A brief update on Mia in the new year
I've been remiss about mentioning what's going on in Mia's world and how she's doing. Just some quick updates:
She is communicating much better, and learning new words, it seems, every day. She's still stuck on one sentence ("I want _______, please!"), but she is saying more words. Her latest is "knuckles," which Krys told her once and she instantly learned. She still calls knuckles "boo-boos" (why, I don't know) until we say that they're not boo-boos, and then she smiles and says, very proudly, "knuckles." Knuckles are the coolest thing ever, apparently. She's also paying more attention to books and television (unfortunately - not the books part, of course, but the television part). What's nice about the television part is that she remembers which DVDs she likes and asks for them. She also is getting much better at reading along, even though she can't read, just remember the text. And when I read to her at night, she pays attention, even though she often doesn't act like it. I'm currently reading The Odyssey to her, and occasionally I'll say a word she knows, and she reacts to it. The other night someone sneezed, and she said "Ah choo!" and smiled. Last night someone danced, and she began bopping back and forth. So it's kind of neat that she's paying attention, because her attention span is still not where we'd like it.
She's still not eating terribly well, but she's been drinking like crazy, and since we give her chocolate whole milk as well as instant breakfast, she's actually gained some weight, which is important. Last week we were at the doctor's office for Norah's 18-month check-up, and she weighed 35 pounds and was 42 inches long. She doesn't look quite as scrawny as she used to, so that's kind of cool. We still can't figure out how to get her to eat more, because when she does try new things, she often likes them. It's getting her to try things that vexes us.
She has also made great strides (so to speak) with her walking. Ever since August, when she screamed bloody murder when her PT showed up, she has done well. We still can't figure out why she suddenly was okay with him, but we're not unhappy about it! She is zipping around in her gait trainer very easily, and for a couple of months her PT has been making her walk on her own and gradually giving her less help. I hold her hands and he kneels behind her, and these days he just holds her hips and lets her take the steps herself. When she walks, she tends to cross her leg over the other when she takes a step, and that's been a big problem to solve. She's getting to the point now where she puts one foot almost directly in front of the other, which is a big improvement, and a lot of the time, she actually takes a good step. Even if she doesn't, she knows enough how to fix her step, which is nice. We think the communication skills are helping, because she knows more what we're trying to do, and therefore is able to follow directions better. She still has problems with her hips collapsing, and that's going to be the biggest issue with her (beyond her balance, which might always be an issue) as we try to get her more ambulatory. But she's working hard, and that's a good thing.
So that's Mia these days. She's also interacting with Norah more as her sister gets older and more independent. They have problems sharing, like all kids, but they get along pretty well. We're waiting for that to change!
More information will be forthcoming as it comes up!
She is communicating much better, and learning new words, it seems, every day. She's still stuck on one sentence ("I want _______, please!"), but she is saying more words. Her latest is "knuckles," which Krys told her once and she instantly learned. She still calls knuckles "boo-boos" (why, I don't know) until we say that they're not boo-boos, and then she smiles and says, very proudly, "knuckles." Knuckles are the coolest thing ever, apparently. She's also paying more attention to books and television (unfortunately - not the books part, of course, but the television part). What's nice about the television part is that she remembers which DVDs she likes and asks for them. She also is getting much better at reading along, even though she can't read, just remember the text. And when I read to her at night, she pays attention, even though she often doesn't act like it. I'm currently reading The Odyssey to her, and occasionally I'll say a word she knows, and she reacts to it. The other night someone sneezed, and she said "Ah choo!" and smiled. Last night someone danced, and she began bopping back and forth. So it's kind of neat that she's paying attention, because her attention span is still not where we'd like it.
She's still not eating terribly well, but she's been drinking like crazy, and since we give her chocolate whole milk as well as instant breakfast, she's actually gained some weight, which is important. Last week we were at the doctor's office for Norah's 18-month check-up, and she weighed 35 pounds and was 42 inches long. She doesn't look quite as scrawny as she used to, so that's kind of cool. We still can't figure out how to get her to eat more, because when she does try new things, she often likes them. It's getting her to try things that vexes us.
She has also made great strides (so to speak) with her walking. Ever since August, when she screamed bloody murder when her PT showed up, she has done well. We still can't figure out why she suddenly was okay with him, but we're not unhappy about it! She is zipping around in her gait trainer very easily, and for a couple of months her PT has been making her walk on her own and gradually giving her less help. I hold her hands and he kneels behind her, and these days he just holds her hips and lets her take the steps herself. When she walks, she tends to cross her leg over the other when she takes a step, and that's been a big problem to solve. She's getting to the point now where she puts one foot almost directly in front of the other, which is a big improvement, and a lot of the time, she actually takes a good step. Even if she doesn't, she knows enough how to fix her step, which is nice. We think the communication skills are helping, because she knows more what we're trying to do, and therefore is able to follow directions better. She still has problems with her hips collapsing, and that's going to be the biggest issue with her (beyond her balance, which might always be an issue) as we try to get her more ambulatory. But she's working hard, and that's a good thing.
So that's Mia these days. She's also interacting with Norah more as her sister gets older and more independent. They have problems sharing, like all kids, but they get along pretty well. We're waiting for that to change!
More information will be forthcoming as it comes up!
posted by Greg at
4:57 PM
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