Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Cutest Little Leprechaun!

O'Noonan Clan

Gramps and Josie

May the luck O' the Irish be with you today, Love the O'Noonan Clan!

We had a nice celebration tonight at grandma and grandpa's house with Steph and the boys and Grams and Gramps. Gramp's side of the family are from Ireland, the O'Noonans. We always have such a great celebration every year.


Josie and some of her model friends at rehearsal

Josie and Teresa at therapy

Teresa loved holding Josie's American Girl doll

In other parts of our lives, Josie has been putting the finishing touches on her fashion show debut happening this weekend. She is so excited and a bit nervous. It seemed so far away in August when we started talking about it. Now it is here and real. SO sad that Przemek and Sylwia won't be here in person to see it...and many others. I will post video of it. The hardest part is going to be to focus with 300 people looking at you. You know her, she will want to try to talk to them from 3 feet up on the runway. Good luck Liz. You definitely have your work cut out for you. She did make her 4 minute timed trial today at therapy. Whatever it is it will be incredible. The fact that she is upright on 2 feet is amazing. Better yet, the spirit that little girl has is amazing. I am so proud of her. It is a great grand finale of all your hard work since you were rolled out of the operating room on August 6, 2002. More to come after the show. Love, J and J

Message dictated by Josie

I am joining the fashion show for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. I can't wait for everyone to see it. I got a new dress for it. Bye, Josie.

PS. My mom will write more later.

Catch Up

We have had 2 glorious weeks. Glorious may be a weird word when almost one of them Josie was sick. Glorious in that when she was sick we slowed our life way down and could just be together while she got well. Right before she got sick she got to have her very first slumber party. This slumber party had been planned, talked about and highly anticipated. She was ecstatic. I know normal parents let their child have one friend spend the night the first time. But think about it, when has normal and Jenny ever collided in the same sentence...yeah almost never. Josie got to have 4 of her friends. I figured that if I was going to do it and forgo what I thought would be a night without sleep, let's just knock it out all at once. She had Audrey, Hailey, Tara and Caroline. Such sweet little friends. When they got here, I piled them all into my parents suburban. Off we went to Chinatown in LA for Dim Sum. Silly me to not realize that Dim Sum is only served at breakfast and lunch. Needless to say, we had a very authentic and somewhat unusual Chinese meal. Back at home we made the family room into one giant bed with air mattresses and Josie's mattress from her bed. The girls watched a movie from our "bedroom" and ate warm rice crispy treats. They were just bound and determined to stay up all night, yeah right. We made a deal, they could stay up to make a wish at 11:11. At 11:12 I turned out the lights and at 11:13 they were all sound asleep. They actually slept until 7:30. Not bad. After a picnic in the front yard of chocolate chip pancakes they were off to play with the bunnies before they went home. I love the sweet innocence in how they see the world, experience life, and treat each other with such kindness. Everyone of them offers to push Josie around. In fact they don't even offer they just do it. They include her in everything. There has to be a special place in Heaven for these wonderful souls. Josie couldn't be more blessed with friends between here and Michigan. She definitely won the friend lottery.

Well as soon as be said goodbye to the girls, Josie's cough had really picked up and her little body all of a sudden started burning up. Straight into bed she went where she stayed until Tuesday. Poor baby. She made it through her first sleep over and luckily no one else got it, including me..phew.

More big news is that she got her bottom braces on. She is doing a good job with them. They were sore at first but better now. Today she got her top expander put back on. This has hurt her all day. She even went to bed by 7:45 tonight. That nagging teeth pain wears you out. Unfortunately, she has to get braces. We have to get those bucky beavers (as her Uncle Brian calls them) need to be put in their place.

We are really gearing up for the fashion show. Of course the illness didn't help our progress, but we are back at it. She walked better then I thought she would today with Liz. She felt awful because her teeth hurt so much so I was worried that we would get her to do anything. She complained through most of her workout, which is so unlike her these days, but she pulled it together during her walking. Now I REALLY have to get her to do a lot of it this weekend when we go to the desert. She is so excited for the fashion show and I want it to be a success for her. Anyone who wants to see it can get tickets at www.flintridgeguildchildrenshospital.org. She is modeling on Saturday, March 19th at all 3 shows. The 10 AM show is already sold out and the others will go quickly.

Thanks for checking in. I know more has happened but I can't think of what right now. Ciao for now, Jenny and Josie

Long Overdue

I feel like lately that I start these posts with apologies. So here is another one. Life has been great and busy. Busy is what I vowed not to have happen when we returned home. I need my dose of Michigan to slow us down again...to bad MI is under snow or I may show up on some doorsteps. Our busy has also been good. Josie is doing really well all around. Her walking is good, school is her love right now (at least the social part of it). Josie is in the Junior Peacemakers club. They have a meeting a week at lunch and then do their assigned jobs on another day at lunch. Her job is the hall monitor. Lord help the kids who make the bad decision to run past her. I am trying to tell her that it is Peacemakers so you have to do your job with a very kind voice. I can see it know Josie yelling at everyone to slow down.

Happy Birthday Dad and Happy Adoption day Josie


It was such a thrill that I officially adopted Josie on my dad's birthday in 2007. We will forever celebrate the 2 great occasions on the same day. This year we went to Oakmont Country Club for dinner. Always a treat to be together. Happy Birthday Dad!

Dr. Borchard and Josie at her lasted eye exam. She is so cute in those glasses, Now we just have to get in the habit of wearing them more often like everytime she reads. When you work so hard in one part of your life a few things fall to the wayside in the rest. Well can't do it all.


Liz with the girls taking pictures during their break


Therapy has been going well. Liz and Josie are practicing very hard for the fashion show in March. Josie only has 5 minutes to get down the runway. This will be a trick. Thankfully Liz will be on stage with her. We are at therapy with Teresa every Monday. Now on Thursday's we get to pick her up from her school and take her to therapy. The girls get to be together in the car and at therapy. Teresa just grins from ear to ear when we pick her up. On Thursday Annie (her therapist) and I asked her if she wanted to listen to Hannah Montana. She very deliberately nodded her head yes. Unable to really believe that she did this, we tried it again. With much deliberation she indeed nodded again. Then we asked which CD she wanted to listen to and to show us her answers with her eyes. She picked the purple case twice in a row. She then had to push the button to turn the music on. She did this numerous amounts of times. She seemed to like Party in the USA song. I know she is so trapped in that body. She is so aware and bright. It is my goal to somehow unlock her from the tight grip the body has on her. We will somehow get her to be able to communicate better. After she was finished and Josie still had more time, Teresa and I laird on the mat and watched Josie. She seemed so content. I love being with that little angel. She is such a joy. Josie adores her more than anything. Love to you all, Jenny and Josie

Hit and Run

We had an interesting little event happen to us today. We went to church at 11:00. As we were leaving we pulled up the street past the church parking lot. A black Jaguar was pulling out of the parking lot as we were coming up the street. I saw that he was rolling out like he didn't see me there. I said to Josie that he wasn't stopping. All of a sudden he hit the gas to pull out into the street and I sped up. Luckily he didn't completely t bone me but did smash us pretty hard in the right back side. He hit us hard enough to push our car, make a loud sound and made us stop before we could drive again. Josie and I were both ok, but here is the worst part of the story....After we got hit I made a u-turn to talk to the person who hit us. All of a sudden I realized that he wasn't stopping. He ran the yellow light at the signal and kept going. I tried to catch up but by then the light was red and the oncoming traffic was going. I couldn't believe we were hit and run by a fellow church member that we were just in church with.

I had to call the sheriff to file a report in case I need my insurance fix my car. The nice police women said that is one was up there in her "can't believe this happened" book...granted La Canada is not the most happening place for the police. But still. She did point out to me that we weren't hurt and the person who hit us has bigger problems if they are going to hit and run at a church. Bet your bottom dollar that we will be cruising the parking lot next week at all 3 masses!! Mercy on the poor soul who did this. Josie and I are ok and that is all that matters. Cars are just tin and rubber. Night, Jenny and Josie

Great Walking Update

Josie has been actively walking this week. Today after we got back from Orange County, I put her on her canes. She had just been in the car for an hour and sitting this morning at my meeting. This scenario usually means stiffness and long warm ups to get into walking mode. However, since we have started using the dynamic stander to get her around everywhere outside of the house, it has seemed to really increase her strength and balance. Anyhow, she walked today like a champ. 3 rounds and I only had to catch her once. We are using the hallway to simulate the runway for the fashion show in March. A few minutes after she walked, I grabbed the camera. I told her I had to tape this for Przemek, Sylwia and Liz. It was so steady and solid. Here is how it went...set up canes, positioned camera on the stand, did a test run with the record button, reset it, pushed record, ran over to get Josie up, and as she started to walk it was like she had never been on her own 2 feet before and the canes were a foreign object, try to get her back to the great rhythm and walking, absolutely no luck, put Josie down, run and turn off camera, shake my head and take her back into the other room. How can you lose the ability so quickly? 15 minutes later I can't believe what has just transpired. Here is how it went next...make sure to put camera in other room far, far away from Josie, get canes set up way down the hallway, bring Josie to the canes, listen to her ask 3 times why she has to walk again and where is the camera?, set her on her canes and off she goes like Wonder Woman..........WHY CAN'T YOU DO THAT FOR THE CAMERA???!!! OK, at least you can do it. We even started a new saying to get her to pick up her canes faster. P and I were using 1,2,3,4 to get her into a rhythm which worked well. Tonight we started saying step, fast cane, step, fast cane. It seemed to prompt the quicker pick up and placement of the cane. I will try this again tomorrow and then with Liz on Monday. When we reached the end of the hall she was actually smiling feeling very proud of herself, which is rare with walking. She liked the quickness that the new rhythm helps with. I made her say, "My walking was great". She never compliments herself or feels that accomplished with her walking. I text back and forth with Liz after the escapades. Funny!! Well Przemek and Sylwia, I will try to sneak the camera in tomorrow. I would like you to see her. She may have regressed some, but overall I think you will be proud of where she is. We'll call you tomorrow too.

Thanks all for checking in. We appreciate all your support always. Jenny and Josie

Weekend at the Amigleo's

This picture is hysterical of Josie walking the Hopa the dog or better yet Hopa walking Josie. I had to run after her because Hopa was acting like a sled dog. Yikes!

Josie's crew helping push her back up the street. Thanks Boys!!

If you click on this picture you can see the coyote on the hillside. He was not afraid of all the people by the pool and came down very low on the hill. This is unusual for them. They are usually out at night and very afraid of people. Not a good thing to have him milling around the neighborhood in brood daylight.

Swimming in January at the beach...awesome.

We got to spend a few days in San Clemente at the Amigleo's last weekend. They live down in San Clemente just above the beach. It was such an unusually hot weekend that it was great to sleep with the windows open and feel the ocean breeze. We spent the next day totally outside...playing in the street (they live on a cul-de-sac which is perfect for the hundreds of kids that live there). Josie loved the freedom of just playing with the kids. The kids swam for a couple of hours while Anne-Marie and I tried to get some work done by the pool. Not easy to work when it feels like summer. After we swam, Tony and the other guys on the street made a barbecue in the street. Again kids everywhere playing. Love to see the kids outside enjoying the simplicities of life...no tv, no video games just real playing. Thanks Amigleo's for having us once again. This is becoming our other home away from home. Jenny and Josie