SUMMER '16

Well, this summer I wasn't the greatest at taking pictures, but here is what I have and some blurbs to go with them :)

We definitely enjoyed the parks in town A LOT. 

Taking the girls to the park was actually pretty challenging because Addison wasn't walking confidently until October, so she would get sooo dirty, and couldn't do much without me carrying her (more on this in a bit). Renne still needed me to help her up onto things, so the park was sometimes pretty stressful running between kids, but always worth the trip out of the house!

Tim's parents rented a house in Stirling, so they have been so close and it's been such a blast seeing them way more often than we have before! What a special time. They are building a retirement home in Cochrane, but in the mean time they are super close and we are loving it. The kids are so close with their Nana and Papa and it brings us so much joy!

We also had our Low Family reunion, which was only one day, but it was super fun! Renne doesn't have any first Low cousins (yet) but she is so blessed to have these second cousins all her age! She had a blast. Sadly, this is the only picture I have as I was on nap duty with Addie during lots of the festivities. 

I didn't get to Echo quite as much as last summer, but we still made it down quite a few times. It is always the absolute best time. Coming home is always hard, it's our little piece of heaven on earth. I cherish the time we have down there with family. Next summer should be an absolute blast as we will have 3 extra babies!!! Can't wait!

what a view...

Renne and her awesome daddy. 

insert hubby brag: Tim seriously saves my life all the time. Pregnancy was crazy this time around and he was my constant support and helped me so much. I will never be able to thank him enough. I am seriously so lucky.

Renni girl loving life.

She asks me for the cabin all the time and as soon as we get home, she asks me when we can go back. 

Addie, my little fish. This girl loves the water! 

Serious highlight!!!! We took our bestest buddies down to the lake over a weekend! We had the best time playing and relaxing and staying up way too late playing games. My abs seriously hurt from all of the laughter! I think our little girls had a pretty fun time too ;) We sure love the Strangs and the Holsts. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we will be life long friends. What a blessing!

I avoid the camera like the plague when I'm pregnant (i know, so silly) but I did manage to take a few pictures/belly shots, if you will? I have no clue how many weeks I am in these, but probably around 18-20? I definitely looked pretty pudgy right from the get-go. 

My face: seriously, I have 20 more weeks?

Renne loves gymnastics drop-in, so I signed her up for a day camp for a few mornings. She was sooo excited. It was the cutest thing and my first experience doing something like that as a mom. I definitely had a few soft tears to wipe away as I drove off. Can't believe how fast she is growing up!

Our family took a trip down to Utah for Bryanne and Jake's wedding. It was a super loaded week, with lots of fun highlights. Here is Renne on a ride at Lagoon, which was an absolute blast. I even managed to hit up a few rides (and not barf, amazing!)

💗💗💗💗

Addie was less than thrilled about the baby's breath crown. She actually was pretty grumpy the entire day, and I think this is the only picture we have of her smiling. (sorry Bry)

life is rough when you're 1.5 and a flower girl...

Renne was in heaven at the reception trying out all of the treats! I have no idea how many italian sodas she actually drank, or who was getting them for her? But come on, look at those eyes!!

Looking way too grown up!!

pictures like this make me wish I had a clue about photography

cutest little twerpy...

Mom and Renni at the Lethbridge reception. There was a serious dance and she was right in the middle of the action. (she is so sweaty in this picture😝) I was a super awkward chubby preggo, but I can't help myself, I love a good old Low family dance!

This is the cake I made for Bryanne and Jake's Lethbridge reception. It was a lot of fun to play around with all of the fresh flowers. 

Some thoughts on Addie's walking delay...

So our sweetest little Ads is a kid who does things on her own terms. She's been slower with pretty much all things gross motor. I noticed that around her first birthday, she still wasn't crawling, and she was still flopping sideways to get from sitting to laying down. Her mobility was pretty much limited to rolling (which she did very well) and I knew she was very behind. Through the suggestion of a friend at church, I decided to phone and book her in to see a physio therapist. I cannot even tell you how wonderful this woman was. She saved me and helped me more than she will ever know. Alison saw us over the next 9 months, and helped Addie learn to crawl, to sit with her legs together (yes, this apparently is a thing, a milestone so to speak) then pull to stand, then walk along furniture, to then FINALLY walk on her own. It was incredibly frustrating and difficult as a mom, and also a really great learning experience for me. Handling it while pregnant pushed me to my limits at times. I was definitely beyond concerned, I was losing sleep over it. Not to mention the comments from people that were all good intentioned, but I avoided bringing Addie places at times, just to avoid explaining it. Having a child who can't walk is definitely not all it might be cracked up to be. People would say to me, Enjoy it! She's stationary! She can't our-tun you yet!! No. This was beyond any of that thinking...

This right here is a typical Addie stance... limp leg dance.

We tried everything from bribes to cheering to walking toys to different shoes. I even used a device called an "upsee" for several weeks where Addie was strapped into booties that were connected to my feet, and then held up by a belt I wore around my waist. It was exhausting walking along with her while 6 months pregnant, and eventually it became a punishment that we had to stop using. She would cry the moment I brought it out. So bizarre. 

Alison had me space out our furniture exactly 18'' apart at one point, because we knew that was the width of a gap she was comfortable crossing between furniture.  I rearranged my entire living room with tables and chairs interspaced and I put her toys up on the furniture so she had to stand to play. We are talking extreme baby steps here people....We would set the simplest goals like "carry addison with her legs together, not wrapped around your waist", things I would never have thought of on my own! (kids like Addie who are very low tone are extremely flexible, so carrying her with her knees together instead of super wide and wrapped around my waist, made it so she had to use her core muscles more, and helped develop muscle strength). I remember thinking many times that maybe Addie would never walk. It felt like it was taking forever. We ruled out lots of possibilities, her eyes, her feet, her hips, her legs. We saw quite a few doctors along the way and everyone told me the same thing, she looks fine, she's just not ready. We did discover that she does have external tibia torsions on both of her legs, meaning her leg bone turns out naturally, making her feet turn outward to the side. This makes it more difficult for her to walk, and she might not out grow it until she is 4, but it will correct itself.

You can't make your kids do anything. You can encourage and teach them until you are blue in the face, but they have to do things in their own time and in their own way. This makes complete sense, not a new thing for me to hear, but it was something that I had to learn for myself, to let things go. To ignore the mom guilt thoughts, and the comments from others. To be patient in an entire new way.  We are almost positive that there is anything "wrong" with Addison, although at one point we were discussing some potential disorders, and she's been doing great ever since she decided she was ready, but it was an experience that changed the way I look at my kids. It changed how I see kids with disorders and with limitations. I am grateful for this obstacle we had to overcome. 

On September 28th, Addie decided she was ready to walk on her own. I cannot even describe my relief. Even typing this now, my eyes are hot and wet reliving that moment. She finally could do it! I was at home with the kids and she started walking between objects, about 10 steps at a time. I still remember sending an email to Alison immediately after I phoned Tim. No one really understood but her, and I will forever be grateful to have had her support throughout all of this. I will never take legs that work for granted again...