Christmas Cheer!

Hi Everyone!

Tonight Lexi participated in her first Christmas program at school. She did wonderful, and I'm so proud of her too!

Snow Day!!

Lexi and Britt both had snow days from school today. So Britt came over and the girls had a lot of fun together! Last winter Lexi was in her fixator, so she didn't get to play in the snow. I think she's making up for lost time! Here are some pics...enjoy :)

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a fun, safe Halloween....we sure did! This was Lexi's first year going trick-or-treating, and she had so much fun!


Our little mermaid :)


Having fun at her school Halloween party :)

Autumn Fun!

Hi Everyone!

Last weekend was packed with lots of family fun! On Saturday, we went apple picking at the orchard with both sets of grandparents. And on Sunday, we went to the pumpkin patch with Auntie Vickie and Cousin Britt. Here are some pics and a cute video from our weekend :)





Everyone is ready for the wagon ride into the apple orchard! We picked Red and Golden Delicious apples, and wow they are yummy!!

Lexi loves making silly faces and poses for the camera :)

Lexi and cousin Britt with their newly painted faces at the Pumpkin Patch!

Stopping for a picture while trying to find our way out of the 6 ACRE corn maze! Whew!

Lexi and "Wanda the Witch"

Having some dress-up fun in the costume shop!

Anytime there is music playing....Lexi is right there singing and dancing! It truly makes her happy :)

Cute video

Hi Everyone! We've been really busy, but everything has been great with us! Lexi is LOVING preschool and has already had a playdate with a few of the girls in her class!

Here is a video of Lexi attempting to play ladder golf last weekend. Very cute!

School!

Yesterday was Lexi's first day of preschool, and she had a great day!! She has the same teacher as last year, and Lexi really likes her. Lexi also knows a lot of the other kids from last year as well. I have a feeling it's going to be a great school year!

More pics!

Lexi picking flowers at the hotel :)

Having fun on one of the kiddie rides!

Picture of the Trailblazer....Lexi's first roller coaster!!!

Picture of the Flying Falcon ride (mommy will never go on that one again!)

Lexi and Daddy on the Tilt-A-Whirl....she had a blast!

Trip to Baltimore

Hi Everyone!

Today was Lexi's appointment with Dr. Standard, and it went terrific! Dr. Standard said Lexi's ankle and leg look great. The 8-plate that was put on her femur in May is still correcting her knock knee, and will not be removed now (woo hoo, no surgery yet!).

We will have another set of x-rays taken in 4 months, back home. And we aren't scheduled to go back to see doc in Baltimore for 8 months.

Here is a pic of Lexi and Dr. Standard today. So happy to be posting this picture to put a face to the name! I can't say it enough.....he is THE BEST!!

We also had a great weekend in Hershey, Pennsylvania! Saturday we went to Hershey's Chocolate World and went on a chocolate making tour, saw a 3-D movie, and received our diplomas from Hershey University after completing the chocolate tasting adventure!

On Sunday, we went to Hershey Park and had a blast!!! This was Lexi's first trip to an amusement park, and we weren't sure how she would do on the rides. Turns out Miss Lexi is our little thrill-seeker! Sure, she loved the carousel and the other kiddie rides (even went on some kiddie rides by herself!).....but it was the bigger rides that she loved the most!

She went on her first roller coaster, the Trailblazer, and loved that so much she went on it 3 times in a row! (We almost didn't take her on a 3rd time, but she wanted to go so badly that she started to cry!) The other favorite of hers was the Flying Falcon, which involves great heights and lots of spinning.....mommy got sick after that ride!

I'll post pics from the weekend soon!

Playtime fun!

Last week, Lexi had a playdate with our friend Carlie's son, Tyson. We went to a water playground, and they had so much fun! Here are some pics :)

Lexi's Birthday

Hi Everyone!

Time flies way too fast....Lexi is already 4! It is so amazing to me how much she is growing and maturing!

Lexi is doing awesome these days! She continues to make great strides in physical therapy, really enjoying the summer, and having fun being a kid again....walking, running, dancing, bike riding....you name it!!!

Our next appointment with Dr. Standard is on August 17th. Lexi will have x-rays taken to see the progress of the eight-plate on her knee.

Here are some more pics! Take care everyone....I'll post another update soon :)

Lexi making a wish on the heart that goes into her Build-A-Bear!

Lexi loves her new bear, "Berri" :)

Spraying and curling at her Ariel Beauty Salon!

Lovin' her new ride!!! (Actually is really good for strengthening her right leg using the gas pedal)

"Can I please have my cupcake yet?"

YUMMY!

Summer fun!

Lexi is doing great and enjoying the summer!

New Shoes!

It's been 10 months since Lexi wore a pair of shoes, and last week she picked out new shoes! After trying on three pairs of shoes that "hurt" her foot, she found the right pair. When the saleswoman took that pair of shoes out of the box, Lexi's reaction was sooo cute! Her eyes got really big, she smiled and said "Mom, these shoes are perfect! They are so beautiful!" She loves wearing them.


Lexi in her new shoes!




Lexi riding her bike for the first time since her fixator was removed. Strong legs!!

The walking part is a little slow going, but that is to be expected right now. Lexi still likes to be carried around, and use her walker most of the time. But, she improves a little bit each day....we are so proud of her!

No More Cast!

Lexi had x-rays taken last week, and Dr. Standard gave the OK to remove the cast for good!

It has been a bit tough for Lexi to let go of her cast though, as it has made her feel secure when walking. Lexi had physical therapy today for the first time without her cast, and made tremendous progress (standing and walking independently!), thanks to Lexi's wonderful physical therapist, Melissa!

Lexi still has a lot of work to do....PT and stretches/exercises at home, but she's progressing quite well.

We go back to Baltimore sometime in September for follow-up and to see how the 8-plate is doing that is on her knee.

Here are some pics...

Lexi and cousin Britt making sand jewelry together :)

Enjoying Grandma and Grandpa's backyard!

One of my favorite pics! Lexi and Daddy on Father's Day...Love you guys!

Walking again!

Hi Everyone,

Well it's no surprise that nothing stops Lexi! Just a couple of days after surgery, she was up and walking again (with the help of her walker of course!).

Lexi's next appointment in Baltimore is on Monday, to get her removable cast put on!

Surgery

Lexi's surgery went great today! After Dr. Standard removed the fixator, he took an x-ray of her leg. It healed perfectly! So well in fact, that he said the titanium rod did not need to stay in her leg any longer....Woo Hoo!

Dr. Standard also put an 8-plate on her knee to start correcting the valgus (knock knee). That could stay on for up to a year, depending on her growth spurts.

We will return to Baltimore in two weeks to take off this cast, and replace it with a removable cast. This is so Lexi can start her physical therapy sessions, and ease into standing on that foot again.

I just want to say that I can't even begin to put in words the appreciation and admiration I have for Dr. Standard. What he does for these kids is nothing short of a miracle, and I'm so grateful for what he's already done for Lexi.

Can't wait to see everyone when we get home!

Bye Bye Fixator!

After 8 months in the fixator, it finally comes off tomorrow! We are supposed to arrive at the hospital at 6 a.m. ET. Surgery should be sometime between 7-8 a.m. ET. Goodbye fixator....hello cast!!!

Lexi has been awesome throughout this whole procedure, and we are so proud of her!

Update

Hi Everyone,

It's been awhile since my last post...

Lexi's fixator removal surgery was bumped up from May 15th to May 6th, but the night before we were going to leave for Baltimore Lexi developed a fever. It then turned into a full blown cold, and Lexi's surgery had to be cancelled.

Lexi is doing much better now, and surgery has been rescheduled for May 19th! We leave for Baltimore on Saturday. I will keep everyone posted!

Here are some pics from our trip downtown to see Daddy's work and then Rainforest Cafe for dinner!