Alex's New Wheels!!

We finally got Alex's bike Thursday and I LOVE IT! And it's pink..imagine that! I'm thinking that one day if she can communicate with me she's going to tell me that she's quite over all things pink!

The bike is a Freedom Concept and one of the things I love about it is that it has a locking mechanism so that the handlebars don't move and I can steer her from behind, so at this point she only has to focus on pedaling...which of course is great therapy for her. Shannon took her out for a test drive and clearly she loves it too!

Happy Girl!

Look at me!!

Weeeeeee!

I can't wait for Alex and Zach's first ride around the neighborhood together!

Back in May I had posted about being devastated about the explosion at the Hyperbaric Facility in Florida that we took Alex to. Besides the hope the facility brought us, it was the only place I've been able to find that will treat for neurological purposes. A few weeks ago at my Mom's support group, one of my friends at dinner was telling me about a family she knew that had just come back from a facility in North Carolina. I did some research and found Metro Hyperbarics. I called and got some information and then received a few e-mails from the woman who operates the facility. Turns out she has a daughter like Alex and after being treated in Florida and seeing the great results in her daughter, they opened a facility in their home town. It's run by a doctor who is not only trained in HBOT but specializes in pediatrics. The facility looks amazing and so much more technologically advanced than the one in Florida. I can't tell you how excited I am to have found this place - I want to pack up and leave today! The fact that the facility is only four hours away is such a huge plus since travelling with Alex on a plane with all of the "stuff" that accompanies her is no easy task. I always had to ship things weeks in advance to Florida because there was just no way to bring it all on the plane. With Zach starting kindergarten it's going to be pretty much impossible to go anytime soon since we have to be there for two weeks straight, plus I still want to do more research, but I'm thrilled there's a new possibility!

I got a new camera this week (thanks Tom for the research and recommendations!) so I've been taking pictures of everything just so I can play around with it. The other day my girlfriend Dana was out shopping and she brought Alex and I those Turbie Twist towels they sell on the infomercials on TV...so I took this shot of Alex after her bath...

Bathing Beauty!

I've been trying to update my blog since Thursday but I've been having major computer troubles...the perils of modern day technology! I got up this morning and I did not feel well at all. I really just wanted to stay in my PJ's all day and do nothing, but I had some errands that had to get done. I was still feeling pretty lousy as we were out shopping and then something dawned on me. Every time I passed someone, they looked at Alex and would smile...not just one or two people, everyone. I'm not sure if it's not something I typically pay attention to because I usually am in rush mode and just want to get in and out...and sometimes I don't even look at people because Alex gets very excited when we're out and about and is usually laughing and squealing so loud that I quite honestly don't want to see the stares that I've encountered in the past. But all of a sudden I realized my daughter has a gift. She may not have an amazing singing voice, or the gift of athleticism or art, but Alex has the gift to make people smile. And I think that's a pretty amazing gift and am now smiling myself.