Our Picasso

We had the privilege of attending the annual Jackson Center Gala on Friday night.  It’s their annual fundraiser and a really fun event.  It was even more special to attend a fundraiser that directly benefits Elena and our family personally.  It was quite emotional for us, even though we’ve only been there a short time.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but this truly is a place where miracles happen every day.  We are so grateful to be part of it.

During the gala, they called all the parents up to be recognized.  We were all presented with a beautiful painting that our little ones painted.  I’m pretty sure I went into the “ugly cry” in front of hundreds of people.  This little painting means so much to us.  I know we’ll cherish it forever.  We’re so proud of what our Elena is achieving every day and the little personality that continues to emerge.  We’re so happy to have found a place that loves our girl as much as we do and is always pushing her to achieve.

Here’s the work of our little Picasso.  It’s a priceless Elena original!:

On a different note, Elena has been sporting a new piece of equipment.  It’s called a TLSO and don’t ask me what that stands for!  It’s basically a plastic corset that helps her with her trunk control so she can focus on holding her head up when working on sitting.  Trying to manage her trunk and her head proves difficult for her, so having to only focus on one has helped her tremendously.  It’s super awkward looking and a pain to put on, but we’ve been pleased with how well she’s tolerating it.  I mean I know how cranky I get with Spanx on, so I can’t imagine how awful this thing is!   🙂
Here is a picture of her in it:

And a video of her sitting watching her favorite songs: