Today was a busy day. Carl our neighbor had a real big cook out and lots of food. It was fun with great food. We then went down town to the Summerfest that they had.  It was great. We got rained on and Christina loved being in the rain. Christina and I were dancing to the music in the rain. She also went on a pony ride and did very well. She chose the pony that she wanted and pet him as well. She did wonderful for her first time. She really did like to ride them. They had a petting zoo and we got to see a camel, zebra, fainting goats, and more farm animals. When we said that it was time to go home she got real upset because she did not want to go.  

Tomorrow Christina is going to go with Deb and Cory to do some more fun things this weekend.

On Thursday we were out side in the gait trainer and she walked all by herself in the grass. She did so great and went pretty far.

On Tuesday Christina got her first award and ribbon. She completed her summer group held by Special Olympics. Her very first young athletes award. It was a great group and am very sad to see that it is over. On the bright side they will be having it again.  Then later on in the day Christina picked out her back pack for school. She chose a tinker bell one. She also chose tinker bell binder with giraffe and elephant folders. She is such a big girl. She chose all of her supplies and was very positive on what she wanted. When leaving the store she carried out her tinker bell back pack and I had to play tug of war to get it back from her. She likes to carry it around. It is so cute because the back pack is about half the size of her.

Behavior issues- Christina is very good at pushing our buttons. She gets many time outs and sure knows how to protest if she does not want to do something. She is also getting better with others and when speaking to someone she is starting to look at them. I have been working in that.

On the 19th I have a meeting with Mary ( her soon to be teacher ) and Lori ( her soon to be speech pathologist ) to talk about the school plan. Then on September 1 there is an open house we all go to. Boy she is growing so fast.

I will be posting her back pack pictures soon possibly by this weekend.

SPOTS house is going well for Christina too. She is still working great with Katy and Jenny.

Well we have just been hanging out doing summer stuff. Things have been pretty mellow. SPOTS house therapy has been going real well. Also my group with special Olympics has been going well too. I did get a new button that I get to use as my voice. I got that from my new speech pathologist. Her name is Lori and me new teacher's name is Mary. I did find out that I will be going to school on Monday and Tuesday and the the next semester they will see if I am ready to go 4 days a week or three.

I have been talking a whole lot more. It's a lot of work but I like to make noises. I can count and say the ABC's with mommy and daddy. I have been saying hi and waving to more people. I have also made some new friends at group. We were also approved for a new stroller from UCP and we are all waiting to get it. I do like the jogging stroller we have now. I really like to go fast.  So thats about all that is new here. Oh ya I really like to chase balls. Cole and I were playing with the beach ball we have on Friday. It was a lot of fun.

Don't forget to check out my picture show there will be new ones soon.

Christina's birthday party went well. We had a small group over on Saturday the 11th. Cole and his family, Cory and Deb, Dan, and Patti came over. Sammy and his grandma stopped by later.

And, Angela and I had a date night. Christina hung out with Cory and Deb while Angela and I spent some quality time together. No computer, ipod, phone, cleaning, picking up, etc. We stayed home and watched a movie together. We watched the whole movie. Have not been able to do that for three years. I enjoyed that.

Time for me to go to work and I hear Christina starting to wake up.

Derek

Christina had her birthday party yesterday. It was real fun. Deb, Cory, Grandma Patti, Crystal and family, and Dan came over and had cake and we opened more presents. Christina liked every thing that she got. Then she went with Deb and Cory so Derek and I had some time alone.

This morning Judy and her grandson Sammy came over for pancakes. Judy is our neighbor. After we played. Sammy was teaching Christina to fly, hop, wiggle, walk and run. He starts her engines and then they are off.  It is real cute to watch. Sammy wants to teach Christina to play golf when she gets older. Sammy is 3 and will be 4 on the 20th. They get along very well. Sammy then had to teach Derek to fly as well and then Derek and Christina raced Sammy.  Pictures of flying will be added to the slide show later.

We had a meeting this morning with Mary and Laurie from the school and the transition is starting. Mary will be Christina's teacher and Laurie will be working with her for speech.  Derek and I are very happy with the people that we have working with her.  They are a great team just like her therapists that we had and still have until school starts.

She has been going to a UCP play group and that has gone super well. On Tuesday it was the fourth week and there was crying and she worked for the volunteers. SUPER !!!! Katy, her PT, came to show them some ideas to do with her. Thanks so much Katy.  Everyone at this group is just great with her.  This coming week Mary and Laurie are going to go and see how she is doing and chat. I am very happy with how things are changing over.

Christina is getting so big we have to buy  her very first backpack for school. I can't believe that she needs a backpack already.

Last night Christina had an upset belly and we cuddled for an hour and half while I rubbed her belly, I guess I made it feel better because she fell asleep. That and she had a real long busy day too.

Christina is a whole three years old. We were not around a computer to update because we all went camping with Deb, Cory,, Trevor and the rest of  their family.

It was a learning experience with Christina. She had a lot of her moments but it was a great trip and we look forward to the next trip. Christina loved to be outside and loved the camp fire. She ate very well, but who doesn't like camping food.  She extremely exhausted and so are we. So more on our trip up north later.

This coming week will be a hectic one. The transition for therapy starts and Tuesdays we have to be at SPOTS at 8. So when I get a moment I will update more and will add more pictures to the slide show.

Well this week is bitter sweet. This is Christina's last week of  therapy with birth to three.  We will now go to SPOTS house until school starts and then therapy will be at school.

I am glad that she is graduating this part but at the same time it is sad to see Katy (PT) Jenny (OT) and Melissa (ST) go. We have spent the first three years with them.

Christina has been a little off. She doesn't seem to be as happy go lucky as normal.  She has been sleeping more than normal and I think that is because of some growing that she is doing. She has been getting taller.

She went over to Deb's and played with Cory and Trevor. She was in a great mood when she came home until I said its about that time. Now she knows that means the beginning of bed time.  She went to bed well and enjoyed bath. I guess it is the idea of going to bed she does not like.

Anyway good night.

I am a little sad that her birth to three is going to be over this week.  She is growing up....so very fast.

Sorry the updates have been so far apart. I just got my new computer up and running so the updated should get better.

The MN Zoo was very fun. It was daddy's day and we hung out with the animals and mommy. Christina really liked the sprinklers that were there. We had to go back a couple of times. She enjoyed the tide pool that had rushing water and lots of living creatures in it. She go to see dolphins, sharks, tigers, and bears along with feeding the giraffes. There were lots of animals. We would like to go back again some time this summer.

It was very draining with the week in MN starting with surgery, then to Darrell's wedding and then the zoo.

When we all got home everyone was very glad to be back. Christina finally slept well and enjoyed her baths again.

Since we have been home Christina has been walking very well in her braces. She has also rode her tricycle. She holds herself up and I pedal her feet.  She is getting to be such a big girl and doing lots of new things. She has also started babbling more and making a bunch of different sounds. It is great. If you ask her to say it again she will but you can not say more because she will sign or say more instead of repeating her word.

Her third birthday has creeped up on us. Well not really but it is hard to believe that she is going to be three next weekend. This coming week is her last week in birth to three. We will be receiving therapy at Spots by the same therapists until school starts.