September ended on a busy note! We had a follow up with our food allergist. There were no real changes in her care plan. She gets anxious when we go there as she expects blood work or skin testing. This time she got neither and she got to leave with two FROZEN stickers. It is the little things that make my baby girl happy. Even without having lab work she was eager to get out of there.
On September 27th Miss Grace enjoyed a day at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and a trip to Steel City Pops. Safe treats are hard to come by but at our food allergy appointment the nutritionist told us that they had safe options. We were excited to check them out and Miss Grace loved her strawberry popcicle so much that she ate TWO! Please note not all of their pops are top 8 free so please ask.
Each September our church sets aside a Sunday to give back to the community in one massive effort. Now we are blessed to serve and be apart of a church that gives back to our community and around the world all year long, but this dedicated Sunday we all serve together all across our county in a massive effort. Our family served at Cowpoke's school. They guys helped assemble and stain picnic tables and lay rebar for a concrete pad. Miss Grace and I planted and watered lots of pansies and then we worked in the library taking apart workbooks and sorting the pages for the kindergarten teachers. I love teaching our kids that it is better to give than to receive. This year Grace truly understood what we were doing and why. Of course after we worked we had to play.
She got to check out her very first book from the school library! Boy was she proud! And Grammy bought her a book of Fancy Nancy fall stories. She has really enjoyed that! Fancy Nancy is fabulous!
On Saturday, October 4th we spent the day at the State Fair of Texas! This is an annual tradition we have had since before we married. We get there at 9am when the gates open and eat breakfast at Owen's, as was 827's family tradition with his Daddy. Then we spend all day at the fair and the exhibits. We don't leave until after the light show on the esplanade. It is amazing and memory making.
I love the Little Hands On The Farm exhibit. Grace took her very first steps there in 2010. That was before her adoption was consummated so we couldn't post pictures yet. I think those picture CD's may be in the attic. Here are the last two years. Man she is growing up fast.
2012
Oct 2013
Oct 2014
We love to ride on the Texas Star Ferris Wheel! It is amazing with all her sensory issues that she can tolerate this. Every year she wants to go and then changes her mind. This year she joined me and Cowpoke!
And the required State Fair Picture with Big Tex. At this point she was getting really tired and her legs were getting heavy from her braces.
We have been enjoying the beautiful fall weather. 827 took this picture of her as she was picking flowers while he was grilling out.
We have a precious friend in town who is a huge supporter of foster/adoption and who has followed Miss Grace from her birth. She knows about all her food issues and she knows about her love of popcicles. She blessed our socks off with a huge supply of safe popcicles for our girl and Cowpoke!
We also had a fall rodeo and carnival at our therapy center. Right as it started there was a huge deluge of rain. Crazy rain, blinding rain, soaking rain, knock over the petting zoo and let the animals escape rain. It ended up being a fun evening inspite of the rain, but Miss Grace was overwhelmed by all the people inside and she wasn't thrilled that the face painter couldn't paint a "real Elsa."
I have been struggling as we found out that she has to go back into her full AFO braces (up to her knees). Her ankles are weak and she is rolling them a lot. She doesn't get the ankle support she needs in her shorter braces. The hope and prayer is that after a few rounds of botox injections that she will be able to go back to SMO's. Pray that with me please. She has an awesome new orthodist and we didn't have a single meltdown during the casting. At our old orthodist it took me and 827 and usually a PT tech to hold her down. As you can see she sat there on her own. I just struggle because kindergarten is coming and kids are mean. She has so many challenges and things that make her different and stand out that I really did not want these too . . . .
Leaving you with some super smiles!
And Gator Dog snuggles!
PS. Pray for Gator Dog too . . . he is going to go do some additional training in November to make the school feel more comfortable with him going to kindergarten without me or 827. We have already begun talking with Grace and she is insistent that he isn't going anywhere. It will be a hard separation for both of them but we really need and want the school district approval and are willing to ride out this time it that is what it means.
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