Evie the Extraordinary and Her Mommy: The Journey As We Go

A little overdue, but Evie is 2! I don't know where the time went. I have to say that I much prefer Year 2 over Year 1. Year 1 was filled with anxiety about her health, oxygen tanks and feeding tubes, and going to numerous doctors' appointments. Year 2 was more about watching her grow in so many ways, and getting to enjoy her more. I swore I wasn't going to do anything for her birthday after last year's wedding birthday party, but Uno's did a great fundraiser that weekend for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, and donated 20% of the bill to the MDSC.  So we invited our friends to eat there with us! As she turns 2, here are some FAQ's about Evie that you may have:  Is Evie walking yet? No. But we just picked up Evie's ankle-foot orthotics, which we hope to ease her into as soon as I can get her bigger shoes to accommodate them. New purple sparkly hippo shoes are on their way! Hopefully with a more stable ankle support, she will feel more ...

The title of this post is a salute to the Sound of Music, which is one of my favorite musicals.  But mostly it is a list of Evie's favorite things.  Scroll to the end to see how Evie climbs mountains.  I'm always on the lookout for the coolest toys that will help Evie's development, so hopefully this will help someone else. The #1 favorite is Violet.  Since she was a baby, Evie has loved this toy. First for the light on the dog collar, then for the music, and now for the ability to press buttons and change the music like any independent toddler would want to do.  She likes the sound of music for sure! One of Evie's favorite books is Click Clack Moo.  This book makes it's own reference to the Sound of Mooosic, and it's awesome!  Other favorite books are Guess How Much I Love You and the Pout-Pout Fish.  Lift-the-Flap books are irresistible to Miss Evie. Here's a trio of books that she loves: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Dear Zoo, and Click Cla...