Well, we are back at it and trying out another month of Conductive Education. Another new Maddie adventure, and we are excited to see the results of our latest endeavor.

We are closer to home again and Maddie is attending "Beginning Steps to Independence" in San Jose. Fortunately, our living arrangements have remained the same, and the Roberts family has generously taken us in once again. We could not do this without them and we will be forever grateful.  They are the most kind and generous people I have ever met.  We are living here again with the Roberts Family and Judit, one of Madison’s conductors (teachers) and her daughter Hanna, who is 5.  They have a house full, but somehow it works out amazingly well.

Savannah is only going to be joining us for part of the time. The first week we are gone, she is going to be traveling to Texas with her Nana and Papa to visit her cousins. The second week, she is going to be staying home with Derek so she can go to Vacation Bible School. The third week she will finally be joining us! And the fourth week, she has to be at home again because she is starting FIRST GRADE! Can you believe it? I will be very sad not to be home during her first week of school, but she will be with her Daddy. Her hair might not be so cute, but this controlling mommy is just going to have to accept that.

Week One:

It was definitely a rough week for Madison. She has not transitioned back to this program very well. And who could blame her??? Her entire world has been turned upside down, they make her work very hard here, and she is just mad about it I think! She has amazing crocodile tears when we get to the program every morning, but they have reassured me that the crying stops soon after I leave. They also told me that even when she is fussy and cranky, she still follows directions quite well, so she’s got that going for her!

I have had a few opportunities to stay with her and learn the magic of the conductors here. It is quite frustrating, though, because she definitely works better when I am not around. However, I do love seeing what they do here, and how they do it. They are trying to teach me how to help Madison, and as hard as that is, I think it is best in the long run. There is no point in doing this unless I can apply the things she is doing here to her life back home. They have such clever ways to help the children get where they need to go. I help Madison every morning get to the bathroom, and she knows exactly what to do. She walks from the door holding on to a ladder back chair, gets to the wall, walks along the wall, turns the corner, grabs the counter in the bathroom, and cruises down to the toilet. It is just amazing to watch, and gives us such good ideas on how to help her get around at home.

One of the conductors, Nora, gave us some wonderful advice this week. Madison didn’t have her shoes on, so I was carrying her to the car after school. Nora said, "Maddie! You need to help your mommy carry you!" I never really realized it, but when I hold Madison, she basically leans backwards. This makes an already very heavy child even more difficult to hold. Nora told Madison to put her arms around me and lean in towards me. Maddie did this immediately, and I can’t tell you the difference it made on my back! So now when I pick her up, I tell her to hold on to me "like a monkey" and it has completely changed our world. It is so amazing to me when people point this kind of stuff out to us, and I appreciate it very much. We are so used to our own little world, and have such habits, it usually takes someone from the outside to pick up on these very small things that can make such a huge difference.

Of course, all of Madison’s equipment has come under question since we got there. We were expecting this, and we welcome it. No one, even her therapists back home, feel that Madison’s equipment is perfect for her right now. They have recommended a new knee brace for Madison that is a little less cumbersome than what she currently has, and her PT back home is going to help us order that. Her walker, as well, is not ideal for her. She leans into the back of it and walks bent over (on her heels with her knees bent backward!). They will help us figure out what might work a bit better for her.

We left San Jose on Friday afternoon to get back home to Derek and Savannah. Even with the crazy traffic, we were home by 4:30!

Week Two:

We had a wonderful weekend having the whole family back together again! The girls were so happy to see each other, and had an amazing time playing together. Savannah was just adorable, and it really seemed like she missed us just as much as we missed her!

We are getting used to this commute back and forth to San Jose every Sunday. We leave around 4:00 and get here by 6:00. The Roberts family has made us feel so much at home, I do get a very comforting feeling every time we arrive back at their home. It’s like we’ve known them forever and that we actually belong here.

We have had some very touching experiences since we arrived here. Sunday night after Madison and I went to bed, Judit and Hanna decorated the hallway for Madison. Hanna hung up crafts she made at school and pictures she had colored a little above Madison’s height all the way down the hall. Judit hopes this will encourage Madison to stand at the wall and walk down it. AMAZING! Judit has also been working with Madison at home helping her climb up and down the stairs. Madison has also figured out that she can say Hanna’s name, and that is very exciting for every one. You have to listen really hard for it, but she says a little "HA" and then about 5 seconds later says a little "NA". It is SOOO much work for her to talk, but she is trying so hard! Seeing that she can say Hanna, we’ve realized that she could probably say at least the last part of Savannah’s name. So, (just to be fair!), we have been working on Madison saying "AH NA" for Savannah. It is working, and I think Savannah will be so happy to finally have her sister call her something!

On the potty training front, things have been going very well. She has only had one poopy accident in TEN DAYS! The pee is still quite an issue, but she has been relatively successful with tinkling on the potty as well. This little girl just pees a little bit all of the time, so it’s hard to catch it all in one sitting...  Still trying to figure this one out.

Another amazing feat for Madison this week, is that she is able to walk holding on to parallel ropes. This is very hard to do, and wasn’t even a remote possibility for her the last time we are here. I hope to get a picture of this very soon.

Just like last time, I am starting to notice that Madison’s body is beginning to change and feel different again. Each time we do this, there is a new strength and new confidence about her and it is so exciting to watch!