Lots to write about

Summertime is coming to a close, although it is EXTREMELY HOT here and we don't see an end in sight.

We had the swimming pool put in and it is finished. The kids have been swimming in it for a week now. The girls couldn't wait for the pool to be filled up completely and took a swim with only 3 feet of water in the deep end. In preparation of having a completed pool in our backyard - one of the priorities was to get Maddie swimming lessons. The same swim teacher that taught Christopher and Lizzy to swim many years ago gave Maddie private lessons this week. She did GREAT! She was very relaxed in the water - which is very important to be a good swimmer. She listened and followed directions. By the end of the week, she was going under water to pick up toys, kicking her legs and jumping in off the side. She has the basics down and we have been working with her to improve her swimming skills every day. It has been so amazing to watch Maddie transform from a child who hated the water and taking a bath to a child who is so comfortable in the water and LOVES swimming. She is an amazing little girl!

This week I also took Maddie to see the Dentist for the first time. She climbed in the dentist chair and opened her mouth and sat still for the Dentist to examine her teeth. What a trooper! She does have a cavity that will need to be filled. We will return later this month for this procedure. The dentist will be giving her a little anesthesia type medication before the procedure that will not put her to sleep but will not let her remember the procedure. While they have her under this medication they will clean her teeth and take some x-rays. Out of this visit I received really good news. The Dentist was able to confirm that she had all of the teeth that she should have at this age and is even cutting 2 of her back teeth. She has no extra teeth or missing teeth (which is common in CL/CP children). When it is actually time for orthodontics we should have an easier time that we initially thought because the Orthodontist will not have to contend with removing extra teeth or dealing with missing teeth. We have just been so blessed with respect to her health and the extent of dealing with any issues related to CL/CP.

Lizzy and Maddie went back to school this week too. Both were ready to get back in the groove of things. This is Lizzy's last year of Middle School - so her first day was monumental and a little emotional - for me :( Maddie returned to the same classroom and same teacher as she had in the Spring when she started. She will repeat PK2 as she only got the tail end of the curriculum last school year. The teachers and aides immediately noticed how much her speech has improved. Christopher starts school this Tueday and will be a Junior at St. Louis High School.

We had several opportunities over the last few weeks to fly. We flew to Austin to pick Lizzy up from her friend Lilli's house and then the next weekend to Marble Falls to pick Christopher up from Camp Champions. Maddie came with us during these trips and did very well. She really liked the headphones and the microphone used in the plane. She quickly noticed that she could hear her voice in the headphones when she talked in the microphone.

Sorry for the long post but lots has happened since my last one.