Little Hiccups December Trip: Sundown Adventure Land

Christmas is no longer Christmas without our annual trip to Sundown to visit Father Christmas in his magic grotto. If you have never been, Sundown in a theme park designed for under 8's. It is especially fun at Christmas time when it is decorated into a magical wonderland!

We've been going to Sundown now for a number of years and its one that is requested every year. It's now a Hiccup's tradition and this year we were recognised and remembered by the cheeky elves at Santa's house. Which was particularly good as they were able to help us with the buggies and wheelchairs!

Santa was certainly jolly when we visited him too and he asked the children if they could do him a favour and check on Dancer and Prancer to see if they had enough food and water. They did as we did as we promised and checked for him.

The Angry Bird park was a hit as always and we bumped into a few Hiccups families in there - seems it is popular with all the children!

And as always we stayed until the lights came on and then wondered back through the park enjoying the scenery. It really does make you feel very Christmassy and is a fantastic way to start December. Thank you Sundown!

"Thank you again What a fantastic magical Santa the Elves & Sleigh ride experience for Ellie we all loved it... this is the 1st time she has not been upset & our little star even spoke to Santa! Xxxx"

"Thankyou for an amazing day guys! Thankyou for all the help! Thankyou Sarah for sticking with us to help out your a star."

"Thank you so much for today. We had so much fun x"

"Thanks for organising a wonderful day at Sundown. We had a great time. Jacob enjoyed seeing Santa and gave him his letter, it's the 1st time he's not been upset. He had such a good day he didn't want to leave and fell asleep not long after we got in the car."

"Thank you once again for another brilliant day out xxx"

"Another fab Sundown Adventure. Thank you Little Hiccups xxx" 

"Nile had a lovely day today thank you x"

Website: http://www.sundownadventureland.co.uk

Little Hiccups Year 2015

Little Hiccups Fundraising Ball 2015

Little Hiccups Fundraising Ball

Local support group for children with disabilities / additional needs, Little Hiccups is kicking off Christmas in style by hosting its annual Fundraising Ball this Saturday at The Marriott in Leeds.

The annual Ball has grown from year to year and this year its reputation has preceded it and it is the most popular Ball yet with tickets selling out early.

With a delicious three course dinner, complimentary wine on every table, exclusive auction items and contributions to our raffle prize from a host of generous companies this year promises to be the most amazing yet.

The annual Fundraising Ball started 5 years ago as a brainchild of Linsay Medica, the Founder of Little Hiccups who says “This is our biggest Ball so far and it promises to be the best! We have some fantastic entertainment planned and we are definitely kicking off the festive season in style with a night to remember.”

Even at Little Hiccups Fundraising Events the families are not forgotten. It is a frustrating and unfair fact that the cost of bringing up a child with disabilities is three times greater than bringing up one without. It is because of this that Leeds based company Equinox traditionally sponsor a table so that Little Hiccups parents and carers of children with special needs can take part in our special night too. One of Little Hiccups guest parents phrase it perfectly as “being invited with a free place is not only exciting but that push I needed to actually have a night out! To be able to come to something so special also reminds me that I’m ‘me' and not just 'mum'”.

An evening of Glamorous Entertainment

Not only do we have some amazing guests but we are pleased to announce the return of singer Bethany Hare. Bethany sang for our guests as they arrived last year underneath the eaves of a fantastic Christmas tree while guests warmed themselves on Hot Chocolate with Baileys or Mulled Wine. Little Hiccups were so blown away with her stage presence and voice that this year she was asked to sing on the main stage.

Bethany has just turned 16 years of age and has been fundraising since she was 10. To date she has raised over £30,000 for Martin House and also set up her own charity called Bethany's Smile - her aim is to build Smile Cottage, a holiday home for families of children with high care needs. In addition to her own fundraising, Bethany performs free of charge for any charity in Yorkshire to try and help them to raise more funds for their very worthy causes - her way of trying to support everyone as much as possible.

We also have Shane Durrant who will entertain the guests on arrival. Shane is a Yorkshire-based performer, teacher and composer. He has worked extensively in the UK and abroad, playing at ski resorts in the Alps, directing shows onboard cruise ships and running music schools in Malaysia.

Dean and Richard from X2 Photography will also be there to capture the guests in all their attire although of course the obligatory Santa hat must make an appearance. X2 Photography specialises in family photos of children with special needs and Little Hiccups use them at a number of their events.

Fundraising for an Amazing Cause

Little Hiccups are a support group based in Leeds run by parents who have children with special needs. They had a vision to bring parents and families of disabled children together, to make memories and experience the support of other families in similar situations.

Little Hiccups has nearly 200 families that it supports and the aim of the Ball is to ensure that Little Hiccups can keep providing the support to each of these families that attend our Fortnightly Stay n Play sessions incorporating Baby Massage & Yoga, Music Therapy, information from different services and our Monthly Family Fun Days which include relaxed and group trips to the cinema, theme parks, skiing, wall climbing and photoshoots amongst others. Little Hiccups also offers an Outreach programme and in 2016 have many more future plans to enrich the lives of the families that they support. All monies raised goes back towards the families.

Little Hiccups Secretary and Event Organiser, Miriam Watson says “We are all very excited about this Saturday. It looks like it is going to be our biggest and best yet and we have some fantastic prizes to give away. We've been completely blown away by people's generosity."

James Thompson, a medical negligence solicitor at Simpson Millar LLP and a committee member of Little Hiccups said "This is a charity that is very close to my heart; I've seen the amazing work they do for families in and around Leeds and I am grateful to Simpson Millar LLP for getting behind this event and donating one of the Star Prizes for the night".

ENDS

Note for Editors

Little Hiccups is a support group that has been set up by families who have children with special needs.

Through personal experience they recognise the importance of allowing the parents and families of a child with a disability the opportunity to meet people in similar situations, to make friends and support each other. Little Hiccups runs a bi-monthly support group for under 5’s in Leeds and organises a fun monthly outing that the whole family can attend.

You can contact Little Hiccups through our website www.littlehiccups.co.uk, by email on info@littlehiccups.co.uk or mobile on 0783 123 0741.

Bethany’s Smile: http://www.bethanyssmile.org
Shane Durrant: www.shanedurrant.co.uk
X2 Photography: www.x2photo.co.uk

Little Hiccups October Event: Rainbow Factory

It was a cold, wet and generally miserable day. I was certainly glad that we had arranged an indoor activity today but I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive. I had been sent a newspaper link from one of our families showing that the Rainbow Factory had been broken into and ransacked. You can read the article here. We never had any intention of NOT going but were a little nervous about what to expect and from reading the article the damage done was quite large.  We needn't have been. I don't know how hard the staff had worked to get everything back up to scratch but they must have worked relentlessly. One of the parents said to me after that if they hadn't known about it via the newspaper there simply would not have known. The place was impeccable. When we arrived we were greeted at the door by the happiest and smiliest people I think I have ever met! The enthusiasm and excitement of the team at Rainbow Factory, even after what must have been a very challenging week, was palpable and it fizzled in the air.

We started our adventure by being greet by one of the owners, Hazel and our guide for the day, Lydia. We then entered a mystical world through theatrical red curtains and were rewarded with fabulous tales of magic adventure. Our guide bubbled with stories and engaged the children with their interactive stories. We visited goblins and dragons. We found magic boxes, wands and dragon teeth. We searched for emotion stars and collected them in our tubs. 

Once we had found all the emotions we could we moved onto a craft area where we put our emotions onto wish buckets and decorated with colours and glitter. Each of these activities totally engrossed the children. I don't think I've ever seen them sit so still...

Several of the children enjoyed the centre in their own way. The fancy dress and the hidey holes in the tents were particularly popular with some. And there was plenty of opportunity for the parents to relax and take 10 minutes for themselves while the rainbow staff entertained the children. I personally found the time to catch up with parents and actually have a chat instead of running around after my own children! Always appreciated. 

Our wonderful visit ended with a packed lunch for the children in the rainbow room where they tucked into sandwiches and gingerbread men. The adults weren't forgotten either and we treated to buns and some very tasty sandwiches and good old fashioned pots of tea. The proper way!

All in all it was a lovely trip out and we were made to feel so welcome. Even when we left (well after closing time) the staff were still so happy and enthusiastic and after chatting to them I learnt that it had been one of, if not THE, busiest days they had had since opening. Personally...I want to know the secret and source of their energy...maybe it's the magic that is entwined throughout the building? Whatever it was, I can't wait for our next trip.

The Rainbow Factory will be holding lots of Christmas activities in the runup to Christmas including a performance of The Shoemaker's Christmas Wish which will be hosted from 8th -24th December at 11am and 6pm. Join Charlotte the shoemaker for a magical reimagining of the classic fairytale The Elves and the Shoemaker. Featuring live music, song and dance, this Christmas cracker is bursting with fun and laughter for all the family...

To book or for more information, visit www.rainbowfactorykids.com/ChristmasShow

Little Hiccups trip to Cannon Hall Farm - Saturday 19th September 2015

Indoor Play Area

Due to popular demand, we re-visited Cannon Hall Farm and how it has grown! It's been about a year since I last went and about two years since Little Hiccups has visited. Since my last visit there is now a fantastic and interactive Soft Play area where the children spent a happy hour exhausting themselves. We spend at least another hour in the outdoor play area as the weather ended up being absolutely gorgeous (to the point where I regretted not packing suncream!). Exhausted but happy we finally managed to persuade the children that as this was a working farm we really ought to go see the animals and managed to drag them away from the slides and climbing frames. Cannon Hall Farm have also been hard at work updating the areas that the animals stayed in also and the walk way past them all was much easier to navigate in the crowds and we were able to see the very cute piglets and my personal favourite - the pygmy goats!

Sheep Racing

I was dragged by my daughter to see the Ferret Racing where my ferret decided to tease me by pretending to win then turning round and going back the way it came just before the end. We also visited the Sheep Racing twice and we managed to win the raffle one time. The sheep it seems, was much better behaved than the ferret!



We had a fabulous day and I know that all the families I bumped into too did. We certainly all came home very tired!

Enjoying the sun

Our tickets included farm admission, sheep racing, indoor play area, ferret racing, milking demonstrations, outdoor play area and tractor & trailer ride and Cannon Hall Farm also very kindly set aside some of the picnic area exclusively for Little Hiccups families as it can get busy in the cafe.

About the Farm:

Cannon Hall Farm opened to the public for the first time in 1989. Since that time we have added adventure playgrounds, gift shop, farm shop, two restaurants and an indoor playground. It is now one of the largest farm attractions in the UK and the winner of many awards.

Our new £1.5 million farmyard opened in July 2013. Seven new farm buildings designed with the visitor in mind. See the day to day workings of a modern farmyard including tractors and farm machinery during the working day.

Other attractions include a milking parlour with regular milking demonstrations and a Rare Breeds barn. This is the first visitor centre of it’s type in the world!

Cannon Hall Farm was winner of the Best Tourism Experience at The White Rose Awards 2011 and highly commended in the Visit England Awards 2012 in the same category. It was also a finalist in The Best Large Attraction Award at The White Rose Awards 2014 and won the The Innovation award for it’s new farmyard at the National Farms For Schools Awards 2015.

Website: http://www.cannonhallfarm.co.uk

Always time for a quick selfie

Start thinking outside of the box!

We all know about the budget cuts in the NHS but do you know about the positive changes in our Leeds area and how they affect you?

Services have had to take a hard look at their budget and get creative, whilst also ensuring they are meeting the criteria of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This means that we can now be part of the consultation process and ensure we have a voice on how services work.

 

What does this mean to us as parents? 

We now have rights, control and choice for what our children need to help them be included and gain some independence.

We can personalise the care package around our children, what works for them and us as a family – because as we all know, every child is different.

Imagine having a blank page, and listing what your child needs for their physical, emotional and spiritual outcomes.

Nobody knows our children like we do, so working in partnership with professionals we can plan how to reach those outcomes and achieve the very best for our children. 

“My child is NOT a statistic, NOT a number, NOT a diagnosis, but a person with different abilities taking on a difficult world.”

What does this mean to me?

After dealing with the system for the last 9 years it has taken me a good while and a lot of deep thinking to get my head around the changes and what it means for Jack and I personally. Everything has turned upside down, instead of being ‘grateful’ for anything we can tap into, now its about “what does Jack need” and thinking about how we can achieve it.

Its radical, its new and its not what we are used to – but it’s a fantastic opportunity to get a better life for our children. We as parents, can be heard now. I’m not saying for one minute that all our battles are over, but this is change in the right direction and personally, when I look at how far society has come in the last 60 years with their views and treatment for disabilities, children included, I cant help but feel positive and encouraged.

As services are being reviewed, as a patient/parent you will be invited to give your thoughts and input to how it can be improved. If you want to help shape better services for your child, then take the opportunity to be heard.

Written by Linsay Medica, Founder of Little Hiccups

Contact us by emailing us on info@littlehiccups.co.uk if you want the opportunity to be heard.

Special Summer trip to Swithins Farm Soft Play

The Soft Play area

We hired out the Soft Play area at Swithens Farm just for the Little Hiccups families. It's is a lovely little Play area which has a bright and colourful indoor play area and the Barn offers a fantastic combination of ball pools and apparatus providing a safe environment to let off some steam - including a cushioned ball pool too for the younger ones and the less mobile.

Jack meeting the new arrival

It was a nice little catch up during the very hectic summer holidays and the kids played for two hours non-stop. We also got to meet up with a new member of our Little Hiccups family. Massive congratulations to Hiccups Committee member James and his wife Claire on the birth of their son - he's a cutie!

Website: http://www.swithensfarm.co.uk/

Little Hiccups trip to Skelton Grange - Tuesday 18th August 2015

Well despite it being glorious weather the day before and the day after - on the day of our visit to Skelton Grange it decided to pour with rain ALL day. That didn't stop us having a huge amount of fun though as we explored Skelton Grange and all that it had to offer. The lovely volunteers showing us around stuck out the rain with us and their enthusiasm was never dampened.

Skelton Grange is in South Leeds. It's a Charity run organisation that encourages play in the natural environment at their award winning eco-centre and nature area. Little Hiccups worked with Skelton Grange to organise a fun and sensory day out during the summer holidays for our families. We had the following fun activities:

We started off with a welcome to the centre and walk of the grounds to orient ourselves. We walked around the vegetable and herb garden and found interesting plants and herbs that smelt and looked beautiful. We were given some sticky paper and asked to find the most interesting leaves and flowers.

We built shelters in the woods including erecting hammocks. There was a variety of styles from canvas tents to a intrigate wooden wigwam. The children certainly enjoyed building in these and swinging in the hammocks after. We then had lunch in the shelters in the woods. It was pretty wet by this point so we were glad of whatever shelter we had! We think that the rain kept all the bears away.

After lunch we split into two groups. Some stayed outside and took a trip to the herb garden to make potions. The idea was to mix up nice smelling plants with a little water and make a 'potion'. My son took these one step further when he created an Invisibility potion, poured it over his head (yes really) and kept disappearing!

The other group went inside and started making Hapa Zome and/or God's Eyes. If you google these you will see exactly what they are. Hapa Zome is the process where you gather leaves or petals (the more colours the better) and on a cloth you hammer them in then peel them off. Depending on how detailed you do it, it leaves the shape and colour of the leaves or petals on the cloth and you can make patterns using this. Some children then made these into flags by attaching to long sticks.

God's Eyes (or Dragon Eye's as I also heard them called) is the process of putting two sticks in a cross shape then with wool, going around each stick to make a diamond shape which can be changed throughout with a variety of colours.

After this, to complete the day, we all returned outside where one of the volunteers had lit a fire for us. Using a special 'cage' like tool at the end of long pole, the children took it in turns to shake popcorn kernals over the fire to make popcorn. Sharing fresh warm popcorn around the campfire was a nice end to a lovely day. Many thanks to all the volunteers at Skelton Grange for looking after us so well!

Website: www.tcv.org.uk/skeltongrange

6 years

Little Hiccups was 6 this July and I got to thinking about how we started. I remember the first time that I came to Hiccups with my children. Both of my children had recently been diagnosed with hearing impairments. This wasn't a surprise to me as those of you that know me will also be aware that I also have a hearing loss. It's a genetic trait in our family and one that we are well used to living with. What I WAS struggling with however was getting my children to wear hearing aids and back in the day, Little Hiccups was sponsored by Leeds Deaf Blind. Myself and another mum who is also still with Hiccups as well (**waves to Zoe**) decided to give it a go.

I remember walking in and being met by Linsay and just being made to feel so welcome that I instantly felt like I belonged and it wasn't long before I became a committee member. Back then, Hiccups was only stay and play. And we stayed like this for a little while. We'd meet every two weeks for fun and games, craft session and singing sessions. We threw birthday, Halloween and Christmas parties and had a lot of fun, made a lot of new friends and found support with each other.

But then the inevitable started. Our kids grew up. They started school and although we stayed in touch and had lots of lovely new families joining us all the time we missed them. And they missed us. I know this because my own kids had started school and they often wanted to come with me to the sessions instead of school. By now we were doing our annual fundraising ball. We had a little bit of money in the kitty and were wondering how we could use it so that it would best benefit our families. So our monthly family fun days was born! Open to children of all ages we offered discount days out for families to a variety of places. Families could choose which events to come on and find support in a big group going to the same place. These turned out to be immensely popular and when you get an email from a family to say that they would never have gone to such a place by themselves as they were too worried it really does remind me what Hiccups is all about. One of our favourites has to be the cinema. As we have grown and been able to afford bigger and better events, we have started to hire out the cinema room to just hiccups. What this means for families was that they did not have to worry if their child called out or wanted to run around. I have this one memory of one little boy on our first trip running up and down the slope. We'd kept the lights on dim, it was safe and he was enjoying himself and bothering no one - so why not! And that to me is what these events are all about.

Since then we've continued to move onto new things. Wherever we see a gap we've endeavoured to fill it. We've started an Outreach Programme for those families not quite ready to meet a big group but who need the support and a listening ear. We've had a year of pain with a bunch of courageous and fantastic people who put themselves through an inordinate amount of torture to raise funds for a Kandoo Buggy - an all terrain wheelchair. A target that we not only reached but smashed due to the enthusiasm of the Hiccup Conquerors and sponsors and managed to purchase not one but two Kandoos.

And we don't intend to stop there. Our plans for the future are as exciting as our plans that we had in our past. You'll have to keep an eye on our blog for what these plans are...I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!

So 6 years. It's not long but wonderous things have happened in those six years and it is a privilege to meet every family that walks through our doors and we can only hope that they find what they need with us. If not, tell us - we like a challenge!

And many thanks to everyone who joined us for our 6th birthday party and the stunning Royal Armouries venue with the highly entertaining and colourful Shebang Theatre group who managed to keep every one of our children entertained with their theatrics. It was certainly a birthday to remember!

Here's to the next exciting year (and watch this spot as I KNOW that the next bit of exciting news is soon to be revealed!)

Miriam

Disability snowsport at Chill Factore

James modelling the Sitski

It all started when I ran across Disability Snowsports and contacted them to organise an event for Little Hiccups. It turns out that there are special skis for the less-abled (and the person that developed these is nothing short of genius). These skis are called Sitskis and they look exactly like their name suggests. The user sits down in a modified chair and are strapped in for safety. There is then an instructor that controls the skis from the back so the user gets the full experience of the snow, the speed and the sheer exhilaration of skiing down the hill.

We had four slots with two Sitskis and eight standing skis per slot and from the moment we arrived help was at hand. Steve from Disability Snowsports was on hand at all times helping organise, direct, put snowboots, gloves, hats, coats on, fill out forms and guide us all to our relevant places. How he remained calm on the face of our swirling chaos I don't know but he did!

Then, sweating heavily in our many layers, we went through the doors to the ski slope and was suddenly very, very glad of the extra warmth. I don't know if it is proper snow (something I'll have to look into) but it certainly felt like it. Especially when I repeatable fell over in it.   

The stand-up Skiers getting to grips with it all...

It took a while for the eight of us in our group to organise ourselves in the right positions and to get all our skis on. On my way to our very safe and sectioned off part (obviously they know how to deal with beginners!) I have this vivid memory of Oliver, one of our children, reaching the bottom of the slope in the Sitskis and frantically signing "more". That moment by itself made me smile and for it a worthwhile trip. 

But then it was our turn and our instructor who had a level of patience far beyond mine, showed us how to walk up hills in skis, brake, ski down and even bunny hop. It was an hilarious hour and I must have fallen several times and had to help my children up the slope while trying to keep my own balance for several more times. The children loved it however and were naturals and I had several requests afterwards for ski lessons. 

The hour flew by and it was suddenly the next groups turn all too quickly. My ankles and knees were glad of the break and after meeting and greeting the next chaotic group, again being guided by Steve, we sneaked off for an ice-cream break before returning home.

Sitski In Use

Visiting Chill Factore definately opened our eyes to just what we are capable of. To think that our Hiccups kid's were zooming down a snowy mountain is just amazing. As the group founder, Linsay quite aptly put it: "Our kids Rock! We refuse to let disabilities get in our way of having fun! ... Yet another fantastic day with our Little Hiccup families. Awesome kids and very proud parents ....my little dude lead the way down the slope.My incredible little boy. Bursting with pride."

We'll be back for definite next year.

Very proud! 

Disability Rocks - our Hiccups May event (from my viewpoint!)

I read today that Disability Rocks had to cancel their festival at Lambourne End Centre due to poor ticket sales.

I found this such a shame as Little Hiccups attended the Disability Rocks festival in the completely spellbinding surroundings of Nell Bank in the Wharfedale valley. The day even managed to throw in some glorious May sunshine and we had a truly fantastic day.

The gorgeous views

The Fireman Pole

The Yorkshire festival was certainly not short in attendees but it never felt overcrowded either. There was no waiting (except maybe for the ice-cream van!) and I felt that I was in a safe environment where my children could run around safely. In fact, I think I actually managed to get a rare sit-down in the sun when they had a very long play on the wooden area which was manned by two lovely attendees in the more 'dangerous' parts (Fireman's pole and a fast slide). I was in particular very proud of my very safety conscious daughter who, after several attempts and large queues behind her, finally plucked up the nerve to go down the Fireman's Pole. Of course, once she had done it, there was no stopping her after that and she even moved onto to attempting stunts whilst going down. Probably not the best idea! 

In fact, after watching Shebang at the theatre, dancing at the DJ centre to popular songs (the kids particularly appreciated Gangnam Style) and making musical sticks, painting a bird house and having our photograph taken in fancy dress I can safely say I think we got our money's worth.

Music Stick

Painted Bird House

Also lovely was bumping into the Little Hiccup families and other people that we knew for other groups. A lot of the children are now at school and I only get to see them at events like this. Some are growing up scary fast! 

A few of the Little Hiccups families that we bumped into to:

Written by Miriam Watson

You can view more photos on our website at: www.littlehiccups.co.uk/2015.htm

The redundant stair-gates

This week we have removed the stair-gates from two doorways and passed them on to a good home. A home that needs them. Those stair-gates that were so necessary for our first born child in order to contain her and her growing curiosity as she developed mentally and physically before our eyes.

They stayed in place when her sister came along two years later but now, as Lou Lou approaches the age of 4 and can only sit unaided for a matter of seconds, they’re just getting in the way.

This got me thinking about her ‘delay’ and what it means in practice.

We’ve all been there. Bags packed, nervous excitement, waiting for the plane and watching the departures board. Anxious to know which gate etc but then the dreaded word ‘delayed’.

Next thing you know, you’re dozing on uncomfortable chairs or spending the last of your euros in duty free, playing the umpteenth game of backgammon or turning the pages of your last holiday read. You’re stranded, time stands still and you just can’t wait to get moving again and be on your way to where you need to be.

Our daughter was delayed on the outbound journey, not the return. A ten night hospital stay at ten weeks of age with infantile spasms and a catalogue of seizure types (I’m not sure how many of the 40+ kinds she exhibited) and we narrowly avoided intensive care.

From then on we were prepared for some delay. How could she develop normally when the clusters of spasms kept on coming? Then we achieved control of seizures thanks to an increase in medication and progress was made. She engaged in play and in us, smiling and giggling. Those were good days.

But her card was marked.

An assessment was made at the child development centre and a team put in place with an OT, SALT and Physio. Plans were made and early intervention sounded impressive. But then new seizure types appeared and built up into almost constant clusters of focal seizures.

We were suddenly back in the departure lounge and our plane was grounded.

Clinic appointments, letters, EEGs, MRI scans, global development delay changed from significant to severe to profound and multiple learning difficulties.

More milestones missed and, in this last year, talk has turned from plateau to regression.

I abandoned the traditional mother and baby groups early on as they became too painful to attend. Yet now the special needs groups that replaced them for us and were our safe haven, have new members whose children (while also delayed) are quickly surpassing mine.

Lou Lou started nursery in a special school last year so at least that’s offering us a place where she can just be and at her own pace.

It’s hard. I won’t try and hide it; it hurts and it’s hard. But our Lou Lou can only follow her own path. And we don’t know where it’s leading. But we’ll lead her down that path as far as we can and for as long as it takes and we’ll never leave her side.

Written by one of our Little Hiccups' families. You can view the original blog here: 
http://community.fireflyfriends.com/blog/author/all-bound-for-lou-lou-land