Gianna's physical therapy has become much more enjoyable for all involved lately. We've been taking her every week for well over a year and a half, always with Angelo in tow. On many, many occasions she would just be glued to me and melt down in tears if her therapist Julie tried to encourage her to try different activities. Angelo has always been so sweet, just wanting to have fun and play on the equipment, and being constantly encouraging and consoling to Gianna. Needless to say, I didn't take any pictures at most of our previous sessions! The pictures from this week are such a striking contrast to what we've experienced before. I honestly could have never imagined that she would have crawled through the tunnel by herself, rode on the swing with Angelo, and walked the balance beam (!) with Julie holding her hands. Now, granted, I think a big part of her motivation is the lollipop she receives from the office manager after her session. When we tell GiGi in the mornings that she's going to physical therapy, she says "Julie!" and "Pink Pop!". I'm so thankful that she's finally starting to enjoy and really fully participate in her sessions - I know she'll wind up benefiting so much more and Friday mornings are now a little sweeter for us all!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
All of the Therapy - None of the Tears
Gianna's physical therapy has become much more enjoyable for all involved lately. We've been taking her every week for well over a year and a half, always with Angelo in tow. On many, many occasions she would just be glued to me and melt down in tears if her therapist Julie tried to encourage her to try different activities. Angelo has always been so sweet, just wanting to have fun and play on the equipment, and being constantly encouraging and consoling to Gianna. Needless to say, I didn't take any pictures at most of our previous sessions! The pictures from this week are such a striking contrast to what we've experienced before. I honestly could have never imagined that she would have crawled through the tunnel by herself, rode on the swing with Angelo, and walked the balance beam (!) with Julie holding her hands. Now, granted, I think a big part of her motivation is the lollipop she receives from the office manager after her session. When we tell GiGi in the mornings that she's going to physical therapy, she says "Julie!" and "Pink Pop!". I'm so thankful that she's finally starting to enjoy and really fully participate in her sessions - I know she'll wind up benefiting so much more and Friday mornings are now a little sweeter for us all!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The House that Love Built
We will always be grateful for the help of the Ronald McDonald House Family Room - it was like a second home when GiGi was in the NICU and the children's hospital. This weekend we had an opportunity to visit with Ronald and "give back" a little by making Valentine's cards for the families who will be spending the holiday in the Ronald McDonald House. The kids all loved the show and the boys made sweet valentine's - Angelo wanted to make his exactly like Dominic's. Maybe next year GiGi can make some too!
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| GiGi watching Ronald's magic show |
Monday, January 28, 2013
Little Mermaid
"You've got your own style, now let it come through.
And remember no matter what, you've got to be you!"
- Sebastian (Disney's The Little Mermaid)
Both Dominic and Angelo have January birthdays and this year we decided to celebrate with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge with family. I was a little worried that GiGi wouldn't like all the chaos of an indoor water park, but she absolutely loved it! There was a perfect wading area for the little kids as well as plenty of wild slides to entertain her older brothers and cousins!
| Kisses from Daddy |
| Our room had an area like a "wolf den" for the boys - Gianna's favorite part was discovering this little mouse |
| Aunt Adria taught GiGi to pose with her hands on her hips - this is her new stance for every picture! |
| GiGi's silly "scrunchy face" :) |
| Waiting anxiously for the cake! |
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Diva
When Gianna adds a new word to her vocabulary, she doesn't just say it...she yells it. Maybe it's because speaking is so hard for her and it feels so good to her to finally get a real word out! Some of her favorite words to shout are "BOW!" and "TUTU!" It is just completely different dressing a girl after having two little boys. I have fun accessorizing her, but after demanding her bow and tutu and shoes and purse and glasses, of course, she usually has them all off and in the floor (including her glasses) before we reach any destination! Here she is with some of her latest creations.
| Checking herself out in Mommy's mirror |
| Pushing a chair all around Mimi and Granddaddy's house |
| G will only cook in her play kitchen with her owl apron and matching bow from Aunt Wendy |
Gianna was so happy with this outfit - it included everything she loves,
plus a little "fur" jacket and purple to match her glasses!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Holidays
One of my New Year's resolutions was to do a better job of keeping Gianna's blog updated. It's now Jan 21st and this is my first post of the year so I've got some serious catching up to do! Gianna had a fantastic holiday - we traveled to Tennessee to see my side of the family, and Matt's family came in from West Virgina after Christmas. Gianna was surrounded with family and she loved every minute of the excitement.....except for her visit to Santa Claus. Afterwards, she kept asking to see the pictures, but as you can see she was not at all happy to be there! She learned the sign language signs for "Santa" and "Reindeer" and is now saying Nana and PapPap and MiMi and is working on learning "Granddaddy", but that one may take a while. She loved the Elf on the Shelf and would look for it every day and yell "Elf!!!" every time she saw it. Here's some pictures from the Christmas holidays that I love!
And finally....New Year's Eve! We spent a fun evening with our friend Tara and her boys playing Just Dance on the Wii and watching the Times Square festivities. GiGi was a trooper and ALMOST made it until midnight.....here she was passed out by 11:10 on Matt's lap.
| Visiting Santa's Reindeer |
| Candy cane......yes, please! Santa.....no thanks! |
| With brothers and cousins in TN - I think Gianna and Aspen are sharing secrets! |
| Under the mistletoe with Dominic :) |
| In the sleigh at Hillenmeyer's |
| Gianna is telling us "shhh" - she saw the baby Jesus sleeping in the live nativity scene |
| All dressed up for Christmas Day. GiGi was so happy with her sparkly tree! |
| Showing love for Daisy and Minnie |
| One of her favorite gifts...a helmet with a tiara attached! |
And finally....New Year's Eve! We spent a fun evening with our friend Tara and her boys playing Just Dance on the Wii and watching the Times Square festivities. GiGi was a trooper and ALMOST made it until midnight.....here she was passed out by 11:10 on Matt's lap.
| This pose looks SO uncomfortable!! |
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Thankful
Of all the things we're thankful for this holiday season, one of the biggest is the absolute explosion of Gianna's vocabulary both spoken and sign language. After her breakthrough with saying "wa wa" (for water), In just a few short months, she's gone from saying about 5 words that she's known for quite a while (DaDa, MaMa, Bye Bye, This, That), to now having a list of over 50!! Here she is on Thanksgiving Day showing off her brand new word "Thank you" (which sounds exactly like she's saying "tattoo"!)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
No Tricks, Just Treats
| Prince Charming and Cinderella |
| Prince Charming, Cinderella....and Zombie Hunter |
| Prince Charming, Cinderella, Zombie Hunter and "Nerd" I think GiGi is wondering what happened to her cousin Haley! |
| Spooky Night |
| Loving this hat! |
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