Whirlwind of thoughts and happenings...the past few weeks

I haven't posted in a while because things in my mind have just been haywire. As many parents are probably right now getting ready to send their child off to school, we are doing the same. Along with getting therapies all aligned, and trying to "rob from peter to pay paul" so we can do some additional therapies. Trying to cram in fundraising for the 3 day breast cancer walk that my sisters and I are doing at the end of September. (If you'd like to donate..click here. If you can't donate but think you know someone who would...please send them my link. Thank you.)

Lets just things have been hectic to say the least. Or at least in my head I am drowning very quickly, and there isn't anyone to help me out. So to make this post a little easier to understand and not so long, I am going to put it into "links" and if you should choose to read about one subject and not the other you are in control and don't have to click on it! :) I know this is a weird way but each day I sit down to write the blog and I get side tracked and never complete the post, leaving it in "draft" heaven forever to be unseen. So here are the "drafts"...

• alternative therapies


• crap it's time for school


• random misc. stuff

Thanks for visiting!

Aw Crap.......school!!!

Its the end of August, which means September is just right around the corner.

Do you know what happens in September? Children return to school.

Victoria will return to high school as a sophomore. Brittany is away at college for her second year. Daniel will not be attending Early Intervention as he has in the past. No, because his is now the big THREE years old, he has to go to preschool. I am physically ill, every time I think about it, I get a knot in my stomach. I have ALWAYS been with Daniel. If he isn't with me and Lonnie, he is with family members (and that doesn't happen too often).

There are so many fears that I have about the whole school thing...I have even been researching "home schooling". Would this be better for Daniel? would I be hindering him or helping him? Would I be saving his feelings (because of meanies at school) or not preparing him for the big bad world out there? There are so many "what ifs" that I can't count. What if someone hits him? He can't tell me. What if he is afraid? I won't be there to protect him, and tell him its OK. He looks to me to be his protector, and they expect me to bring him to school and just drop him off?! He is going to think I abandoned him. These other people that I am leaving him with don't know how to read his eyes. They don't know his little quirks, what scares him, that loud noises startle him, that laying flat on his back makes him feel like he is falling, that switch toys really scare him? That he doesn't like sheep? That things he isn't' familiar with make him blink rapidly. That pop up books freak him out?!

UUUgh, I'm going to throw up. I need some anxiety pills....I'm freakin' out right about now. 4 frickin' days until my baby is going to preschool!

All that said....his teacher and therapists are really cool! They came last week for a home visit to help Daniel get ready for the transition so he wont' be scared when we first leave him there. Hell who am I kidding.....they came last week to make me feel more comfortable, they came for ME! I'm going to be the one crying. I am sure he will love it. I will HATE it.

I hope the school doesn't call the police because there is a strange woman sitting in her car in the parking lot of the school. No fears......its just me watching Daniel through the window!

Check this out.......

You have to watch this video. It was written by an 8th grader about her brother. It is absolutely incredible (at least I think so). Very mature girl.




Now how cool is that?

Now check this one out. It is kind of long, but well worth the time. Pretty incredible also....Click this link...Tyler

Alternative Therapies

The past month as been filled with a ton of research, emails to yahoo support groups, doctors, traditional therapists, family and anyone else you can think of. When Daniel hit his 3 year birthday, this horrific panic set in. Oh sh*t, we've hit the 3 year mark. People tell you all the time, between birth and 3 yrs are the most critical time to create new brain growth, new pathways. SH*T! I've heard, if he can't sit up unassisted by himself by 3, he won't be able to walk. If he isn't crawling by now, he never will.....PANIC.



The thoughts that go through my mind....I have failed Daniel. I didn't pull my weight. I let him down, I let everyone down. I am the one staying at home to be able to take Daniel to his therapies, to work with him at home, and he is now three, and I failed him. I didn't try enough types of therapies, I didn't ask enough questions......every possible thing wasn't researched. So began the search...I have looked into many other therapies before, but I always felt that the traditional therapy was the safest way to go. And so far he has done fairly well with it. BUT again, is it enough? Should I have taken him more? Should we have tried alternative therapies....and let me tell you there are numerous ones out there. Botox, ABR, Hippotherapy, Electrical Nerve Stimulation, Vital Stim, Hyperbaric Oxygen, Stem Cell, Anat Baniel Method, Feldenkrais, Cranial Therapy, these ones address the issues with the body. Then we can get into the Institute of Achievement for Human Potential, the National Association of Child Development, and The Family Hope Center. These ones give you more ways to help your brain injured child learn. They say, just because your child is handicapped does not mean you don't give them the same expectations you would any other child. For the past 3 years I have always said...Daniel is in there, I can see it in his eyes. He's smart, his body just isn't working, and that is what I concentrated on. His Body. But what about his mind? I was so worried about his body and getting that stronger that I didn't think to worry about teaching him things. The things that Daniel knows....he has just picked up on his own, by just observing his surroundings. Daniel is stuck in there, without a body that will listen to his desires, without a voice to express his wants, his needs, his happiness or his sorrows. But his eyes, just if you ever meet him, watch his eyes, his face....it will tell you everything you need to know. I've had people ask me before, "how does he communicate with you?" a simple answer...."his eyes". So Daniel took care of himself where I failed. I wasn't teaching him his colors, or what a circle is, or his left from his right, or his numbers...but he knows them. He can't verbally tell me, but he can show me with his eyes. I wanted to take the training at the IAHP in Pennsylvania this September, we were all set to get the money together. This is a method I will eventually try with Daniel. We have already incorporated some of the things I have learned from the Glen Doman books, "What to do about your brain-injured child" and "Teaching your child to read". Daniel is in the process of learning to read, and is doing really well. Of course he is, he is one smart cookie!
After much research, this is one of the things I wanted to do. The other one is called ABR.
I don't know why, but when I was watching and reading and listening to others talk about ABR, I knew in my mind that this should have been done with Daniel a long time ago. This is what is going to make Daniel stronger. It is not going to cure Daniel, it is not going to make his cerebral palsy go away, but it is going to help his, I can't tell you why I think it, or feel that it is the right thing to do, but it just is. So, because we don't have the funds to try all these different therapies I have listed, we have to pick what we think is going to work best for Daniel, and pray to God that we made the right decision, and that we aren't' wasting any time or money.

Watch this video. This is of a little boy who went through ABR. Watch his movements, the way he holds his body. This is Daniel, exactly. I saw this video and I saw what it did for this child, and I think it will do wonders for Daniel.







So after watching that Lonnie and I both said, "what ever it takes, we are going".


It is a must. We can't not go. The hard thing is the man you saw in the video is the only person who can evaluate Daniel for this treatment. The closest place to go is Canada, and he only comes to Canada twice a year. October and April. We have to go in October. Why you say? because imagine someone telling you that you can't walk, move, or be independent for months. That would be like someone saying you need this done NOW, but we're going to make you wait another 6 months of your life to do it. Six more months of Daniel falling behind.


October it is. We sent in the paperwork, and are putting the deposit down. Now we hope for a miracle. I am filling out paperwork for grants, I am calling organizations and pleading for something to happen. Daniel needs this therapy, we don't have time for planning a big fundraiser, we have less than two months. Unfortunately, we are a family living on one income. As most people in average America know, it is hard to survive let alone thrive on one income. So we are selling larger items we have, material things we don't really need. Lonnie has sold almost all of his guitars and equipment (thank you Lonnie) to get money together. On one hand I am so thankful to him for giving up things that he loves, and on the other hand I feel sorry that he has to give these things up. Bittersweet. We are coming to the part where we have to beg and swallow our pride and ask for help....

HELP

but come hell or high waters, in October we will be in Canada. Even if it means coming home to live in a giant refrigerator box with windows cut out! Heck if we're really creative maybe we can build a two story cardboard box to live in! I say this jokingly, and hope that it doesn't come down to it, but if it has to, then so be it.

DEFEATED

I am so feeling defeated. Overwhelmed. Bummed out.
I don't know how other parents are able to do it. There are two therapies that I can totally see Daniel succeeding in. The Institute of Achievement for Human Potential and the ABR in Canada.

Let me explain what they are and how they help children like Daniel. Lets start with ABR. Advanced BioMechanical Rehabilitation. The closest location for us is in Canada.
ABR is a method that re-builds even the most severely distorted musculoskeletal structure.
It is just amazing what it can do. I feel like this is a must for Daniel. He MUST GO, at all costs.
It is a therapy that will be done at home. We would go and Daniel would be evaluated, looked over, examined and decided what is the best approach. I can not see that Daniel would get this with the typical standard therapies that we have been doing for 2 1/2 yrs.

I research things all the time for Daniel. I saw this a long time ago, and found people who have done it with their child. One of the moms belongs to a yahoo support group that I also belong to. Her son is very similar to Daniel, and he has made great progress. Again, I know ever child is different, some therapies work well for some and not great for others. But we can not NOT try this, what if this is the one thing that will work for Daniel? What if we were to say oh well, we can't afford that, and it was the thing that could have helped him to be a little more comfortable, a little more of who he is on the inside on the outside? I am not trying to cure Daniel, I know he will always have what he has. But I can make him more comfortable, make life a little easier for him. I can give him all that he should have been given, but has to fight for. He should be able to walk, move his hands, eat like everyone else. I have said all the way along, he is a very smart boy...he is just stuck in a body that isn't working for him. Damn it, I want to give him the opportunity to have his body work. We just need to get it stronger, teach his body who is boss! He COULD walk if his trunk was strong, he COULD. I know it. I see it everyday. He tries, the grunts, the determination, my tears.....he CAN do it with the right support. He knows what he is doing, he just needs his muscles to understand and be strong. It isn't fair. It just is not fair. It sucks knowing that there is something out there that can help your child, and we just aren't able to do it. The man that does the evaluation only comes to Canada twice a year October and April. I would give anything to be able to go in October. Waiting until April...that is 6 more months lost to Daniel. Allot of people think, its only 6 months. But if someone said to you, hey don't walk for 6 months, oh yeah and by the way, don't sit up either cause you can't, don't even try to get a drink by yourself cause you can't do that either. Oh and talking? Give it up. Your trunk is not going to handle it. For those of you who don't understand how much your trunk does for you. It holds you upright, it allows your arms to move freely, your hands to work, and if the muscles in the trunk are weak, you can't get the air moving in your lungs well enough to be able to create sounds to speak . 6 months. I dare you to try losing all that. And don't you DARE say well he doesn't know what he is missing because he never had it. BULL$HIT. He knows.

Better Late Than Never!

OK, so I'm a bad mom for not posting photos sooner of Daniel and Caitlin's birthday party from last week. Daniel turned a whopping 3 and Caitlin turned an "over the hill" age of 23!

As much as I didn't want to do the SpongeBob cake, we did because Daniel specifically picked it out all on his own. I tried with all my might to get him to pick ANYTHING else. I don't know about you people but I am so sick of SpongeBob! Anyways, I baked the cake and this year.............DADDY did the decorating! Kudos to Lonnie. Job well done! He is a man of many talents!
Caitlin on the only hand loves cupcakes, so Tori made Caitlin's cake this year. All I had to do was mix the colored frosting for both cakes and get the tubes ready, they did the rest! I Love it!
Daniel received some pretty cool gifts this year. As you already know he got the Childrite Seat! YEA!!! It is just the right height to put a breakfast tray (the kind when you have breakfast in bed...HINT HINT!) in front of him and he instantly has a little desk! I LOVE IT! Thank you Aunt Karrie, Uncle Vince, Dillon and Rocco. He also got a CD from Aunt Ann that has his name in all the songs....over 80 times! How sweet is that?!? And below you can see, Daniel got cars from Emmie, and also a race track! Don't know who was having more fun with it Daniel or Daddy?!!?

THEN......prepare yourselves. Daniel LOVES the Wonder Pets show, so Victoria decided to get Daniel a Guinea pig. This is like nothing you have ever seen before. This thing is HUGE. It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen (I'm not really fond of large rodents) but it has the best personality! It cracks me up. Meet.........Cacapoohie (they names it!) Scary isn't it?!
They say that owners generally start looking like their dogs, or that they pick dogs that resemble themselves. I think the same goes for Daniel and his pet...Look at the two photos below. See how the hair is similar?!!?! (Daniel's hair after a nap)
I had to take a picture of the Guinea pig to get an better view from above. Have you ever seen anything like it before?? The front end looks like your typical Guinea pig, the butt of it looks like someone stapled a wig to its butt! Eeewwwww!

Wiggles and a Big Surprise! **AMENDED**

We were very lucky and got to go see the Wiggles. Daniel loves the Wiggles. We were able to take Daniel's PT therapist and her daughter (who is a month younger than Daniel). During the whole show Daniel didn't make a peep, hardly a smile, but boy was he engrossed in the show. I wasn't sure he was diggin' it too much but towards the end I think he got use to all the noise, and the lighting changes! But all in all, a fun time had by all.

Then when we pull in our driveway at 8:30 last night, there is a big box sitting by our side door. WOOOOOOO I love boxes! I love packages of all sorts! But boo woo.....it wasn't for me!! But it was for Daniel and we got to open together!! What a wonderful surprise and a mystery too! Look what was inside!

Yep you got it!! The Childrite seat that we've been wanting. I have been following the other kids in our yahoo support groups that have them, and I've been wanting to get Daniel one. I knew he'd sit up and it would work awesome! Look at that! I love it, I was so excited I put him into it while he was half asleep from a long day. I couldn't wait until this morning to get him into it again!! It is absolutely PERFECT!!!

The Mystery - there was no card, no indication of who exactly its from! So, whoever you are.....Daniel is giving you many many big kisses (open mouth of course!) and hugs. I also say thank you thank you thank you. You are truly a very cool person!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
We are going to use the new seat when we are doing our "reading". Part of the IAHP program is teaching your child to read. I have read the books by Glenn Doman that are required for the program that we are determined to go to. I am starting to get Daniel use to parts of the program that I can start at home now. Part of that is the reading program. The books say that even special needs children with severe brain injuries can learn to read. We are only at the beginning but I can tell you Daniel gets a kick out of the "reading" sessions. And it only takes a few minutes each day. I am loving it. We will see what he retains, but he is definitely paying attention. He wants to do more and more, but I'm following the rules to the tee from the book!

Gotta run and get ready for therapy, just wanted to say THANK YOU to our mystery seat giver~
AMENDED: WE FOUND OUT WHO THE CHILDRITE BUMBO WAS FROM! AUNT KARRIE, UNCLE VINCE, DILLON & ROCCO.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

We took it to therapy today (speech, pt and ot) they all loved it too!

Labels, and His Future

Most labels that doctors and specialists give special needs children come with specific lists of what to expect and what the future holds. Don’t believe them.
What the future holds is not something that can be predetermined or preset. Each individual is different.
What the future holds is based upon the opportunities that are presented to the individual.

I strongly believe with every ounce of my being that the above statement is true. Had we believed what we read when we first found out about Daniel's "problems", had we given up right then and there and accepted what we read, what people told us, what the world says. Daniel would not be doing the things he is doing today. As little as some people think these accomplishments are, they are huge. Daniel is a fighter, and funny enough I've come to learn that I am a fighter and his dad is a fighter. As much as we don't like being aggressive, or harsh, or b*tchy, yelling or whatever people think we are. We are this way because we are fighting to give Daniel everything that we possibly can.

Granted I have probably burned some bridges that I wish I hadn't along the way, and for that I am sorry. We lash out at people when we are hurt. Let me rephrase that. I lash out at people when I am hurt, scared, confused. I tend to pull away from people who are willing to help, who want to help because I feel like I am a charity case. I don't want any ones pity, I don't want anyone feeling sorry that Daniel has issues. I wouldn't change a thing with Daniel. I love Daniel more than life itself. I have a special bond with Daniel that most parents don;t get to experience with their typical children. I can communicate with my son without words, without hearing his voice. I know, I can feel what he wants, and what he needs. Sorry, I got off topic there. At the beginning I pushed people away because I didn't want to answer questions, I didn't want to have to explain. Why? because I didn't know the answers (I still don't) I didn't know what the future held (I still don't, I can't even think about the future, all I think about is the day and how we'll make it through today.) I didn't like having to see other children, who didn't have issues. I didn't want to see typical children and them succeeding in everything that they did. I didn't want to hear how well they were doing, nor see it. (I still don't but its getting better). It is very hard to see a child younger that your child doing things your child CAN'T do. It is very hard, although you are really happy that child is succeeding, you secretly wish your child could. Its a heartbreak every time. So you pull yourself away from those situations and don't put yourself out there to get hurt. Although no one is trying to hurt you purposefully, it still does. People don't understand. They can't unless they are walking in your shoes. Your whole life/dreams are now changed, you might not have wanted it to, you didn't ask for it to be this way. But guess what....it is. And we can say "oh it's OK we're handling it, things are fine" and we are handling it. But please, don't think that anyone ever totally accepts it. Yes I understand we have a special needs child, and I love him with all my heart, and I know that he will have his issues, but do I wish that he didn't? Hell yes. Do I see other 3 years old walking and running, and wish that Daniel was doing that? Yes. Do I see other 3 year old little boys talking to their mommas and telling them they love them and wish that I could hear those words from Daniel? yes you better believe it.

Anyways, back to the topic, "what his future holds". Daniel is where he is today because of countless hours of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/augmentative therapy, feeding therapy. And he is doing well. But I have this nagging feeling that there is something more that should be done. As many hours as Daniel has put into this therapies, I have spent researching alternative therapies, researched different techniques, asked thousands of questions to numerous people, read books, read research papers and then had to look up the words to see exactly what they were talking about! We had to learn things we never even heard of before. Ask me 3 years ago what augmentative was and I would have shrugged my shoulders. Ask me what a Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria was and I would have looked at you with a blank stare, glazed over eyes and said "huh?"

With all this research, I think that Daniel is unique in what therapies he needs. There aren't many children out there that have exactly what Daniel has. (BPP, epilepsy, spastic quad CP, feeding issues, apraxia, global developmental delays, etc.) So I don't think there is just one type of therapy that will work for him. I do believe that the traditional therapies that he has been going to for the past 2 1/2 yrs are helping him. BUT, I follow it with a "but" because again, I think he needs more. The "more" that I think he needs is at the Institute of Achievement for Human Potential. And the "more" I think he needs is also the ABR therapy in Canada. There are numerous reasons why I believe these two types of therapy along with his traditional therapy are needed. Currently we are treating Daniel's arms, legs and body, trying to make them work and heal. But we aren't "healing" his original problem. We aren't "healing" his brain. That is where the IAHP comes into play. I want to attend the one week training course of How to help your brain injured child. This trains ME on how to help Daniel reach his fullest potential. This doesn't require Daniel to go outside the home, this doesn't require someone else to attempt to help my child. This requires ME to learn what I can do, and what I need and want to do because I believe so strongly that there is more to Daniel that what the specialist believe. I don't need years and years of training, to look at reports, MRI, CAT scans, IQ tests, to tell me what Daniel is capable of. All I have to do is look into his eyes. I can see in his eyes that he is aware, that he is there. The eyes tell it all.

What the future holds is based upon the opportunities that are presented to the individual
and we, as Daniel's parents intend to give him every opportunity we can. So knowing that, please accept apologies from us/me if you think we are harsh, or rude, or mean spirited. We are not. I am not. I am trying to cope, and fight for sanity in a very scary world that I know not much about, and I am trying to learn as I go, keep my head above water,maintain some normalcy, and give my son every opportunity that I can.

So, please follow up in the next couple of month because we will be going to the IAHP, and we will be selling off whatever we need to sell to be able to go! :) (you think I'm joking, I am not!)
If anyone is a crafty person and wants to buy a really kick ass sewing machine, I have one that is less that a year old. Lonnie has some guitars he is selling, and oh yeah, we're thinking about downgrading to the large cardboard box for a house, so if you're looking and in Michigan! LOL

and he draws.......CIRCLES!!!

At Occupational therapy yesterday Daniel was taught how to draw circles. He is such a smart little guy. It just kills me sometimes that he has this body that just won't cooperate with him all the way! But believe me he is a fighter! He'll yell at his arm when it doesn't move the way he wants it too! Never underestimate the howl of a little boy yelling at his arm. He is simply saying "Hey! move over there and stop fighting me cause I'm gonna win!" and he ususally does!

F.U.B.A.R.

The saga of the feeding chair continues. If you can remember correctly, we've had issues with getting Daniel his feeding chair that he needs. He needs this for proper alignment and for safety while eating. Daniel has high potential for aspirating/choking.

So as I stated, we finally got the approval from the insurances after fighting a long 8 month or so fight. We WON! I was very excited. Then the company we are working with, there was a bit of a delay because the person that does the ordering was on vacation, so we needed to wait for him to get back, then it sat there for a little while because he was backed up 2 weeks. It finally got ordered,only to run into another snag. The color we orignally wanted was on back order for 90 days. AARG, forget it, just get me another color as long as it is not pink! Ok new color ordered (blue) and we should have it in 1-2 weeks. Great. NOT!, the rep wouldn't be out in our area until the end of the month. Fine I will drive 60+ miles each way whenever it is in and pick it up. I WANT THE CHAIR! so, yesterday I drive out to pick it up, crating Daniel in his Kimba seating system and bring the spyder base that we have that the feeding chair is suppose to fit onto. Only to sit and wait for 45 minutes to find out that.....OMG, the seat does NOT fit on the base we have and the rep had told us that it would indeed fit on the same base we had. So we did not need to order it. SH*T!

So, you ask where does that leave us? That leaves us with NOTHING. There is a seat that is sitting at the company who ordered it that is specifically made and measured to Daniel, that we can't use because there is nothing to hook it too! That was my day, to drive all the way there and turn around WITHOUT our feeding chair. Back to Daniel sitting in a crappy a$$ seat to eat. I am so disappointed. I am so tired of fighting this type of stuff on a daily bases. It just sucks. Nothing comes easily.

I take that back. Kisses from Daniel come easily, and that is all I need right now! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a few!

UPDATE: We currently have our feeding chair and I love it, so does Daniel. We do not have a base for it that is ours. We have one on loan until insurance gives approval to get one. And what if they don't give approval?? Well someone is going to be buying us one and its not US!

Oh I wish, I wish, I wish with all my might.....

How can I put this without sounding like I am ungrateful for all that we have?!? I can't, so I will just say I wish we had a money tree in our backyard. I don't know how people do it. I don't understand, how other families are able to provide all these things for their families. Don't get me wrong, we are not living in a cardboard box, or anything like that. But we are also not livin' high on the hog either. We have one job that Lonnie works that pays well. I am by no real other cost savings choice, a stay at home mom. Meaning, I wouldn't want anyone else to raise Daniel, and even if I did decide to go back to work, finding someone who would be able to take him to all his therapies, and doctor appointments, and do all the things I wanted done with him, it would not be beneficial for me to go back to work. Let alone all the guilt that I would have by not being with him. Special needs or not. So we are lucky in that aspect. But it makes it very, very difficult to maintain all that we do have. I am not able to go out and get the newest fashion, we do not go out to dinner a ton (OK MAYBE A FEW TIMES) but its to fast food places! We don't go on vacations, or out to the movies, but we do have basic cable. But there are times when I get so very bummed out because I wish we had the ability to get things that I know Victoria (the one girl still at home) would like to have, and the things that I know that Daniel could really use to help him get farther along. But AI must remember there is a budget and we must stick to it, and save, then decide what is best...but it still sucks. I wish I had a tree in the backyard, or a buried treasure, or a rich uncle, or an angel, or a genie in a bottle, or just good luck and found something cheaply. But as most people who have a special needs child, nothing that can be used with them comes cheap. But instead comes astronomically expensive. We have been able to find things occasionally on Craig's list or eBay, or on the SCE yahoo group for pretty good prices. But sometimes, even those pretty good prices are more than I can afford. Then the depression sets in because I feel like I am failing because I am not getting Daniel everything he needs. UUUGHHHH. I know, I know.......at least he has what he does have and we are blessed by that. But boy oh boy the three things I would love for my fairy godmother to give me is
the Childrite Therapy Chair and yes you're right it looks just like the bumbo chair
but about 5 times more costly. SUCKS
Second would be the litegait generally insurance won't pay for this as it is a luxury. Did you know weight bearing and walking is a luxury?! Me neither, but apparently it is. Now for the third and largest thing, this is for Daniel but also for us as his parents. There is this institute in Pennsylvania that teaches parents how to do different things at home (a type of therapy) to help Daniel reach his true potential. The first course is at the end of September in PA. Which means, traveling by car, staying a week and going to a class for 50 hours. I so badly want to do this. I dream about it, I think about it all the time, I come up with schemes on how we can get the money to go. I know you're thinking, well you already take Daniel to therapies. Yes you are right we do. These therapies are treating Daniel's arms and his legs, his body. This places teaches us to heal his brain, to train his brain. I will get into this more in another post. Different therapies and books I have been reading up on. I read these books and I get so excited because I see that there is more of a chance for Daniel to reach his fullest, but then bummed because I can't get it done now, when his brain at the best stage for learning it. Anyways.......star light star bright the first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight. Maybe Daniel's birthday fairy will give him these next week for his birthday! :) LOL. yeah right, when monkey's fly!