Saying goodbye

Zac always wanted to play with Potato Head with this therapist. He even got a new Potato Head as a gift from her today;-)






This therapist brought interesting projects to do, such as planting flowers as they are doing here.







We are feeling a little sad today as we say goodbye to two therapist that have been with Zac most of these past 3 years. Zac will be graduating from the Early Intervention program, and moving onto the Pre-school program. We were not expecting placement in the Pre-school program as he is not developmentally delayed; however they determined that the Pre-school placement would help make transition to Kindergarten much easier, and keep him from any delays as he does not access his education the same way as a typical child.

We have been so grateful to have the therapist, they have kept Zac on track, assisted me with any questions, and provided many solutions. Zac (and all of us) would not be where he is today with out their help! They have made it seem like play, and Cai always looked forward to them coming, too; they would let him help. They have been more than therapist, but family friends! They will be missed!!!

E-mail update 4/24

We are returning to Baltimore for Zac's follow-up from the Fixator removal. He has worn the Spica cast for nearly a month; but the brace was fitted on Wed., which he is now wearing full time. It was a huge relief to get the brace as now Zac can sit and scoot again. I am so glad to have that past us, it was a real challenge!This trip to Baltimore came a little sooner than expected as we thought it would be another week to two. We learned just this week that Dr. Paley will not be in Baltimore through the end of May, but that his last day is on Tues. 4/28. Our choice is to go this Monday or wait until he is in FL. in June. Zac can not wait another month to resume Physical Therapy, so we have no choice but to get there on Monday. Thankfully the brace was able to be rushed and done this week.We have good news on Zac's Power Chair and expect it to be in next week. Hold on everyone...Zac loves to do things "super fast" and "go" "go" should be fun!!-)We are thanking God for His grace and providing all of this to be possible and to be at the end of the process for the left leg!

Thank you all,James, LeAnn, Cai, and Zac

The Fixator is off!

Zac's fixator was removed today...I for one was so happy about that, it has been a long time coming!!! My excitement, however, was dampened a bit when I saw the cast that he has to wear --thankfully for only 2 weeks. It is a Spica cast, which comes all the way up and forms into a waistband. I have heard horrible things about getting them wet and the smell that comes along with that. Like I said, thankfully it is only 2 weeks. The other thing is that he cannot sit up. it should be interesting trying to keep an almost 3 yr old named Zac down for 2 weeks. I was not planning this well as he will be in this cast over Easter. Then his cast will be made removable in order to mold him for the brace. He should have the brace in about a month.

We found out today that Dr. Paley will not be going to Orlando after all as the contract fell through there. He is still considering a place in FL., we should know the next time we come.

I will post pictures once I get a chance. We are at the H-P house at the hospital with limited computer access. I know some of you have e-mailed, but I have not had a chance to respond in part due to our home computer going down with a virus, hopefully all will be recovered this week...including pictures that I have not saved elsewhere!!!

E-mail update 3/09

Dear Friends and Family,

Just a quick update to fill you in on our ever-changing lives. We will be back in Baltimore on March 31st for the removal of the external fixator. This has been a long time coming and we are all looking forward to seeing this fixator go!. Zac's leg will be casted with a removable cast so that we will be able to continue bending his leg a few times per day. (We are now getting about 50% range of motion in the new knee!) Then about 4-6 weeks later he will be fitted with a brace. This is all very exciting as we approach the completion of the process for the left leg. Zac will receive a new brace and a shoe stack for his right leg this week; providing more equal length and stability. I expect to see Zac standing longer and longer once this is in place. Although not yet completed, this is a good place to be in the process!

We have had an unbelievable few weeks as several things have fallen into place in other areas of our lives. God has always provided in amazing ways. With James being out of work for a while, and I only working part time, we have continued the Cobra insurance coverage as without it these surgeries would not be possible. The company that the insurance was through changed benefits carriers which gave us an extra month to make a payment, but then 2 payments were coming due and we were unsure how we would be able to cover both payments. Just in time our income tax return came through and we were able to make the payments! Then the next week James received a job offer and began working the following week. We are praising God for providing these things in just the right timing! James is now an employee of MasTec Advanced Technologies and will be installing DirecTV satellite systems. He is very excited about this as it will use several of the things that he has been training for as well as his natural technical interests. It was such a long time coming after hundreds of applications, and with the challenging job market we are just so grateful!
God is so good -through it all!

Thank you for all of your prayers. We love you all.

James, LeAnn, Cai, and Zac

too smart for his own good...

We are currently transitioning Zac from Early Intervention. All of the evaluations by various therapists, psychologist, and Pediatrician have had excellent results from a cognitive stand point. We are torn as parents as we are proud of how well he is doing, how hard he is working, yet he is not helping his own cause. The focus for the state is educational assistance, but he is proving over and over not to have any developmental or cognitive issues at all, yet he has orthopedic impairments and cannot access his education without constant assistance. At the age of 3yrs he will not require full time education, yet he requires OT and PT --that will also aid in accessing his education. Without this qualification then we would need to soley rely on insurance for OT and PT --they only allow a limited amount of visits. Do we fight this decision, or do we let it go and fill in these gaps somehow on our own?! I don't think these guide lines were written for the Zac's in this world. Once again he is the exception to the rule.

Children with Special Needs... a priority?!

I just logged onto our support group site and found this post. As a mom with a child of special needs the changes in our government, and the economy it has been a concern as to how these changes may effect those who are truly in need...the most vulnerable! This post gives me cause for concern. Many children with special needs do not have a loving home that will provide all that they need no matter what. Zac has benefited a great deal from these services, I can not imagine not haveing them!

"Hello everyone,
I usually write about all the great things my amazing little girl is
doing, pouring my life and feelings out to all of you. A year ago I
didn't think my life could get much more complicated than having a
child with special needs but I new everything would be okay because I
am an Developmental Specialist and I had so many connections to
services for her. I knew I could give her the best chance for a
positive future. I know my Lord is always looking out for me and
hears my cries for help but now more than ever I need my prayers to
be heard. Yesterday it was made official.... No Early Intervention
Services for any child not receiving federal funding. Now not only am
I out of a job, a job I loved with my whole heart, a job that was
understanding to Emily's needs and my responsibilities to her as a
parent. Not only am I out of a job that I have been doing for over 10
years, now my little girl and many other special needs children will
not be getting much needed services to better their future. I can't
believe that anyone thinks that this is okay I don't understand how
someone can just take services away from children or people that
can't speak for themselves. Please keep us in prayer I know that I
myself am going to shout from the mountain top and ask God to change
this. I am going to fight this I don't know what I am going to do
next but this can't happen." Brooke Mommy to Emily 11 months

Zac is due to graduate from Early Intervention in May. He is undergoing testing and evaluation now, and we meet with the team in May again. What we have been told now is that he does not qualify for any other services because he is not developmentally delayed. We are working on this, because obviously he is Orthopedic Impaired. He is really needing OT right now, and obviously PT. They do believe he will qualify once again when he goes to Kindergarden. So far our state has not stoped any services that we know of due to expences.


Just something to think about, pray about, and to act if you can.

Zac stands on his head...

Zac's "new trick"! Last week he started to do this. He rocks from a sitting position and puts his head down at the same time that he comes up on his feet. I was concerned for his neck at first, but the Physical Therapists have said that he is not on his head enough to cause problems, and that it is just great that he can weight bear on his legs -on his own! I am waiting for the day that he starts doing somersaults!