Getting used to her walker . . and other fun stuff

We've been practicing with Kinsey's new walker quite a bit this week. It's got so many attachments that we keep adjusting to find the right fit for her. I think it will help when we have a physical therapist again who can look at it and make the right adjustments, but for now she's getting used to it and getting pretty good: http://youtu.be/JhJx0QJY6uk

Kinsey and I went to our first Stroller Strides class this week - they have a really large group here! It's nice to be working out without the humidity!

We've also been back to Gymboree a few more times. I think it's really good for Kinsey, especially since we don't have any therapy right now. They have all kinds of equipment - similar to the stuff I think they would have if I took her to PT in a facility instead of at home. Now if only I knew what to do with all the stuff we'd be in business, but I'm trying to teach her anyway. I got some pictures of her holding onto the bridge thing and standing on her own. I need to get a video so you can see her pulling herself back and forth, but here are some pictures for now:

Kinsey's new doctor's office made all the referrals to her different specialists so we have a couple of appointments coming up. First is the cardiologist next week then the orthopedist in a couple of weeks. I haven't scheduled anything else yet, but all the new doctors will be in the Loveland or Fort Collins area near the new house.

Here are some fun pictures and videos from this week:

Rocking the rocking chair: http://youtu.be/dyoxzBeVFj0
Talking to Minnie: http://youtu.be/RI3HBTize-k

Bailey being a copy cat

Showing off the cute ladybug hair clips from gramma

Giving Minnie a Hug

Meeting the Lion at the Denver Zoo

Getting Comfortable Here

We've been here 2 weeks now and we're getting pretty acquainted with the city. I found a Gymboree Play & Music within walking distance from the house and Kinsey and I went for our first class this week and we went back again today too. They break the classes down by age group, but we are attending the level 2 class for 10-12 month olds since that is where she is developmentally. It's a little hard to see how easily the other little ones do things that Kinsey still can't do (like rolling over easily and crawling), but I'm so proud of the things she is doing!

They have a little bridge with side walls and Kinsey actually really likes to stand up and hold onto the walls and pull herself back and forth! That's amazing because she's really bearing weight on her arms when she does that. I want to get a picture of her doing it, but haven't been able to get one yet. She also really likes it when they have all the kiddos sit underneath a big parachute that we pull up and down above their heads.

We also found the local Stroller Strides group and we're going to check that out on Monday. I've emailed the instructor and I'm looking forward to getting back into our workout routine and meeting some moms.

But, we won't be able to do Gymboree or Stroller Strides for that long though, only while we're staying here with Aunt Sandy because we are buying a house! We found a great old farmhouse on 10 acres with 6 outbuildings that technically wasn't even on the market yet so we're the only ones who looked at it. We did a little negotiating and they accepted our offer yesterday. Our closing date is July 16th!  The house is in Severance, which is about 15 miles from downtown Fort Collins and 20 minutes from Loveland, which is the exact area where we wanted to be. Here's a link to see the property: http://binged.it/JX1hiU

This week we also had our first appointment with Kinsey's new pediatrician. I found her on the internet by searching for a special needs pediatrician and we got really lucky because I really liked her! She's part of a practice with 5-6 doctors in Loveland. She spent a long time (more than an hour) with us reviewing all of Kinsey's information, giving me information about various services, the school systems in the area and referrals for all of her other doctors.  I gave her a hefty pile of Kinsey's medical records from her old pediatrician and she said she was going to read through it all this week. I also gave her a 2-page overview of Kinsey's medical history. She said all the specialists we need are in the Loveland or Fort Collins area, so that's good. She gave Kinsey a couple of her vaccinations and said she would like to see her again in 3 months.

Oh, and we found out that Kinsey grew again - she's up to 31.25" now! She's stopped gaining weight though and has actually lost a little - down to 19 lbs 3 oz now. We haven't been tracking her calories since the move so we need to get back on that. The doctor said it's not unusual for kids to have a hard time at this age to keep up with their growth though.

On Sunday we went to the Denver Aquarium for Mother's Day. It was a little rainy and cold that day, so it was the perfect activity for the day. Kinsey really liked looking at all the fish and things and kept trying to reach through the glass to get them. She really didn't understand the glass! Here are some pictures:

Trying to get the fish

Trying to touch the starfish

Kinsey did a little "carnival game" where she selected a duck and won a prize.
I thought she would like this because it's similr to something we did in therapy.
She won a HUGE neon yellow octapus! 

This week we finally got Kinsey's new therapy walker. We just got it late today so Kinsey hasn't spent much time in it yet, but I did get this one quick picture:

18 Months and a New Hometown

Well, we all made it to Colorado! It wasn't easy, but we did it. Kinsey and I had the easiest part of the trip - just a 4 hour flight and my dad was with us to help out. But first we stayed in my dad's RV for about a week by ourselves. We had fun together. Here's a picture of Kinsey pretending to drive the RV:

Kinsey did pretty well on the flight, but as a expected she was much more to handle than the last time we flew - she's into everything and it was hard to contain her to our seat. Fortunately, the plane wasn't full and the three of us were able to move to a row of our own and give Kinsey some room to spread out (and not bother any poor strangers sitting next to us).

Here are some pictures from the flight:

First she read the safety information

Then she picked out a drink from the beverage menu

Then she got her very own seat

And she finished the flight sleeping in Pop-Pop's arms

We are currently staying at Jamie's Aunt Sandy's house in Denver and are getting comfortable here. We're so lucky that she has given us a place to stay while we look for a new house. We've already been working with a realtor and seen several properties, but haven't found anything yet.

And since we've been here, Kinsey has celebrated her half-birthday!!! She turned 18 months on Thursday. I took Kinsey to the fancy mall here and we made a bear for her at Build a Bear Workshop. She liked watching the stuffing go around in the machine when the guy stuffed her bear. We also got cupcakes for each of us and had 1 1/2 written on them. The lady at the bakery must have thought I was crazy getting cupcakes for a half birthday, but she was really sweet and made them special for us. Here's a video and some pictures: http://youtu.be/PuDqehrdlVY

Kinsey's been learning some new things lately too - just this week she's been getting really good at picking up her sippy cup and putting it in her mouth all on her own! The first time she did it she was playing on the floor and the sippy cup was out of reach a little. I was near her, but not really watching when all of a sudden I noticed she was sitting there drinking from her cup. I've seen her do it a couple of other times this week too!

She's also starting to bend her legs when she's sitting on the floor playing with her toys. She has always sat with her legs straight out and it's nearly impossible to get her to bend them, but I've noticed lately that she will bend one or both of them sometimes (like to sit cross-legged). She usually straightens them right out again, but at least she's bending them.

She also learned how to take her diaper off. This isn't really a surprise because I know she can undo the velcro on her shoes so of course she can do the diaper too. That's why I never leave her without bottoms covering her diaper, but the other day I put her down for a nap without the bloomers on and this is what I found when I went in to check on her:

I decided to try a new hairdo this week too - to get her hair out of her face. I think she's awfully cute like this:

I found a pediatrician who has a special interest in children with special needs/developmental delays so we've made an appointment to go meet her on Monday and see if we like her. I have no idea if she has any knowledge of Trisomy 18 or not, but we'll see what we think of her when we meet. Kinsey is due to her 18 month shots now so we couldn't wait too long to find a new doctor. Hopefully this will work out.
Before we left Jacksonville, we had one final "playdate" with Liz and Lorelei - they were nice enough to invite us over for dinner one night when we were alone in Jax while the guys drove across the county! Here are some pictures of the girls:

Reading together

Kicking their legs

Holding Hands - How Sweet!