October
2009
Pretty Lies2
MICE (developmental services for visually and/or hearing impaired children) came for their monthly visit on Friday. OT and PT managed to come then too and we discussed how difficult it is to sign to Dorrie while we’re using our hands for other things (supporting her arms, holding her up, etc.) While everyone agreed on the necessity of being consistent in presenting visual language to her, I don’t think any real ideas were proposed to make it easier to do.
She continues to make small improvements in her hand control, her ability to scoot around on her back, and the effort she expends to hold her head up with proper support elsewhere. But she’s still not anywhere near being able to provide the head control she needs to even safely prop sit or be carried with one arm. It’s very discouraging. It’s easy to see how much easier life would be if she could just capture this one skill. I’m left wondering where we would be if we hadn’t had the major crisis that we did back in Feb-April 08. Was she really making progress on head control before that? She was still so young then, it hadn’t entered our heads to worry about it, and we had no reason to believe it would be a problem. Looking at pictures, she appears better off than she is now, but pictures lie so easily. I had her wrapped in a towel the other night and by arranging it just so I could hide all the tubes and wires. Caught at the right moment, the right angle, everything looks normal.
I like the way they’re both looking to the same side in this picture, and the fact that you can see Dorrie’s neck. It’s an illusion — she’s leaning back over daddy’s arm — but it’s what she probably would look like most of the time if things had worked out differently.
Here’s one of the out-takes from her visit with great-grandma. SMACK.
We got her the slide and swing for her birthday, and yet after her traumatic introduction to the slide, we hadn’t really used it at all. Trying the swing out went a little better. She fit well, but the pictures are a bit deceptive: we had to push it forward a smidge, giving it just enough tilt to have gravity assist her in keeping her head up.
What’s daddy doing back there?
Something is very wrong with you people.
Dorrie’s newest favorite hobby is to watch her sat monitor. She’s especially amused when it alarms or stops reading. I’m not entirely sure she’s connected the fact that this often happens when she bangs her foot on the floor, but she does it enough regardless.
She’s also interested in all the tubes and wires that constantly surround her. This day was unusual, because she didn’t get upset when she moved off of her mat and the carpet and onto the tiles. Most of the time she finds them too cold to stay on them for an extended period.
She’s been working on a new face.
Sadly, she’s pretty much outgrown her SnugRide 32, forcing us to move to the next level of car-seat and abandon the infant carriers we’ve been using for the past two years. Her new MyRide looks incredibly comfortable; everyone who’s seen it has wanted to sit in it. She approves.
Beautiful.
That new face looks like a terrible two’s face to me!
(October 8th, 2009 at 4:01 PM)
She hasn’t used it so far for that. I think the one in the swing is more terrible, though.
(October 9th, 2009 at 10:31 AM)