Let's see... Thursday Mikayla and Mommy went to the Nashville Zoo. We had a good time... so much fun that we bought a membership. Some of her favorites(elephants, giraffes, and monkeys) were very close to the fence so Mikayla could actually see them. When she realized what animal each were she would make their noises... very cute!! Friday, we went to the library for story time but it was cancelled so we went to to Grandma's to work on Mikayla's Halloween costume. She is going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. We searched for a costume but could not find one that fit her so Grandma agreed to make it. Thanks Grandma!!! It turned out soooo cute- can't wait for her to wear it- she just needs her ruby slippers! Mikayla spent the night with Grandma and Papa Friday night so Mike and I went to eat at O'Charleys in Bowling Green. We remembered why we never eat there... just not our favorite. Luckily we had a gift card so we did not feel to bad about it. Saturday morning we got up and I made Mike go grocery shopping with me... our favorite thing to do!!!! After the dreaded chore and some lunch we drove up to Bowling Green(again) and went to the World Mustang Finals. Mike LOVESSSS mustangs!!! They had a car show and drag races. After being there for 3 hours - picked up our baby girl. That night we watched the MMA Saturday night fights... I guess you could say we had a redneck kinda day!! It was a good day! Sunday we went to church, watched the Titans, then went to Grandma and Papa's. Today, Mikayla and I went to the zoo again! We went with our friends Andrea, Kate, Tammy, and Jackson. I think everyone had a good time but it was a LONG day(3 and 1/2 hours). Last week we did not get to see the farm animals but we took time today! I put some random pics above.

It has been a while

It has been a while since I have posted not too much exciting except sickness... Mikayla had a horrible virus that last about a week and a half - it started with red bumps that I thought were chicken pox but ended up with a viral infection in her throat that caused the bumps and lots of yucky stuff in her throat and roof of mouth! She was so pitiful! To make matters worse(which I did not know at the time) she has been cutting 3 molars at the same time. She has really been a super trooper to have gone through all that.

Had a pretty busy weekend. Friday, Mikayla and I went to the church to help Mrs. Shannon prepare for the carnival birthday bash happening on Saturday. Then, after Mike got home we went to eat at Zaxbys and grocery shopping at Walmart- how exciting! Saturday, Mike went hunting and Mikayla & I just hung out around the house until the bash at the church. Shannon(nursery director) gets invited to lots of b-day parties but of course cannot attend all so she decided to throw all the kids in the nursery one big party! It turned out wonderful... great job Mrs. Shannon! There was an inflatable bounce house, duck pond, ring toss, baseball throw, etc games, cupcakes, a huge birthday cake, popcorn, cotton candy, lots of prizes!! The kids had a blast - everything was perfect!!! Mikayla had fun - she went in her chair so she could really participate. On the games where she had to throw a ball she wanted to keep the ball instead of the prize... she loves throwing ball with us at home.
After the party, Mikayla went to stay at Grandma and Papa's. Mike and I went to see a movie (I think only the 2nd or 3rd ever for us together). We saw Fireproof. I recommend it to everyone! It was a wonderful movie... of course Mike made fun of me afterward for crying throughout the whole thing. The movie is a lot about doing nice things for you spouse so... afterward Mike took me to the Marble Slab for ice cream(my weakness) without me even asking- it was soooo yummy!!! Points for Mike!!!
Sunday, we went to church- it always feels a little strange to go on Sunday mornings without Mikayla. It is a little easier but still weird. After church we went to the Titans game with our friends Geoff, Tammy, and little Jackson. It was a great game and the atmosphere there matched! The fans reminded me of the fans of the days when we were undefeated at home! It was great! Thanks to the Reids for letting us tag along! After the game we went to Mike's parents to pick up our baby girl and to say bye to his grandparents who have been in from Pennsylvania. Was a great weekend but flew by!

She loves being under the coffee table now... she is scooting all over the floor- it amazes me how well she gets around that way. Her arms are getting so strong now she picks her bottom up off the floor and pushes herself around.



Mikayla is really getting good at feeding herself with a spoon. She gets tired of using it after a while and goes back to using her hands.

Pictures of the b-day party Saturday... Duck pond with Isabella

Baseball throw

Dart throw

Bucket toss

Eating cotton candy!

Blue mouth from the cotton candy.

With her princess wand

Mommy and her girl!

Mikayla and Mrs. Shannon!

Mike and me at the game.

Tammy, Geoff, and Baby Jackson... yes he slept through a lot of the game!

We had a pretty uneventful weekend. Friday- Mikayla, Grandma, and I went to story time at the Portland Library. They read stories, sang songs, and got stickers. Mikayla was very interested in the stories except when another kid got in front of her- this week will be sit in front. She was of course very shy- I don't think she said 2 words the whole time we were there. Hopefully, the more we go she will come out of her shell. After story time we ate lunch at Five Chefs and looked around in the Occasions shop. Saturday we just hung around the house and watched football. Sunday, we went to church. This was our first service in the tent. The tent will just take some getting used to for everyone. Mikayla is getting more used to being around people in her chair... she did not want to leave church. One of the men in our church that has a wheelchair has been wheeling around for Mikayla. She watches every move that he makes. This week he was doing wheelies for her... then she showed him how she can wheel herself. After church - we had our Sunday naps and then went Grandma and Papa's. Monday we went to the Spina Bifida Clinic. We met with Orthopedics and Occupational Therapy(OT). Everything went fine. We are a little concerned with her lack of weight gain. She is under 14 pounds. I am going to try to give her milkshakes at night made with Pedisure to see if that will help. Please say a encouragement prayer for our little one. The orthopedist talked about her curve and talked about surgery in the future to put a rod in her back to straighten things up. Well one the rod is inserted... she will not grow anymore. There are lots of not fun things to go through with Spina Bifida - I really don't enjoy some days. I think a lot about her future and its uncertainty... it really makes me upset. I just keep going with God's strength and peace about ever obstacle. We do appreciate continued prayers for our little one.
Mikayla has her two favorite things here... the remote and Elmo!


This is her showing her teeth!

Our neighbor (Cierra)comes over to play with Mikayla every day. Mikayla loves her... when she sees her she starts waving and smiling. Mikayla chases her around the driveway.

Here she is giving her hand a hug and saying "awwww, so sweet".

Here she is chasing Duke and Cierra around the driveway.

Labor Day Weekend

Mikayla and I were so excited to have Daddy home with us for four days. Don't know if I mentioned that Mike had changed jobs but he now works for NES. He has been there a little over 6 months. He LOVES the job and really enjoys the guys he works with. Ok - I have to admit that I had to get the calendar down to remember what we did this past weekend. Does that mean I am getting senile or just have too much going on???? Lets see... Friday night we went over to our friends the Gourleys house and helped them pack up a few things (getting ready to move), had pizza, and the kids played(there were 10 kids there). Saturday we grilled steaks and just hung out. I got a phone call late Saturday night that my former step-grandfather passed away the night before - so that was sad news. Sunday, we went to church, the funeral home( in Ashland City), Grandma & Papa's for dinner, then a cookout in Hendersonville. We had a SUPER busy day. Mikayla spent the night with Grandma & Papa so we could go to the cookout. Then, yesterday, our friends Isabella and Heather came over. The girls had fun playing together. Mikayla does a really good job sharing what she has but always wants what the other person wants- even if it is Mike or I. I guess that makes her a typical child her age. She spends a lot of time watching other kids. She studies everything that other people do.

She is doing incredible in her wheelchair. We let her go freestyle in the garage and driveway while Mike grilled on Saturday- it was unbelievable to me that she is as young as she is and can handle a wheelchair the way she can. She was turning in circles and backing up. It really blows my mind.

I have found a way to post our videos. The web address is www.dropshots.com/lleigh023

For now I have mostly older videos on there but I will probably change them out in a couple of weeks for new ones. For some reason I cannot post them on here. Anyway - enjoy. It is amazing how much she has changed in 16 months. There are videos on there before she could even make any noises - so funny to see her now.

Saving money

For those of you who are always looking for ways to save money I have an idea for you. I found out that Walmart will price match. I made out my list for this week and then went through the sale flyers and found the items. Then, when I went to Walmart this morning I took the sale ads and told them the price I had and they gave me the item for that price. I actually saved around $15!!! I am so excited about this. It does take a few minutes to go through all the ads but for savings it was worth it to me. They do NOT honor coupons from other stores or buy one get one free ads. They had an article in Thursday's Tennessean if you want more details. Good Luck!

I don't know why but since Mikayla turned a year old I don't seem to take as many just random pictures of her. I feel bad about that but I have over 2,100 pictures on my computer of her so I don't really think it is that bad. Here are just some random ones from the other day. The second picture is of her whining. I am not sure if she is just going through a phase or if her teeth bother her or what but recently she has been so whiny(not sure spelling). The past week she has been very quick to cry where before she has never been like that. I am thinking that this is the terrible twos starting very early???? Any comments on this matter would be great. She has become very clingy to me. However, at the same time she has become more affectionate- she gives the best hugs just because. That part I LOVE!



The pictures below were from yesterday. She is getting around in her chair very well. She still has an issue with steering and going backwards - we get stuck quite a bit. The strap on her chest to hold her up has done wonders. Some little girls in the neighborhood come over and play with Mikayla when she is outside and they think her chair is the coolest thing- how tiny it is. She will go in her new class at church again tonight and I am curious how she will do. There will be double the kids there tonight that were there on Sunday. We have 3 services on Sundays and only one on Wednesday. Mike and I have nursery rotation tonight in her class so we will be able see how she plays with the other kids.

Mikayla had to have some hearing tests done today because of medicine she was on in the NICU- they could affect her hearing. I know that she can hear but I want to cooperate with their wishes. It was horrible. She screamed nearly the whole time and was sweating bullets. When we finished, her hair was soaked as was my shirt. They almost could not get all the needed tests but think the Lord it was a success. Like I thought the child can hear just fine. We have to go every six months until she is 3 years old. UGHGHGHGH! Poor thing. I HATE all the things she has to go through. Ok- funny thing- as I am typing I hear this noise that I thought was hammering - Mikayla is beating her baby doll against the rails in her crib! I thought she was sleeping - so much for a nap today! Ok - back to the hearing tests. Our friend Shannon went with us as moral support which was actually great - she seemed to distract Mikayla after the test! Mikayla had an Oreo ice cream bar at 10am for being such a trooper.
She is exploring Mommy's kitchen drawers. She can almost get the measuring spoons out even with the childlocks.

Don't know if you can tell from this picture but her hand is completely inside the drawer.

Just wanted to let everyone know that Patricia does seem to be improving. For anyone interested there is a website set up to keep everyone updated on her condition... www.caringbridge.org/visit/patriciawoods


We had a busy weekend. Friday night, Mikayla spent the night with Grandma and Papa and went to the Wilson Co. Fair. She had fun eating a big hot dog, petting animals, and spending time with the Grandparents. I have not seen any pictures yet but I am sure that Grandma took plenty. Mike and I went to PF Changs with some friends of ours and had a blast. I LOVE that place - they have the best thing ever... lettuce wraps. My mouth waters just thinking about them!!!! Saturday - we went to watch our friends Sam, Lauren, and Evan play baseball. After the game a bunch of us went to Sonic and ate outside. The kids really had a blast. Sunday, Mikayla took her wheelchair to church for the first time. It started off not so great. When we entered the foyer of the church she freaked out. First time around a bunch of people in the chair I guess I would be a little scared too. She moved up to a class with kids her age. Until this point she has been in the class of nonwalking kids but with her chair she can get around with her own age. She was a little hesitant at first but after about 20 minutes I was able to leave the room and they said she did great. One little boy in the class pushed her around the room and Mikayla liked it. Her life is going to be so different now. Each day she discovers new things while in the chair. She is getting so grown up... Mike looked at her tonight and said that she did not look like a baby anymore. I asked him if that made him sad and he said no because he is ready for her to be able to talk to us. She is actually 16 months old today! That is crazy... time sure does fly.

By the way... if anyone knows a work from home job or a Friday and Saturday job that I could do I would love to hear about it!!

Prayer Request

I need a little help from everyone. We have a friend who is desperate need of your prayers. Her name is Patricia Woods and she has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. She went into the hospital in Hendersonville on the 19th and has been in ICU since. She has been in severe pain, has experenced paralysis, and has been on a ventilator, these among many other things. As of report this morning she has been transferred to Centennial Hospital for a higher level of care. We are asking for you to join us in prayer for Patricia and her family. We are praying for complete healing. From what I have read, even after one gets better there can be continued evidence of the disorder for forever. We want that to not be the case for Patricia. This family is incredible and has been through a lot, they need a prayer of peace as well. There is a website to visit to learn more about this disorder... www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

Thanks to everyone for their prayers.
Leshia

I know I have been a slacker and not posted in a while... sorry. We went to the zoo a couple of Sundays ago and went to Chuck E Cheese last week (I know I said I would never go again). We have just been hanging out doing our normal stuff therapy twice a week, church, and Grandma & Papa's. Mike's dad is now going by Papa. Mikayla just started calling him that instead of Grandpa so that is what he will be now. I recently started a support group for families affected by Spina Bifida. We will meet the third Tuesday of every month with our first meeting being September 23. I am super excited about this. If any of you guys know anyone affected by Spina Bifida please give them my email address lleigh023@comcast.net so that I can give them the exact details of our group. We went to the Vanderbilt Childrens Wheelchair Clinic this past Monday. We ordered Mikayla's wheelchair. Some of you will be happy to know that the frame will be UT orange. We were so excited that it came in this color. On the seat she is going to have a butterfly embroidered(spelling?). I did not think about it before but the butterfly has a little meaning behind it... it starts simple and turns into something beautiful. Kinda like Mikayla's life in a way. Her situation started not great and with not much happiness but it has evolved into a beautiful miracle of God. She is a beautiful reminder to me everyday that I need to enjoy and treasure this life I have. Anyway... hope everyone is doing well. That is all I have for now. Here are some pictures.
Mikayla petting a baby goat.

Mikayla at Chuck E Cheese riding on the carousel.
Mikayla and Daddy watching Chuck E. perform on stage. Mikayla was terrified of the mouse and some of the rides. I think that our visit with Santa this year could be very interesting.

Look at this messy face. It never fails that dinner finishes with a mess. Oh - and Duke with his share from Mikayla's tray.

Mike did not work Saturday so that morning we decided to go feed the ducks before it got too hot. As soon as we got out of the car and Mikayla saw the ducks she started saying "duck, duck, quack, quack". So sweet. I was a little bit worried with the ducks because they started to surround us - but they were fine.

I thought this black and white was really sweet!

It is rare for Duke to lay in the floor and let Mikayla play with him. He actually laid so still beside her last night for a long while and just let her kiss, hug, and pet him. Of course - I had to get lots of pictures. I know that when Mikayla gets a little bigger they will become best buddies... as long as she doesn't run him over with her chair. I don't know if you can see in the picture above but she is kissing his ear. The whole time she was sitting in between his two front paws.

Ok - he had enough. He just moved a few inches away and laid back down. He is really good with her.


On a side note from the pictures... I need some advice from anyone regarding troublesome neighbors. Ours have been a problem for a long time but it just seems mine & Mike's patience is wearing VERY thin!!! They are "professional"(they say) musicians who have converted their garage into a studio. Might I add a studio with no soundproofing. They used to play ALLLLLL the time and that has improved since we had Mikayla but... I can hear them inside my house. There are times when we have to turn our tv up just so we can hear over their music. I had a conversation with the man of the house the other day that got pretty heated. He proceeded to tell me that they have bent over backwards for us to make us happy... WHAT???? I told him he was lucky that we have not called the cops and then the best line yet came out of his mouth... "you can call the cops all you want 'cause they can't do anything until it is after 10pm"! We are at our whits end with this situation. We live in a house and not an apartment - if we wanted to hear what our neighbors are doing inside their house we would move to an apartment!!!! They are renting their house - don't own it. We found who owns the house but they have an unlisted number. Right now... I can hear music inside my house and it is the middle of the day... I have told them when Mikayla naps and asked them not to play this time of day! What are we to do???? We talked last night about just trying to sell our house and get out of here... to bad it is a bad time in the housing market. To make matters worse- they have a dog tied up in the back yard that most of the time has no water (in this heat) and the little girl that lives there told me they did not have the money to buy the dog any food... what in the world??? HELP!!!