Sea World and then some!

This past weekend, Delilah and I ventured south to Georgia and then on to Orlando. Our friends (and previous neighbors in AK), the Martins, invited us to join them on a trip to SeaWorld. They didn't have to ask twice, especially after learning about the Here's to the Heroes program; free admission for Military Members and their direct dependents.

I would love to say this trip was easy breezy, but that just isn't how our lives work. The night I was packing, the cat spilt a soda on my laptop. It immediately shut down and acted very dead. I was devastated. Mainly because a replacement for my MacBook is not in the budget. Luckily, I am very OCD on backing up to my external hard drive, so most things were saved. I unplugged the MacBook, removed the battery, and left it upside down during the trip. When I came home it turned on and seems to be working fine. Crossing my fingers that it continues, but will be putting some money aside for a replacement, just in case.

The kicks don't stop there. After arriving at the Martins house, in Georgia, the Tahoe decided not to start. We jumped it and charged the battery. It seemed to work, but on Friday morning when we were getting ready to head to Orlando, it had the same problem. Jumped it again and then decided to get the battery tested when we got to Orlando. (Upon reflection, I realize that we probably should have done that Thursday night, before we left. Oh well!) Guess what? I needed to replace the battery. Fine. Anything to get my Tahoe running normal.

So we enjoyed the rest of Friday and our day at Sea World on Saturday (more on that later). Sunday we drove back to Georgia and arrived around lunchtime. We decided to go out to dinner that night. Once we are all loaded into the Tahoe, guess what happens? Nothing!!! Darn thing wouldn't start. We were stumped. The battery was working, as was evident by all the lights working. Monica managed to call a friend who knew a mechanic. He was able to come out to the house Monday morning. (Thank goodness. A tow was not really in the budget!) After about a half hour looking at everything, he figured it out. Blown fuse. All the stress and worry that darn fuse caused me! ***I know I'm rambling on, but it's important to share all the adventures of a trip, even if they aren't so much fun.***

Anyhow, I should probably move onto talking about the fun stuff, like Sea World. Delilah and I had a blast. The Martin's too! Little girl loved everything, even the carousel! I was amazed that her attention was held so long durning the shows. When they would end she would turn to us and sign/say "more". She also loved the aquariums. I think we may have to get one for the house one of these days. Here are some pics. Hope you enjoy!

Delilah trying to give Alex a kiss. He wouldn't have it.
She also tried holding his hand, all day, but, sadly, he wasn't interested.  

Sitting with Justin during the Shamu show. Loved it!

During the Shamu show. 

Riding a spinning ride with Monica. (I don't do rides, especially ones that spin!)

Riding the carousel. She was very mad when it ended. 

Me and Michelle. Proof that I was actually on this trip!

Loving the aquarium. 

Worn completely out! (And yes, a wardrobe change.
It was chilly in the morning, but warmed up quite a bit.)

Don't want to forget a pic of the Whales!

Kissing Whales!

Some other news before I go. I finally decided to start (officially) a home business. At this time I am offering custom Camera Strap Covers, E-Reader Covers and Digital Scrapbook Services. I will also discuss other custom sewing projects. My new website is www.creationsbykera.com.  Please go and take a look. Here is a sample of my work.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week!

Magic City Mile

I've really been bad about this blog updating. No promises on getting any better.

Anyhow, this past Sunday we attended the Magic City Mile Run/Walk for The Bell Center. As you may already know, Delilah currently attends The Bell Center (a wonderful Early Intervention Program). I can't stress enough how important The Bell Center has been to Delilah's development. Anyhow, the Magic City Mile was a fun way to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Delilah colored, had her face painted, and played with bubbles. Lucky for her, Mom did all the walking! (I didn't realize how out of shape I was until I had to walk up the hill to the starting line!)

Here is a pic from the fun afternoon. 

Please note her accessories. She is her mother's daughter!

This fall has proven to be quite a busy one so far. Delilah attends school 4 days a week (2hr drop off at The Bell Center). She loves it and always has a good report.

One thing the therapists are working on, with her, is her balance. It seems to be a touch off recently. Mostly due to her always running and not walking. We are trying to teach her to slow down and walk. It seems anytime she stands up, she sprints off, leading to many stumbles and falls. (I was afraid someone would think I beat the poor child with the amount of bruises she gets from her falls.) She also tends to go limp anytime someone tries to hold her hand or steer her in a different direction/activity. Not fun, especially when she drags me down with her. Hopefully we can get this corrected soon.

She is also talking up a storm. We are working on recognizable two word phrases. We believe she is already saying some, we just can't understand them. However, her favorite thing to say right now is "Uh-oh". She will purposely drop or throw something just to say it. It's cuteness wares off after bending down to pick something up for the third time.

She is a big lover of music. She loves to carry around my iPod listening to her tunes. She can throw quite the fit when the battery runs down.

I guess that will do for now. Nap time is over and we will soon be off to the airport to pick up her surprise visitor (Gran Deanie). Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful weather!

P.S. I am taking orders for Poinsettias to help The Bell Center raise money. They are 8 inches and available in red, pink, or white for $17 per plant. All orders and payment are due on October 28th and I will deliver on December 5th. Please let me know if you are interested.

OSS Walk

It has been a bit crazy around here after the walk. Delilah and I went on vacation and then came home to no power. Long story short, I am finally getting to blogging about the walk.

The Scotiabank One SMALL StepWalk went very well. I was very happy with the outcome, especially for my first time hosting. We raised over $6300. Not to shabby. Worldwide, OSS Walks have raised over $630,000, and we still have a few more walks to go.

I want to thank everyone who helped out with the walk. I would list all your names, but I'm afraid I might miss someone. Also, a huge thank you to all the donors and attendees. I believe between 40 and 50 people attended. (I really should have taken count.)

We kept our walk simple and easy. The first hour, as everyone was arriving, we were able to socialize. Once everyone arrived we took a simple stroll through the park. It was a sweltering 98 degrees, but thanks to some shady areas, we didn't melt. After the walk the kids played a few carnival games and we raffled off the prizes.

See, simple and easy. If I had to do it again, I don't think I would change a thing. Wait! There is something I would change. I would make sure our event wasn't at the same time as a High School Track Invitational. Between 800-1400 people were at the park for that event. Wouldn't be a big deal if everyone of those people didn't try to walk through our set up to get to the bathrooms, even after we roped our area off. Oh well, we did manage to get a few extra donations and sell a few bottles of water.

Anyhow, here are a few pics from the walk.

(Just a small sample of the over packed parking lot.)

Trying to get everyone together for a group pic. 

Group Shot

In the next few days I will post pics from our vacation.

Quiet = Mischief

I learned a lesson yesterday. Whenever Delilah is being very quiet in her room, she is up to no good! Here is the evidence:

(Sorry for the quality. I took this pic with my phone.)

I have no idea where she found the marker, but she did a great job coloring. As soon as I entered her room to check on her, I had to walk back out. I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my cheeks. I will be using today's nap time to track down all markers, crayons, and writing tools and relocating them to higher shelves. Apparently she has learned to take of the caps and open drawers, so nothing is safe. 

Oh, and just so you don't forget, the Scotiabank One SMALL Step walk is next Saturday. Please help us reach our goal and register or donate today. http://onesmallstep.fpwr.org/dw/walking/location/34

2 weeks away

Holy moly! We are only 2 weeks away from our Scotia Bank, One SMALL Step Walk. I can't tell you how anxious and stressed this makes me. As this is the first time I am doing anything like this, we are keeping things simple and focusing on donations. We will have some fun, simple children's activities and some great prizes to raffle off. Please consider registering online today at http://onesmallstep.fpwr.org/dw/walking/location/34. Registration is free and you receive a free t-shirt with $40 raised/donated. My goal for this walk is to raise $10,000. Remember, every dollar counts!

Crazy

Life has been unusually crazy around here. Unfortunately, it has caused me to drop the ball on a few things, especially updating this blog and promoting our One SMALL Step Walk. Eek! Now that things have somewhat settled down around here, maybe I can get some things done.

One update on Delilah that I am excited to tell you about is her improvement in Speech. It seems like, in the past few weeks, her vocabulary has flourished. She is saying so many new words, it is hard to keep up. She is also articulating things better. "Baby" is no longer "baba". She pronounces it perfectly. She is also using peoples names. We refer to my MIL as Gran Deanie. She says "Deanie" perfectly. It is so cute! Gran Deanie also taught her a new word, "diamond". LOL!

We are also 3 weeks out from our fundraiser. As this is the first time I have ever done something like this, I am a bit stressed. I am hoping to get a good turnout and need people to register at http://onesmallstep.fpwr.org/dw/walking/location/34. Even if you can't make the walk, please consider creating a fundraising page and seeking out donations. Every dollar raised will go towards research, and we desperately need to find a cure.

Also, please, please help promote awareness about PWS by posting links to our walk on Facebook. Just think about the amount of money we could raise if all of our Facebook friends donated just $1, and then all of their friends. Every dollar counts!

You can help!

Check out the NEW video I created about Delilah's journey, so far, with Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Please note that the video quality is severely diminished in blogger (especially in full screen). 

I am happy to email it to you (if I haven't already), if you have any issues seeing it clearly. kera(dot)unfried(at)gmail(dot)com

Please help us spread the word and invite people to our One SMALL Step walk on August 27th at Heardmont Park, Birmingham, AL. 

Please register today at: http://onesmallstep.fpwr.org/dw/walking/location/34. If you can't make it in August, please consider becoming a virtual walker by creating your page and emailing it out to everyone on your contact list. All participants, including Virtual Walkers, are eligible for prizes!

You can also make donations directly at: http://onesmallstep.fpwr.org/dw/users/unfriedoss/birmingham.

Thank you!