn and the kitty take some time to watch the grass grow.

It finally happened. I failed my girl for the first time in the great world of making friends. I'm not sure how or why I let it happen the way it did. Guess I was lost in a world of other thoughts with so many things going on with my family.

Ashlyn and I (along with her Papa and Nana) went to a playground at a local elementary school. Ashlyn always has a blast on the slides, swing, climby things...pretty much everything about the playground is her "favorite" thing. There aren't a lot of kids that go there to play, but every once in a while she'll find some one willing to play with her besides me and my family. However, this time, I failed as a mom.

She was playing happily with Nana when a little girl (about 7 or 8) showed up with her family. Ashlyn was so excited to have a "friend" to play with. She rushed up to the girl and said, "Hi, do you want to play with me?" in the happiest friendliest voice ever. The little girl just stared at her. I said, "Well, tell her your name honey." And she did. The little girl didn't speak. Just stared at her. Her dad said, "Tell her your name too." She simply said, "Abby." Ashlyn said, "Hi Abby, do you want to play with me?" Abby just stared for a moment and then got down off the monkey bars and ran away to play something else. I was shocked. Neither her nor her dad really said much of anything.

Why didn't I step in at that point? Why didn't I say, "She was born this way, and there's nothing wrong with her and she'd love to play with you."? I have no clue. I guess because I wasn't really sure if was an "arm" thing, and age thing or just the fact that the other little girl was shy...which Ashlyn is so NOT. So I let it go. But I wasn't happy. The little girl came back a few minutes later and Ashlyn attempted the friendliness again, yet still no response from the little girl. She just wouldn't speak to her. Finally I just said it was time to go and we headed home. Ashlyn didn't think twice about it, I don't think. But I've been frustrated ever since. Not only that the little girl didn't talk to Ashlyn at all, but that I didn't do more to encourage it. Time for me to get my "game plan" together so that I can encourage other kids to actuallly play with my precious princess rather than act like she doesn't even exist. *sigh* Yep, it was a mommy failure for sure.

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T13:19:00.004-05:00

Ashlyn spent the first half of her day with her dad. When she got home, she was pretty tired but she came home to this.

So what little girl wouldn't be excited right? Yeah, I overdo it. It's what I do. All she wanted from the Easter Bunny was a princess scooter and a princess helmet. She was so happy (yet not surprised) to see that he (she) got the memo. *smile*

We visited my brother for a little while that afternoon. Then we enjoye some ice cream from Dairy Queen and spent the evening at home playing with her new stuff. Have I ever mentioned that she is the sweetest girl EVER? I might be a little biased on that.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!!

Miss Versatility

2011-04-18T09:32:00.009-05:00

Is this a title that can be won in a contest? Because my girl has got this down.

Yesterday we spent the day doing yard work. She was busy searching for worms and bugs. Her favorite was the roly poly. She found a lot of them and was so gentle to not squish them, and let them walk around and her arm and hand. She had so much fun with these silly little bugs and even begged me to let her keep one inside, as a pet. I guess I should get her a bug box, so she can enjoy the little critters inside the house, without getting them all over the house. She was filthy, and I mean filthy by the end of the day. Clothes, feet, legs, hand, arm...everything covered in dirt. Hair (which had been in 2 pony tails) was a complete mess. Yep, she was a tomboy from head to toe.

After we completed our yard work for the day, I showered and then gave her a bath. Scrubbed her clean again. She opted to wear her blue Easter dress (which is 1 of 4 dresses she has to wear for Easter this year...yeah, I'm weird). It looked absolutely adorable on her. I braided her wet hair and she looked like she was ready to go to church, or to her castle depending on who you ask. *smile* She then went to show my mom how pretty she was all cleaned up in her pretty dress and with her pretty braid. My mom asked if she wanted to look for bugs again and Ashlyn says, "No, gross! Princesses don't play with bugs! Gross!" It hadn't even been an hour since she was last cooing over her newest roly poly friend. :)

This was the princess...not the tomboy. :)

Potty Mouth

2011-04-12T13:20:00.003-05:00

My precious little princess is the picture of wholesomeness. She is sweet and loving and as funny as they come. However, we have a new problem that I'm not sure how to correct. She has a serious case of potty mouth. I won't say that I don't use curse words when she's in earshot, because she learned her first one from me...but in the scheme of things, I don't feel "Damn!" is completely horrible. However, there are words that I do NOT use when she is anywhere around and that includes the "F" word.

She has picked up learning several of these words and I can't seem to get it through her head that they are not nice words and I don't like to hear them coming out of her mouth. She will be busy playing some imaginary games and I will hear one of these words come of out her mouth and I just stop what I'm doing and look at her, she see's that I've stopped moving and says, "What? I didn't say anything." OR "I love you mom." Thinking either of these sentences is suddenly going to make me unhear what it is she has said. I feel the more I try to convince her NOT to say them, the bigger the problem becomes. I also feel that if I ignore these words, she will think it's okay to use them. I've tried both things and still the words come out of her mouth. *sigh* I fear being the only mom having her child kicked out of preschool for her language.

She will come home from school though and tell me, "Mom, at school I didn't say: shut up, or stupid, or dou**ebag, or jacka**, or fu**ing, or anything, " and smile at me as though she's solved the worlds problems. I'm pretty sure she DID use those words, or she wouldn't have felt it necessary to tell me she did not use them. Oh dear, how to fix this? She's such a sweet girl, and to her they are only words, she has no clue what they mean. I don't think I could ever do the whole "soap in mouth" thing because that's just cruel, I just honestly don't know how to eliminate these words from her ever growing vocabulary. Suggestions?

Ashlyn's First Snow Angels

2011-01-12T13:25:00.005-06:00

I love snow. I really do. I'm not a fan of the super cold temps that seem to go along with it, but snow...I heart it! Apparently Ashlyn does as well. She was SOOOO excited when we FINALLY got enough snow fall on Monday (1-9-11) to go out in her snow suit and make some real snow angels. She has been practicing for this day all year long.

This was actually the first time I really let her get out there and play in it. And play she did. She made about 50 snow angels in all. She also liked licking the snow off of pretty much everything that had snow on it. She attempted to lick the snow off a metal fence and I think I startled her pretty good when I caught her, tongue out, headed to the metal pole and with me screaming...NOT THE POLE! Oh gosh, I could just see me freaking out while my poor daughter has her tongue stuck to a pole. We narrowly missed that panic moment. *wiping forehead*

Here are a few pictures of her enjoying the only snow we've had this year. The first picture made the local news!!! She's a celebrity!!

Catching snowflakes on her tongue. (My FAVORITE picture!)

A REAL Snow Angel!

A wet snowbaby bum (after the snow angel).

Licking snow off a rock.

I wish we could all enjoy the snow as much as children do. *smiles* Stay safe and warm everyone!!

Holidays...Welcome 2011!

2011-01-03T08:30:00.004-06:00

The holidays have, sadly, come to an end. We enjoyed so much time with friends and family. Ashlyn, of course, enjoyed Santa's visit. As you can see, she was obviously a very good girl.

Waiting to Open Presents

The Aftermath

We spent NYE at home. This was a treat because this would normally be her time with her dad. But he had made other plans that weren't really "kid friendly", so I gladly stayed home with her and enjoyed making cakes in her new Easy Bake Oven (which were horrible) and drinking from our new fancy glasses (filled with Cherry 7-Up and garnished with an orange slice, pink straw and umbrellas). We ate junk food and stayed up til midnight to watch the countdown. This was her first New Year to make it all the way to midnight. Woo hoo!!

Sad little Easy Bake Cakes with pretty drinks

CHEERS to the New Year!! Welcome 2011!

Our NYE Entertainment. Rocking Princess Ashlyn!!

I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. I pray the New Year will bring you many blessings! Happy New Year to you all!!

Holidays in full swing!

2010-12-14T13:28:00.004-06:00

Wow! I keep promising myself to be a better blogger and then...I fail miserably. Maybe I will attempt to make that my New Year's Resolution. (That's a great idea Trish!)

Well, we have jumped from Halloween to 2 weeks before Christmas in a flash. Where did the time go? I guess my other resolution should be to stop being so busy all the time. It seems I do nothing, yet I never have any real "free" time. How does that happen?

So, on to Christmas cheer then. Ashlyn has been so very good the past few weeks. Not that she's a bad kid anyway, but she just seems to be caught up in the Christmas cheer that surrounds our home, family and friends this time of year.

We visited Santa last week and this year she wasn't scared at all. She ran right up and hugged him. He loaded her up with lots of toys, of which, she has chosen her favorite and it hasn't left her side since she got it. This is the first time she has really latched on to a toy, so I'm hopeful that it doesn't get lost in her journeys to school, to her Papa and Nana's or to her weekend visits to her dads.

Please enjoy the pictures below of my gorgeous little girl...and I PROMISE to try to post a few more times by years end. PROMISE!!

Visiting the best Santa EVER!

Holding her new toys from Santa.

(A bright yellow poodle, a princess mouse and a reindeer!)

My beautiful girl with her beautiful smile!!

She absolutely LOVES this dog!!

The fireplace awaits Santas arrival.

(Looks a little like E.T. doesn't it?)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T10:29:00.008-05:00

Ashlyn and I had a battle over costumes this year. She won of course, but I settled for 2nd place by getting her to wear my favorite costume on Saturday just for pictures. She was sooooo cute!! Well, she's always cute, but she really made this costume work. Here they are:

On Halloween she won the battle and made BOTH of us dress up as Pink Princesses. She absolutely LOVED this costume. However, finding an adult Princess costume that wasn't too revealing or too expensive left me wearing something that appeared to be more of a glorified nightgown than a costume. Oh well, it worked, and she was happy that I dressed up with her this year. I'm hoping for something a little more fun next year...and warmer too!

We had a great time at her Papa and Nana's (my dad and step-mother) trick or treating. There were a ton of kids out and about and she made most of the journey without complaint. As the night went on and the wind continued to pick up, Papa did have to carry her for the last leg of our journey. However, she perked right back up when we got back to their house and she got 400 pieces of candy in her.

Papa, Nana, Princess Ashlyn and Gizmo

I hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!!

If you need candy...we have PLENTY!!

Updates and Halloween

2010-10-27T16:03:00.007-05:00

We visited Children's Mercy Hospital on Monday and after a few tests we have been told that Ashlyn has an "innocent murmur". The doctor said it's so mild they wouldn't even track it. She doesn't have any restrictions or worries. She said it should not cause her any problems and it's possible she may even outgrow it. So THAT was terrific news!!!

Now on to the fun stuff....

We (my mom, Ashlyn and myself) visited a huge pumpkin patch on Saturday. We wandered around searching for 2 perfect pumpkins for carving. Ashlyn was more intrigued by the gourds with the weird bumpy things all over them. For $5.00 for 10 of them, I was okay with this as well, although I don't know what you do with 10 of them. She picked out 4 or 5. Then she picked out 2 small pumpkins for decorations and the search was back on for the perfect carving pumpkins.

We finally found the perfect pair and made our way back to pay for them when Ashlyn spotted a small hay bale tunnel she could crawl through. She started in but it was pretty dark in there and it was so short that there was no way I could walk through there without crawling on my hands and knees. I didn't really have the right clothes on for that little adventure. We paid for our pumpkins and headed back to the car when she gave the tunnel a 2nd thought. As we walked by another little boy walked by with his family and Ashlyn invited him to crawl through the tunnel with her. I should have taken a picture because he didn't hesitate and off they went. I could hear giggling in the tunnel but couldn't see a thing. Finally she popped out the other side and decided to go through the tunnel about 15 more times, even without the involvement of the little boy. She just needed some one to help her get brave. That's MY job! :)

So here are the pictures of our Jack-O-Lanterns. We had so much fun. She's such an awesome girl. How did I ever get so lucky???

HAVE HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!!!

Growing...things....

2010-09-29T11:30:00.004-05:00

When I got home from work yesterday my daughter, my mom and I were sitting on the front porch talking about work and the details of the day. My daughter, for some strange reason, has a fascination with breasts. She calls them "boobies"...I haven't a clue who taught her that because it sure wasn't me. *sigh* Anyway, she made several demands to have them right then and there. There was no talking her out of it, changing the subject, giving her something else to think about it. That's what she wanted and she wanted them RIGHT NOW!! Well, after we went inside and the begging continued she went to her closet to look for them. She was certain I was just hiding them from her. Unfortunately for her it just wasn't that simple. My mom says, "I don't know what you are going to do when she starts asking for an arm if she's this upset over boobies." I know that's right.

I let her cry it out a bit and then finally she let me change the subject with a movie and cookie. Good thinking mom! I had no idea what was in store later that evening though.

After bathtime, we discussed painting her nails. She then told me when she got older she would grow another hand and be able to paint both her hands. I told her, in my best happy but serious voice, that was not going to happen, but that she had a helper arm and she could use that. She continued to tell me that I had 2 hands, her grandma had 2 hands and therefore she knew she would also have 2 hands when she got older. (The older part comes from the previous body part desires above.)

Once again I explained that she wouldn't ever "grow" a hand, but that we could put her helper arm on and I thought the nails were already painted the same color she was requesting at the moment. To my GREAT surprise she wanted to wear it and requested to wear it. This is the first time EVER that she has made such a request. As with all things in her life, she'll do almost anything, it just has to be on her terms. So I fetched the arm, we talked about it and she was ready for action. She wore it for about 45 minutes and showed me all the things she could do with it. I was grinning like an idiot the whole time with tear filled eyes because I just saw her grow up AGAIN! God, I love that kid of mine!!

Good answer! (My smart little girl does it again!)

2010-09-27T09:52:00.003-05:00

Ashlyn recently visited Science City with her daddy and her Grandma. They were overcome by a busload of older kids, but she handled herself well. As a group of kids went storming by one little boy stopped, looked at her for a minute and said, "Where's your arm?". She stood her ground and simply replied, "It's in the car." Hahahahahaha...I love that girl. Now she was saying this very matter of factly because her helper arm WAS in the car, but he didn't know that. He just accepted the answer and went out as did she.

This Saturday was spent at her cousin Jordyn's 8th birthday party. They haven't spent much time together for one reason or another, but you sure wouldn't have known that at the party. Ashlyn absolutely adores Jordyn, and the feeling is mutual. They ran and played all day together. Ashlyn was a bit bossy, but Jordyn (and her friends that were also around 8) just accepted it and did what Ashlyn wanted to do 99% of the time. So cute. I guess I really need to work on that "bossy" gene. :)

3 Year Check Up - A little scary

2010-09-13T08:50:00.005-05:00

Ashlyn is small for her age, I've always known that. It's in her blood. But when the nurse handed me a piece of paper with her assessment I was still kind of shocked. She is only in the 9th percentile for her height and 13th for her weight. Yep, she's going to be a petite girl. We don't have many petite people in my family. Actually, I'm the shortest in a long line of tall people. This includes grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins and I am bar far the shortest and I'm 5'8.

Her appointment went well until I advised the Nurse Practioner (who we opted to see instead of a doctor to shorten our wait time) that the doctor we saw last week, due to an illness, had mentioned a heart murmur yet again. I've had other nurses and doctors mention this, but only when she was sick, not during any well visits and I just wanted it checked out while she was well to make sure there was nothing there again.

Unfortunately, she advised us that there IS a heart murmur and referred us to Children's Mercy. She stated that it is very faint and isn't an emergency by any means, but better safe than sorry. Now I know that many people have had these all of their lives. I know some children outgrow them as they get older. I know that I shouldn't be worried, but if you knew the kind of luck my family has then you'd know I will always worry. She is scheduled for an ECHO in mid-October. I'm working on getting a new appointment though as it was scheduled at the wrong facility at the wrong time. *sigh*

I won't jump to the worst case scenario here, but still, I'm her mom. I worry. Forever. So keep us in your thoughts while we wait and hopefully all will be fine in the next month or so. Thanks!!

Wow! 3 Already????

2010-09-07T13:59:00.004-05:00

Yep, that's right. My little baby girl is now 3. This, of course, requires me to stop calling her a baby girl. She reminds me constantly that she is now a big girl. Which she is, truly. We celebrated her 3rd birthday with family and friends at a local park shelter. She was a busy little girl, between playing, visting and opening presents, she was exhausted by the end of the day. We had beautiful weather for it too. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. So many family members and friends. It was just awesome!! As you can see, it was Tinkerbell from beginning to end that day. *smiles*

I still can't believe it's already been 3 years and at the same time I can't believe it's ONLY been 3 years. Did I have a life before her? I suppose, but not much of one.

Happy Birthday to my BIG girl!!

(P.S. You'll ALWAYS be my baby girl!!)

Growing up...

2010-08-31T11:03:00.003-05:00

My little girl is getting to be a big girl so fast that I fear blinking and missing something. She is a girl that knows what she wants and conquers whatever goal I set for her to get what she wants.

Not long after turning 2 I geared up for the big potty training adventures. I bought her new pretty underwear and let her know as soon as she started going on the big potty consistently she would be able to wear the pretty underwear and get rid of diapers forever. It took approximately 1 week for her to make the decision final and that was that. Now almost a year later and she has had 4 "accidents" and 2 of those were within the first month.

Now she is quickly coming up on 3 years old. She still had her "binky" (pacifier) and I was sure this was going to be an incredibly hard thing for her to give up. About a month ago I started telling her, "Your birthday is coming up and when you turn 3 you'll be a big girl and there won't be anymore binky...BUT we can get your ears pierced!" I would repeat this every time she made the request (a.k.a. demand) for her binky. One week ago Saturday she came home from her dad's house and looked in need of a nap. We were laying on my bed talking when she said, "I don't need this anymore", pulled her binky out, went to her room and threw it away. I was stunned but praised her for finally getting rid of it and reminded her that one week without it would result in her ears being pierced just like me.

She gave in to temptation a couple of times over the next couple of days, but spit each one in the trash for something else she wanted. Then, it was just done. Gone. Forgotten. The following Saturday she got her ears pierced and was the happiest girl alive. Since then, not even the mention of the binky.

In less than one short year she has gone from my tiny baby girl to my little girl. I still steal hugs and kisses every chance I get though.

Fun Summer Days

2010-08-05T08:30:00.006-05:00

Ashlyn and I haven't been doing too many terribly exciting things, but we've enjoyed the summer. She would play outside if it were 400 degrees. I, on the other hand, am not fond of the near 100 degrees we've recently been surviving. *sigh*

One of the fun new things we did this year, was to enjoy the fountains at my place of employment. This was many weeks ago, and yes, I've been a bad blogger. In my defense, summer makes my desire to sit infront of a computer a little less, well, desirable.

When we first got to the fountains she would slowly stick her arm or her hand in the fountain and giggle and quickly pull it back out. Eventually she was running through them and around them and was soaked from head to toe. As she ran the gauntlet of fountains she started to slow down a little more each time (this was after about 500 times of running the length of the fountains), she put her hand on her chest and exclaimed, "Mom! I lost 20 pounds!" Yes, I seriously thought about running as much as her to lose my own 20 pounds, but it was just too darn hot. The fountains covered her from head to toe, but since I'm about 3 1/2 feet taller than her, it wasn't going to have the same cooling effect on me. Darn it.

Sleeping Beauty

2010-06-08T12:06:00.003-05:00

My poor girl. Sometimes she just won't give up even when she's super tired. She does everything she can to stay awake. This time, sleep won...right in the middle of one of her all time favorite movies, "Tinkerbell".

P.S. Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. As some of you know, I was gone for 9 days to a convention in Reno for work. It was a great learning and networking experience for me, and I called Ashlyn everyday. She chose not to speak to me most of the time but toward the end of my trip, she was ready for me to come home. Upon my return home, I went to pick her up at her Papa & Nana's house. She squealed with delight to see me and then went running the other direction claiming to be "Very mad at me." *sigh* Well, now I've been home a week and she's back to being my happy girl again. Thankfully I have no long trips planned for the near future!

New Arm!

2010-05-12T18:20:00.002-05:00

Well, we made the trip back to St. Louis on May 10th. We didn't do a whole lot while we were there. The weather wasn't really cooperative for a trip to the zoo as we had planned. It was quite windy and I don't think it made it over 60 degrees.

We arrived at Shriner's for our appointment and were quickly seen by the S.H.O.P. (Shriner's Hospital Orthodics and Prosthetics). Our first problem was the fact they had made her a right arm...and well...she already has one of those. *smile* That problem was quickly remedied and we got to try on the new arm. It's quite heavy and cumbersome, but she stood there like a champ while they adjusted all the straps. Once everything was adjusted she couldn't wait to take it off. LOL. So, they took it off to make some other adjustments for her petite size. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hospital and then went back to give it another shot.

After getting the arm back in place and showing her how it worked we headed upstairs for therapy. There were so many toys to play with that we quickly lost her to the world of toys. My mom and I talked to therapist and tried to get Ashlyn to interact with us with the new arm. Nope, wasn't going to happen. Soon enough she pulled her little arm out of the contraption and just let it hang there while she went about playing with all the toys using her little arm instead of her new helper arm. I was told that if she didn't want to wear, not to make her. Don't let it become a battle. Well, I don't know if you've met my girl, but if she doesn't want to do something, no matter how much you try to get her to do it...it's not going to happen. Stubborn little mule just like her mommy I guess.

So it's been a couple of days, and I've tried bribery to get her to wear it. That lasts about 5 minutes per session and then she is screaming and crying for me to take it off. It isn't exactly "comfortable" for her, so I'm going to keep messing with it and encouraging her to see if we can get this to work and show her the benefits it can hold IF she CHOOSES to use it. This, to me, is an OPTION not a REQUIREMENT...so time will tell. She is only 2 after all, and she's a girl, so she has years and years and years of changing her mind ahead of her.

Ashlynisms - #2

2010-05-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

Although my sarcastic 2 year old had many clever things to inform me of this week, I chose one that really stuck in my mind. Enjoy.

Ashlyn - Mommy, I found a baby for you.

Me - Really. Wow. Thank you.

Ashlyn - *hands me a very tiny imaginary baby...it fit in one hand*

Me - *put my hand to my mouth as if I were tossing back a handful of M&M's*

Ashlyn - MOMMY! *heavy sigh and hand on her hip* SPIT THAT OUT!! You don't eat the baby!

Me - *spitting out the imaginary baby* Sorry, I didn't know.

Ashlyn - You go TIME OUT!! *pointing to the corner with another heavy sigh and hand back on hip*

She's so darn cute!! :)

Back to St. Louis - Her new arm is READY!

2010-04-27T15:40:00.002-05:00

Okay, so this picture doesn't really represent the subject matter of today's blog, but I like it and that's all that matters. *tee hee*

I received a call from Shriner's today and Ashlyn's new arm is ready. I'm so excited. I don't know why, but when they called my eyes just welled up with tears. I'm excited, but I'm nervous and scared too. I just think it's so amazing what Shriner's can do for children and how lucky Ashlyn and I are to have them as a resource in our lives.

So we are headed back in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to make a stop by to see a fellow blogger's house to meet her daughter that has the same limb difference as Ashlyn.

I think this is going to be the coolest thing ever...I just hope she feels the same way. Wish us luck!!

Ashlynisms - Week 1

2010-04-23T14:01:00.003-05:00

Ashlyn started talking before she was one. What was once language only understood by those that where with her a lot, has now turned into a very clear and audible non-stop chatterbox full of things that continually catch me off guard and make be double over in laughter. How does a 2 year old have such a wicked sense of humor. It's in her blood I guess. She knows when she's telling a joke, she knows when she's being funny and she seems to thoroughly enjoy being an entertainer.

My family has been using "Ashlynisms" since she first started talking. She called my brother "Uncle Beep Beep", and it caught on and is still around. Oh there are so many I just can't think of them right now. So, with that said I'm going to try to post weekly "Ashlynisms". Enjoy!

April 19-25, 2010

1.) While sitting on the big potty with me holding her hand so she doesn't fall in she leans really far back and says, "I'm gonna fall in the potty". I say, "Oh no baby don't do that." She says, "I'll fall in the potty and you just flush me down". I say, "Oh I wouldn't flush you down, I love you too much." She replies with her head tilted and her eyes sort of scrunched up, "Yeah, you flush me down and you get a new baby." I looked at her funny and then we both burst with laughter.

2.) Wednesday nights we go to my father and step-mother's house (Ashlyn's Papa and Nana). We have dinner, visit, play and just have a nice evening. Ash and I don't usually leave until her bedtime, so I make sure to change her into her PJ's before we leave on the off chance she will fall asleep on the way home, I don't have to wake her up to change her when we do get home.

We were leaving this past Wednesday and she wanted to walk to the car. She had on her PJ's with socks, no shoes. I told her that was fine as long as she stayed on the sidewalk or in the driveway. She agreed, but soon broke the deal by walking on the large flat rock around my dad's flower bed and fountain. I told her to stay off the rock and out of the grass. She responded by stepping right off the rocks into the grass and looking at me rather smugly. I headed towards her and she took off around the other side of the bushed and down the driveway to where Papa and Nana were standing. I yelled her name, so she stopped, grinned and stepped right into the grass again with the same smug expression. I told her she was about to get a spanking if she didn't stay out of the wet grass in her sock feet (which I rarely do more than threaten because she normally straightens up pretty quick). She walked back up the sidewalk, stood right in front of me, wiggled her bottom and said "My bum's right here!" She had us all laughing like crazy with that one.

Ah...my darling Ashlyn. How cute it is now...how scared I am when you get older. *smile and cringe*

First Trip to the Movies

2010-04-13T11:25:00.003-05:00

My entire life I have enjoyed cartoons. However, the ones I grew up don't hold a candle to the things they have today. Wow! Now I don't have to feel like a goofball going to see them as an adult, because now I have Ashlyn and she is my reason (and/or excuse) to see all the great new kid movies.

When we went to St. Louis a couple of weeks ago, we stopped by McDonalds. She got a Happy Meal that contained a two-headed dragon action figure from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". Since then, everytime we saw a commercial she would say she wanted that movie. So we finally made it to the movies last night to see it.

We went to see the 3D version which is INCREDIBLE. To everyone, if you have not seen a 3D movie recently, I highly suggest going and doing just that. It's not the same as the old paper glasses with blue and red film over each eye. It's a whole new ball game. Even the previews were in 3D and it was fantastic. Ashlyn wore her glasses for about the first 30 minutes or so. Then she got tired of them. She watched the movie but (upon removing my glasses I saw this too) it was kind of blurry because it was meant to be watched with the glasses. I think she got bored with it because she didn't want to wear them, or the fact that she's only 2 1/2 may have had something to do with it.

The movie was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even with battling her to sit still and be quiet. She really did do great for her age though. At one point, she even screamed when the dragon's got a little nutty on the big screen. (Ha ha!) If you haven't seen this movie, I suggest you go see it...and make sure you see the 3D version. She was a little too young to catch the parts about the "prosthetic" usage, lol.

So, note to self. Ashlyn is a little young to go to the movies and sit quietly (unless it's Tinkerbell, then the rest of the world doesnt exist). Maybe we'll give it another shot in a year or so. We still had a good time. She had a new experience as did mom and I.

I'm hoping to go on our next adventure soon....to the ZOO!!

A Wonderful Easter

2010-04-05T21:12:00.005-05:00

Ashlyn had a terrific Easter this year. She spent the first half of the day with her dad and his family. Then she got to spend the second half of the day with me and my family. She was all about the hunting of Easter eggs this year too. Isobella (her 2nd cousin) got to enjoy her first Easter egg hunting as well.

We colored eggs earlier in the week, but somehow they were still leaking colors onto our hands during the hunting festivities. It has all washed off, so there is another thing to be thankful for. *smiles*

I love this holiday. It marks the true beginning of Spring. The air is warmer, the grass is getting greener (by the hour it seems), the flowers are starting to blossom and it's just a great holiday.

Here are few pictures of our Easter day activities.

Coming Soon: New Arm

2010-03-30T14:17:00.001-05:00

Dear maker of the portable DVD player. I love you!! You are a dream come true. How did parents travel with their children prior to this invention? I shudder at the very thought. I owe you much gratitude for your brilliant ideas and wisdom. Will you marry me?

The trip to St. Louis was a very nice trip. Thanks to my mom and the ever wonderful portable DVD player. We headed out in the early afternoon on Sunday. Monsters, Inc. was the in-car movie of choice (she’s only seen this about 1,000 times). I thought she would sleep soundly since we kept her up and hit the road close to her normal nap time. Nope, she stayed awake long enough to watch the entire movie. Once it was over, she was asleep in about 2.2 seconds. We made it to Kingdom City before making our first stop. Legs needed stretching, food, drink and just a break from driving. Ashlyn was sound asleep. Well, as soon as the door closed she was wide awake and ready for some McDonald’s. We all piled out of the car and grabbed a bite to eat and prepared for the next leg of our trip. Panic struck when the DVD player wouldn’t work. I thought it had run out of juice, turns out she had just kicked it and somehow hit it just right and turned the power off. Oh well, we made the last bit of our journey without the help of the DVD player and survived…somehow.

We arrived at out hotel just after 6 p.m. We got to our room and unloaded our belongings. Ashlyn has never stayed in a hotel to my knowledge, but when I asked if she had ever been to a hotel she replied, “Yeah, I stay here all the time,” and very matter-of-factly about it. Little knucklehead. Our room overlooked the pool, which of course is closed because it’s an outdoor pool and it’s still way too cold to be swimming outdoors. After unloading all of our things, we decided to get a trial run in to the hospital so we would know where we were going. Good thing too, because Google Maps gave us the run around. Had we not been there before and knew what the hospital looked like and the surrounding area, who knows where we would have ended up. Alas, we found it and it was going to be a fairly easy commute in the morning we hoped. We then set out to go shopping for a bit, just to get out of the car and wander around. I had hoped we would make it there long before we did so that we could visit the Magic House in Kirkwood, MO which looked like a ton of fun for all of us. It closed at 5:30 though and wasn’t open on Mondays. Just my luck. *sigh* We went to Walmart instead. Woo hoo. Do we know how to live it up or what? Eh, it was still shopping. Pretty much the entire town was closed by the time we got there except for all the stores that we have at home.

After shopping for a bit and buying nothing of any real value, we grabbed dinner and headed back to the hotel. Have you ever stayed at a hotel with a 2 year old? Craziness I tell you. Complete craziness. It was probably from being cooped up in a car for 4+ hours, but she had energy to burn. She ran around the room, opening and closing doors, flushing the toilet 100 times, jumping on the bed, climbing in the chairs…it was as though she’d just been let out of a cage. Crazy girl. Needless to say, when bedtime came along she was just not ready to call it a night. We had a battle of wills, and eventually, I won.

The next morning we arrived at Shriner’s. I can’t say enough good things about this hospital. I wish it were closer to home, but other than that I do not have a single complaint. Our appointment was at 9 a.m. We arrived around 8:45. Ashlyn, upon entering the doors, received a beautiful handmade knitted blanket. She thought that was fantastic. When we got signed in at “The Shop” (this is what they call the prosthetic/orthotic making area of the hospital), she got a beanie baby puppy and promptly swiped one for me too. (No worries, I made sure it was okay before we took 2 puppies home). We were seen by 8:55. She was so incredibly good. She sat there while she was measured, marked, cast and measured some more and didn’t act up at all. I did leave the room at one point to go to the car to get her “baby arm” to return to them if they could re-use it, and she was a little worried while I was gone (my mom stayed with her), but other than that she was good as she could possibly be. She sat very still while all this was going on, making it much easier to get things done I’m sure. Then she got to pick out a fabric for her new arm. After much debate and a few “Uh, no” moments from me, we decided on a very pretty pastel colored butterfly pattern. I’m thinking she’s going to want to wear the arm just for the pretty material. She’s so much like me it’s scary. We were informed that this new arm will be a “functioning” arm. It will come equipped with hinges and all so that she will be able to open and close the arm. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but in 2-3 weeks we’ll be headed back to pick it up and learn all about it. I’m excited. I don’t think she has this all figured out either, so I’m eager to see her reaction and to see if she is excited, indifferent or total against the idea. It’s her call. I just hope she doesn’t discount it too quickly.

I had hoped that we would be able to go to the City Museum after our visit to the hospital, but that too was closed on Mondays. Maybe next time our trip will be during the time some of these things are open. *fingers crossed* We could have gone to the zoo or the botanical gardens, but it was still fairly chilly and pretty windy and I didn’t think we all needed to be out wandering around in that. So, after the hospital we stopped for brunch and then headed home. We took our time getting home because it was early and we had nothing set to do for the rest of the day. We made a few stops and even bought her a couple of shirts (because she’s spoiled that way) and then eventually stopped for ice cream in our home town and got home to sit on the deck and relax. Ahhh…it was good to be home.

She’s just such an amazing little girl. I can’t tell you how proud of her I am. Words just don’t describe it. Newly potty trained and logging 8+ hours in a car in two days and not even have the smallest of an accident. She acted up every now and then, but she’s 2, it’s to be expected. All in all it was a very good trip. It was kind of nice to get away for a little while and having her with us was just wonderful. I really don’t know what I would have done without my mom’s help and the assistance of the portable DVD player. I probably would have just gone with earplugs and driving at warp speed. *smiles*

Potty Training Success

2010-03-18T16:08:00.004-05:00

My girl has been working on this whole potty training thing. I hesitated to write sooner because I was afraid I would jinx it. I think I'm in the clear now.

So, about 6 weeks ago we started on this long journey of potty training. We had been doing a little bit here and there, but she was happy to run and hide somewhere and potty in her diaper and when you would take her to the bathroom she was kicking and screaming the whole way 90% of the time.

One evening Ashlyn joined me in the bathroom while I took a shower. She played with her toys and chatted with me while I showered and then she got quiet. Well, every one knows that a quiet kid isn't a good thing when they aren't in your direct line of sight. I yelled her name a couple of times and could see her blurry figure though the steam covered glass doors of the shower so I knew she wasn't hurt, but finally curiosity got the best of me so I stuck my head out the door and there she stood with my underwear on her head proudly proclaiming, "Look ma, I got your clothes on." I, of course laughed and told her those didn't belong and her head but when I was done I would show her how "big girls" go to wear underwear.

After finishing my shower, I did just that. She was very impressed with the fact that I didn't have to wear a diaper and she demanded underwear right then and there for herself. I was caught off guard because she had never really express much interest in underwear or become a full fledged potty-trained girl. I promised I would get her new underwear soon but that she had to start going potty on her chair and not her diapers. She agreed to do whatever I asked for the sake of underwear. Fair enough.

Once the underwear was purchased (SEVERAL PAIRS because I'm OCD like that) she was thrilled to bits that she was going to get to wear them. I was thrilled to bits that she WANTED to wear them. That weekend it seemed I had jumped the gun yet again. She would wet her pants and continue to play as though nothing were wrong. She would do the other and not care one bit. I was hoping she'd take to it like a fish in water, but that wasn't going to happen. It took about a week and then it started to sink in with her. She had done good at daycare all day and we went to my dads and she had an accident and was incredibly upset by it. She wanted underwear and she wanted CLEAN underwear at all times. That was over a month ago now and she has not had a single accident, not one. Not even at nap time or bedtime. She was just DONE WITH DIAPERS. I had, of course, just purchased a brand new pack of night-time pull-ups on the off chance she would need them, and she just proved me wrong yet again. (I'm sure this "proving me wrong" thing is bound to be repeated about a zillion-trillion times in my life.)

So, she is now 100% potty trained. She will even go into the bathroom by herself, undress herself (providing the clothes aren't too cumbersome - which I try to avoid), go potty in her potty chair, dump it into the big potty and flush. It was like it just clicked and she had grown up overnight.

I'm so proud of her. Again, proving to me that she can (and will) do anything she sets her mind to do...also proving that she is growing up just too darn fast. Speaking of growing, she's also going through a growth spurt. Where did my little helpless baby that needed me for everything go???

Appointment with Shriner's in St. Louis

2010-03-08T15:11:00.002-06:00

I'm so excited to say that we have an appointment with Shriners in St. Louis on March 29th. My mom and I are going to head out the Sunday before so we aren't spending 8+ hours on the road in one day, since I'll be doing the driving. We used to take the Shriner's van and it would be a full day trip to and from and also the doctor's appointment. That was when she was little and would spend most of the trip sleeping. Now, however, at 2 1/2 she talks non-stop and I'm afraid they would kick us all off out of the van because no one would be able to sleep. :)

It will make a nice little get-away for the 3 of us also. We are going to leave on Sunday mid-afternoon early enough to arrive before dark. I'm sure Ashlyn is going to LOVE being in a hotel for the first time ever. We'll spend the evening there thinking of ways to entertain her, since she has the attention span of a...well, 2.5 year old. Her appointment is at 9:00 am on Monday.

This appointment will just be for a fitting for her new arm. I'm excited about this because this arm should be a more useful arm. It'll be a new "gadget" for her to explore and learn to use. She doesn't really "need" it because she has compensated for the lack of a left arm so well. I just don't want to limit her if she wants to become a super-user of the new arm.

She showed her first real signs of interest in getting a new arm a couple of weeks ago. She found her old arm in a desk in our entry hall. Although it didn't fit (since that was from our last trip at 9 months old) she stuck it on her little arm and waved it around saying "Hi!" to me and my mom. It was pretty darn cute. So I asked if she wanted to go get a new one. Of course she did, she wants anything NEW. Shoes, clothes, ponytail ties, dresses...yep...she's her momma's girl alright.

I'm sure I'll be posting more between now and then. In fact I KNOW I will because I now have potty-training bragging rights!

She's not only extremely cute...she is super smart too!

2010-03-04T08:38:00.003-06:00

I met with the School District this week to discuss what options are available for Ashlyn and what might be needed for the transition from daycare to kindergarten in a couple of years. We discussed her motor skills, her comprehension, her speech, her "education" level and pretty much everything that is required for kindergarten. We talked for about 30 minutes and the director was amazed at how much Ashlyn already knew. She knows her ABC's, she can count to 24, she knows her colors, she can sing songs with several words, she can can follow lengthy directions, she potty-trained...in short, there is nothing that she can't do.

Once the meeting was over, the director advised me that she had been working in this position for 10 years and had never told a parent this but, "She doesn't need any assistance. There is nothing we can do to advance her because she is already doing at 2 1/2 what we would hope for (and rarely see) with some of the kiddo's going on to kindergarten, with and without any disabilities." Wow!! That was a GREAT way to start my day.

We did discuss the fact that she still had almost 3 years before starting Kindergarten, so there was the possibility that she could start falling behind in some areas, and this meeting was not a final decision written in stone that she could never get assistance. It was just letting me know that Ashlyn is WAY ahead of children her age in so many areas that right now, well, she's just too smart. *smile*

I told the director that was kind of what I was expecting to hear, but just didn't want to miss any opportunities that may be out there for her. I mean, I KNOW she's smart, but it never hurts to hear it from people outside the family and friends circle.

So anyone that has a child with a limb difference or limb loss, just because they may be missing a limb certainly doesn't mean they will be falling behind in any area of their life. They will compensate and amaze you over and over and over again!!!

Welcome to Ashlyn's World

2010-03-01T16:15:00.002-06:00

Ashlyn was born in September of 2007. Prior to her arrival I had no idea that she was missing her left forearm and hand. When she finally made her way into the world (she is as stubborn now as she was then), I was told so many different things caused this. We went to Shriner's when she was about 4 months old and we were finally told they really don't have any idea what the real cause is. It is just a lack of development. More common in girls than boys. More common in the left arm than the right arm. This, at least, gave me the satisfaction of knowing that I didn't do anything wrong. That had always been one of my greatest fears, thinking that I had somehow caused this to happen. That, in fact, is not the case. I was very thankful to hear that.

During the first few months of her life I had times of disbelief and sadness. I was confused and scared of what life had in store for her in the future. People can be so rude and unbearable at times. How would I be able to shelter her? Ah yes, Finding Nemo comes to mind over and over again, even today. However I have incredible support from my family. I knew that with the love I had for this child of mine (even before I met her) and the love and support of my family and friends and extended family, we would conquer any obstacle that was presented to us, and boy have we ever!!!

I thought about blogging several times. I had another blog before she was born that was more about me and the things I was going through at the time just before her birth. I didn't feel that starting that blog over would do her justice and so I have started a new blog that will only pertain to Ashlyn. Her life, her successes, her stubbornness...all in all her WORLD!

Welcome to ASHLYN'S WORLD!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!