National Aquarium

While mom was here we took a drive down to Baltimore to visit the National Aquarium. It was an amazing day! We had a great time-here are some photos of our visit...

The lighting is horrible in this first photo but I had to share it because it shows the shark behind us...ooohhhhhhhhhhhhh it was so creepy to see them up close!!

They had this some really amazing exhibits- an Australian Outback as well as an Amazon Rain Forrest exhibit... It was really cool!!

Do you see the birdie??

Peek-a-boo... do you see both of the birds?

Hey... It's Nemo's Dad in the Anemone!!

They have a really cool touch and play exhibit...

Gabe just LOVED it!!

They also had a live Dolphin Show, it was really cool!

boy they can fly high!!

They did these giant flips!

There also was a really cool amphibian exhibit...

We had a great time, we recommend it if you have a chance, the National Aquarium was a blast!

Grandma & Us at the Philadelphia Zoo...

I just love this statue at the entrance to the zoo, we didn't get a picture of it last time so we made sure we did this time...

The fountain is really neat too! Check it out...

Outside of the reptile house a quick family picture in front of the statue!

It was a really hot day when we went to the zoo, you can tell by the animal pictures! This guy is headed in the water.

Well, you know those guys like it hot!!

You can tell she's resting lazily in the heat

Kari & Mom by the Giraffe!

This flamingo was showing off for a female, and there was another male who let him have it- it was funny- but I really like this shot.

FYI A flamingo's pink or reddish feather color comes from its diet, which is high in alpha and beta-carotene!!

Grandma, Kari & Gabe with the elephant!

FYI: Elephants flap their ears a lot when it's hot because they have tons of blood vessels in their ears, by flapping their ears they cool the blood and the cooled blood is circulated back into their bodies!

I love the way the elephants cool themselves! It's so cute!!

Taking a dip to cool off!!

Gabe got his face painted like a mouse!!

Grandma posing with our little face painted mouse!!

One more with Grandma!!

Jeremy got a nice photo of the eagle this time.

a mommy prairie dog with her two babies!

The tortoise's are soooooooooooo cool!

Jeremy caught this guy in the middle of a step... I know, not too hard with a tortoise, but it still looks cool to me!!

We had a really great time at the Philadelphia Zoo!!

Grandma came to visit...

I'm going to post much more later- I just wanted to get this up there really quick. My mom flew out here for a week and we had a wonderful time! We went to the Philly Zoo, and the Rocky Steps (Art Museum) - we even drove down to the National Aquarium in Baltimore!

I'll post more later- I Promise!!

The Logo...

Special Necessities...

Well, I got my Fictitious Name Registry back from the Department of state, so I am officially an entity! I will most likely incorporate soon. I'm shooting for a full launch on July 1, 2007.

(In case you have no idea what I'm talking about.... here's a little more info!)

I am starting my own business! It has actually been in the works for a little while now, I came up with the name pretty quick and I've just been developing product ideas, making prototype's and building the website. Jeremy and I worked together and developed the logo- we just finalized yesterday what I believe will be the one we go with! This is a labor of Love for me and the main focus of the company will be products for special needs children, however our broader focus is on making people feel special- special needs or not!

The "under construction" version of the website is already up, you can see it at:

http://www.specialnecessities.com

I also have a Special Necessities Blog where I talk about the processes and problems that I deal with and how I'm trying to make products to address our different challenges:

http://www.specialnecessities.blogspot.com

With that said, I am really excited and very optimistic! I have already had a lot of parents in the area express interest in the products they see on Gabe's wheelchair and stroller, and the various carrying cases and bags I have made to carry some of the more awkwardly sized and shaped equipment that Gabriel has, so my plan is a local push within my circle of influence with the convenience of online ordering and information... and then eventually to branch out to other cities and states through the website.

I'll post more information as we get closer to the complete launch, but if you want to check out any of the stuff- I welcome feedback, editing suggestions, and whatever ideas you may want to share. That is really the backbone of how this came about and will continue to be my focus as time goes on, finding out what people think and what they need and trying make the best products with the best presentation possible!

Take care and Wish me Luck!
Kari

Home and back to his old self...

Well, the drugs they gave him have finally worn off and he's up and around now. (He slept pretty much all day Friday and overnight) He got up and was raring to go Saturday morning...

He's got his new "Grover" and his balloon and that's all he needs for now!

Spending most of his time playing with the balloons we got for him but most importantly he's back to being silly and sharing that great smile!

CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)

Here are some shots of the atrium at CHOP, they were having a informational fundraiser for "Alex's Lemonade Stand". They really make the whole place kid friendly...

This is actually a moving piece, the kids push a button at the bottom and the car and various gears move throughout.

even the seating is groovy....

Here's a better shot of the giant mobile in the atrium, you could see part of it in the first picture.

We were down in the city at CHOP on Friday for Gabriel appointment for BOTOX injections. They do it as an outpatient procedure in the sedation unit. They drug him up and then put small injections of Botox into various muscle groups to reduce the spasticity that Gabriel has as a result of his Cerebral Palsy. It's actually quite neat. They have been using botox as a treatment for high tone, spasticity and other muscle issues for over 25 years. Anyway, I'll post more information about all that stuff later, I have been meaning to do that for a while. For now though, I just wanted to share our day on Friday....

They have their own T.V. now that comes out and hangs directly in front of them in their bed!

I'm pretty sure Gabe wanted to stay, or at least get us to guarantee that we would get him one of them for his bed at home!

They really drug him up and he's asleep for quite a while, I just got a picture of him sleeping peacefully after the procedure.

Skippy Days

Thursday was "Skippy Days" at Gabriel's school. (He goes to Skippack Elementary, hence the name...) Anyway, Mommy and Daddy went up to school for the day of games, crafts, food and fun!! Here are a few pictures of Gabe playing games and making crafts....He really liked this one, he was actually more interested in the game than he was in the prize for winning!


Gabe and Daddy making a sand art frog.... you can see the happy face painted tattoo that Gabe got on his hand, he liked having the pretty girl paint on him!




This was right before we went back inside for the day, I just thought he looked so cute wearing the little visor he won playing a game.



It was a fun day and Mommy and Daddy were glad they got to come up to school and share in all the excitement!

Long time no Blog...

Sorry it's been so long since I last checked in, I have some stuff to post but I've been so busy. I've been working almost everyday and also working on blankets and other things for the new venture. I'll give you all the update soon- Just been really busy. I did have a little adventure today out back and thought I'd share!

Exploring my backyard Habitat...

I was taking some stuff to the deck and decided to walk around the building instead of carrying it through the house- that's when I happened upon this fella:

Can you see him? Here's more of a close up...

He was hanging out, minding his own business in the grass behind the house, I messed with him for a bit until he got tired of me and ran away, here are a couple more shots of him...

He was getting a little tired of me by this last shot, curled all up and was ready to strike!! He was really cute and wasn't hurting anyone so I just shoo-ed him off and into the grass he went and left! ... and so ended my backyard adventure!