JOURNAL

Do you have a 'very Special Child'?
Then you might be interested in my TAILS!!

I created TAILS on Suzy's SHIRTS.
It works for us ~ maybe it will work for you, too.

Remember when your kids were babies?
And they all wore ONESIES?
I loved onesies for all 3 of my babies -
the shirts stayed tucked into the pants,
their tummies stayed covered, and warm, and protected,
the onesie kept the shirt from "bunching all up in the back" when the baby was in a stroller or carseat,
there wasnt' a bunch of material gathered around their boobies when they were rolling on the floor,
they just looked neater.

Suzy is pretty much still like a baby - AT AGE 5 - and STiLL NEEDS ONESIES.
So, I created a way to make EVERY SHIRT SHE WEARS A ONESIE by sewing on a TAIL!!

I have done this for 2 years, to every shirt she has, and it's very easy!!!

For every shirt, you need one baby onesie. Cut the bottom 1/3 off the onesie, cut off the sides, and sew it onto the bottom of the shirt.

Click here for DETAILS and PICTURES.

http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/photo?ID=723096





   

   
   
HBOT 2010-06-17 17:15:26.0
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WE ARE HERE IN N.C. ~ DIVING.  SUZY IS DOING SUPER!!!  MY MOM, SUZY AND I ARE IN AN APT. NEAR THE HYPERRBARIC CHAMBERS.  WE HAVE HAD FUN THIS WEEK.  SUZY HAS COMPLETED 8 DIVES OUT OF 36.  HER EYESIGHT AND FOCUS IS ALREADY BETTER, PRAISE GOD.  MY MOM LEAVES TOMORROW AND WE ARE SO SAD TO SEE HER GO.  SHE HAS BEEN AMAZING, AS PER USUAL. SHE HAS DONE 6 OF THE 8 DIVES. ON SUNDAY GRACIE, MAGGIE, CARLEY AND JENNY ARE COMING ~
"GIRLS RULE" shades_smile 
(a few photos under PHOTOS-HBOT in 2010)
PEACE OUT,
WHIT

2010-06-05 08:17:40.0
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Oh-  "Happy Day" in the Booze house!! A package finally arrived. I opened it up, and there was what we had been looking forward to - DIAPERS!!  Not just any diapers - FREE diapers. When a disabled child on Medicaid turns 3 they are entitled to free diapers!  A big box will arrived on our doorstep every month!
I assumed they would be poor quality diapers (kind of like toilet paper with tape..) but I was wrong. They are called "Cuties", and they are almost as good as Pampers!

In other news - the past couple of weeks Suzy has been doing GREAT! She is 'looser' than before. (meaning her muscles aren't as tight and stiff). Her arms turn inward MUCH easier. Her legs bend down naturally when she is sitting on my lap instead of extending outward.
Her therapist in NY (Marcy) taught her to say "AAHH!" when she wants to say "YES!" (Aahh is a noise she can make, and much easier to say than Yes.) She is really catching on. If you ask her, "Do you want more?" she is consistantly saying "Aahh". It's crazy cute!
It will take a lot more practice to perfect it - but I am confident this is just the START of her verbal communication!
She is also making a few more noises than before - she is a very 'verbal' child. Chris and I joke that IF she COULD talk  - no one around here would get a word in edge-wise.
She is also just moving around a bit more. When she is laying on her back she will roll up toward each side trying to play. And when she is on her tummey she is beginning to push herself around a little bit more. (Example - after about 10 minutes of being on her tummy I will look down and find her about a foot away from where I placed her.)Maybe not much - but for her that's huge! It shows PROGRESS.
She is also starting to learn how to bend her arms. Her high muscle tone makes it very difficult for her to bend at the elbows. Slowly, she is starting to be able to 'over-ride' this problem and we are teaching her to have "short arms"(bent) or "long arms (straight)."
Also, she is FINALLY interested in watching a TV show - "Dora The Explorer" is her favorite. She lays in her bean-bag and will watch an entire 20 minute episode, AND laugh along with Dora. Very exciting. For the past 2 years I have prayed for this goal to be reached. She did not have the vision ability, the cognitive awareness, or the attention span to focus on TV. Now she is developing all of those skills. Praise God.
Inch By Inch our little peanut is moving along.
And right now we have so many beautiful therapists pushing her along - Karen, Jenny, Pat, Nina, Holly and Carla. I love you all.

God is good.

I posted some new pictures of Suzy playing with Jenny on a therapy ball under PHOTOS-Ball Therapy With Jenny.

Peace,
Whitney

Something For Suzy 2010-05-31 06:32:42.0
Our new friends, Judith and Edward Storey, are having a fundraiser night for Suzy in their Norfolk restaraunt, Bardo Edibles & Elixers. www.http://www.bardoeats.com/bardosite.swf
They are donating 100% of the profits from the evening to Suzy's  therapies and treatments. Unbelievable!

When: Thursday, June 3
Time: 5:00 - 10:00
Where:430 West 21st Street

The food at Bardo's is AMAZING!!!! Everything is served tapas style.The menu is eclectic, gourmet, and with an Asian flair.

And their drink menu  is one of the largest in the city!!

If you are looking for a dinner 'night-out' this week, PLEASE come to Bardo's. I promise that you won't dissapointed. It is a real treat.
Holy Moly 2010-05-23 07:02:00.0
Oh my goodness star_blue  I had NO IDEA a yard sale could be so successful!!
We raised $2,224.19.   AMAZINGheart_red That will pay for the entire trip to NY next week for therapy.

I want to thank -

*Christy Rudolf - my sister &  BFF
*My mom, Sue, a.k.a. Nana - for working her little fanny off
*Jenny - always faithful to her sweet suzy
*Julie Smithson - the hardest working woman I know (and don't even THINK about trying to bargain with her over the price...thanks Julie)
*Chris - my hun, my soul
*Bruce - aka PopPop
*Chip - for giving up his garage/driveway/house for 3 days!

Lemondaid stand 'workers' and big time helpers:
*Christy H
*Liz
*Teresa
*Ralph
*Lisa
*Bob


The KIDZ!:
**Gracie, Maggie, Carley, Chase, Gregory, Kenny, Cyndi, Reiley, Cole, Foster, Grayson, Teegan, Payton

Fabulous Friends who donated lots of wonderful 'stuff'
*Francie
*Marla
*Tina
*Amy
*Carolyn
*Betty
*Linda
*Hank
*Karen
*Miss Nina
*Carol
*Ron
*Annette
*Sylvia
*Katy
*Bill
*Wendy
*John
*Ronnie
*Jean
*Ned
*Nell
*Nancy
*Dave

All of the wonderful customers we had - thank you!!

And there are lots more super people who contributed that I am forgetting to mention right now - because I am exhausted. I had NO IDEA that a yard sale was so much work.
But it was SO worth it. (I imagine I will try to do another one before summer is over).teeth_smile

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL - for believing and supporting us.

Whitney
Mission Accomplished! 2010-05-19 05:32:15.0
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Suzy and I have returned from our trip to San Diego for stem cell therapy. She did great, but we're happy to be home. We traveled all day Friday, had our treatment Saturday, and traveled back on Monday. So, we didn't really get to see much of CA. She was too tired and hungry on Sunday to want to explore, so we just hung around the hotel and napped and ate. We were blessed to have my mom make the trip with us.
We just love her stem cell doctor, Dr. Rader. He has just published a book - "Blocked In The U.S.A. - The Stem Cell Miracle". I have it if anyone would like to borrow it to read. It is fascinating.
We met some amazing families receiving treatment this time. Some of them have truly received miracle results from stem cells. (Unfortunately, Suzy has not had a 'miracle' recovery; but she has had some wonderful improvements due to the cells.)
We met a 20 year old boy who was involved in a devastating, near death car crash 2 years ago. For a year he lived in a wheelchair, too weak to move, breathing thru a trach, g-tube fed and blind. He received his first set of stem cells 1 year ago. Within 5 weeks he was walking! His trach is removed, he can talk and he eats!! He says he owes his life to the cells. However, he is still blind. He is back for his 2nd treatment in hopes to get some vision back.
We met a 4 year old girl with autism. She received her first treatment 6 months ago and was now back for her 2nd treatment. Prior to the stem cells she was non-verbal. She did not make eye contact, and did not smile or show emotion. Within 3 weeks of the cells she was TALKING. She now makes eye contact with me, and sung songs to Suzy while Suzy was getting her shots!! She is a doll-baby.
We met a 60 year old lady who has suffered from a seizure disorder her whole life. She used to have several seizures a WEEK. She began stem cells 4 years ago. She has had 8 treatments. She now only has one or 2 seizures a month! 
One day, America will stop being caught up in the political, financial and ethical drama that stem cells is intertwined with; and they will start moving forward. Then, we won't have to pay loads of money for illegal stem cells, and thousands of people can begin receiving the benefits of this natural 'wonder drug' - stem cells. I pray that that day is sooner than later.

On another note - I want to thank all of my friends who have donated to the up-coming Yard Sale that we are having for Suzy. I really appreciate all the efforts you have gone through to clean out your attics and closets. We LOVE all of your 'junk' !!!!! Thank you!!!!

I put a couple of pictures of her receiving her stem cells under PHOTOS - Stem Cells May 2010

Have a blessed week.
Peace,
Whitney