Thank you friends at Minitab, Inc.

When it comes to buying gifts for Lucy for Christmas and her birthday, I try to not go overboard. I follow a guideline of buying her: something she wants, something she needs, something to wear, and something to read. And the majority of her gifts are seldom brand new. I get her great things from the local kids consignment shop, Kid to Kid, or Ebay if I'm looking for something very specific. For example, Lu's birthday is coming up and here is what she is getting from Chad and I:  Want: a big bin of miscellaneous Mr. Potato Head pieces that I found at Kid to Kid. I will put pictures of them all in her Tobii along with the others she already has in there and then she can play just like other kids, it is one of her new favorite things to do. Need: A new life vest that will help her float on her back in the pool and kick her legs, Wear: a new bathing suit, Read: a dinosaur encyclopedia, a Princess Tiana beginning chapter book (because we read one about Ariel from the same series and she loved it), and a Martha Speaks chapter book with great pictures (those are a great series also for kids who are starting to listen to chapter books, very colorful!) all used from a site called Thriftbooks.com. So, my point is, I try to not overwhelm her with "stuff" and the acquisition of stuff. Experiences are what I think are even more important and she has certainly become rich with new experiences in the past few days!

If you read my post from a few days ago you know that over the weekend Lucy got a new puppy named Finn, and her wish from Make-A-Wish was delivered which was an adaptive swingset for in our yard. Well, a few weeks ago Chad got a big surprise at work when his supervisor handed him an envelope with enough cash in it to buy Lu the adaptive tricycle that she did not win in the Great Bike Giveaway in March! His co-workers had decided that they really wanted her to have that bike and so they took up a collection just amongst themselves and raised $1500 for Lu to have her own bicycle! And it came this week! 

It is so exciting and so amazing to see her legs go round and round! And we are so excited for her to be able to ride bikes with the other kids, just like any other kid can! I think like in many other situations, unless you are raising a child with disabilities, parents seldom think about the luxury they have of just being able to zip over to the local Walmart or Target and grab a tricycle for their little one. Or the luxury of knowing they can buy them any old swingset and they will be climbing the ladders over and over again to get to the slide.  I can't even buy Lu's shoes at a store most of the time because they have to be wide or extra wide to fit over her braces. 

And because of what I just mentioned, it makes the generosity of Chad's co-workers so touching and just so amazing to us. Because they took the time and effort to realize that Lu would like to have a tricycle like other 4 year olds and we weren't going to be able to just run to the store and get her one. Chad works at a great place that obviously also makes it a priority to hire great people. We are completely blown away by this surprising and generous gesture and will be forever grateful that Minitab and such wonderful people are a part of our lives. 

I guess I look at it as Lu still isn't being spoiled by "stuff" but her life is being enhanced by experiences that without the help from all of these kind people she wouldn't have had. I keep telling her that she is the luckiest girl in the world. Rett Syndrome aside, she is surrounded by people that love and care for her.