Linden's car wash

Our friends and family washed about 30 cars this past Saturday! It was very successful. We are so thankful for all of you (Rhiannon, Billy, Mackenzie, Conner, Micah, Leah, Stephanie, Hunter, Brock, Paulette, CJ, Salvadore, Kip, Andrea, Tim, Luke, Nathan, Nathanael, and everyone else who came and got their car washed) helped make it happen. We are so blessed to have so much support!

Here are a couple of pictures taken by Mackenzie. I realize that three of the pictures are of one vehicle, but we did have more than that I promise. ;)

Luke (Joe's brother) stood by the road reeling people in.










My awesome Sister In Law Rhiannon


Linden just waking up from her nap and seeing a bunch of people looking at her.


Alexis


Allison


Bianca

Farsighted

Yes, that's right. Linden is farsighted and had to get glasses. I think she looks adorable and stylish. Here are a couple pictures of her right after she put them on for the first time. She just stopped and looked around the room and at us very slowly, taking it all in. We had to hold her hands down so she wouldn't grab them. She's gotten better at keeping them on since she got them on Monday.

She's been so healthy looking lately. I bet it's all the prayers! Thank you Jesus! She's been bearing weight on her feet, standing for awhile while I hold her hands. She's been grabbing at our faces and pulling them towards her to kiss which is so cute!!! Her spunky personality is really shining through.

Linden's 9 month IFSP meeting

Linden is in a state run early intervention program called Early Steps. She qualifies because she has Down Syndrome and Amniotic Band Syndrome (what caused her little hand). Every month, Mrs. Claire comes over and checks her out to see if she's developing physically and cognitively as she should.

Last month we made the following goals for Linden at 9 months:

• Sitting for short periods of time
• Reaching to grab a small toy from someone else's hand
• Reaching out with her left hand (smaller hand)
• Bearing weight on her legs

As of today, 9.5 months, she has met all of her 9 month goals!!! I am so proud of my sweet girl. Even though, her medicines make her very tired and she's just plain worn out, she is still meeting her goals and surprising her teacher! She sat on her own for 8 seconds today and that's a record for her. See, when she sits, she either throws herself back or dives down to her feet.

Here's Linden standing up on Daddy's lap.

And for your viewing pleasure, some rare pictures of ALL THREE girls together!

Also, for those of you who have blogs and would like to put Linden's prayer button in your blog, just cut and paste this picture. Sweet Crystal, from Presh Web Designs, is a fellow heart mama of Bentley.

Love you all! Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Love,
Bianca and Joe

I've created a message board

For all my family and friends! Please email me at joeandbianca@yahoo.com for the link! It would be fun to have somewhat of a live chat with all of you!

I hope you're all having a happy Sunday!

-Bianca

I've been wanting to get a shot of Linden from behind for so long.

See her ears?
Don't they remind you of butterfly wings?

No, she wasn't facing down when I took the picture.
No, she wasn't trying to eat the grass.
Ok, maybe she was.

A little.

Ok... A LOT.

I

LOVE

KISSING

HER

BUTTERFLY

EARS!

Welcome to Holland

I'm sure some of you have read this poem before, so this is for those of you who haven't.

It's all about being the parent of a special needs child. I read this poem quite often and it gives me a little reminder about how special Joe and I are to have been chosen to be Linden's parents. You've been chosen as well, to be her friends, her family. Grab a Kleenex!
_____________________________________________________________

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

I scream for Ice Cream!

"What was that!?!?"


"Who cares? Just give it back to me!"


"This is the best stuff ever, Mama!"


After the ice cream bar, but before the bath.