An Amazing Day

Where used to marking new milestones with Allie. Her recovery has amazed everyone that has contributed to it. But we have never experienced as many new things in one day with Allie as we have today.

We bought Allie a new little chair to feed her in - on that we could use anywhere in the house and also take places. Susan was feeding her in it and put a little "Q" shaped teething ring on the tray. She went for it with her left hand and picked it up. This demonstrates two things: she was able to see the orange toy on the white tray and she was able to coordinate picking it up with her left hand. This is new stuff. I can't wait to tell her phys. therapy people tomorrow. The charming and beautiful Susan and I are arguing over who gets to take her to deliver the news.


Ever since we brought Allie home last June, we've not been able to give her a bath. She only gets sponge baths. She terrified of the tub and, it seems, being immersed in water. Last week, the charming and beautiful Susan brought home a plastic kitty litter box from Target to fill with water at bath time so we can put her feet in it and gradually get her used to the water. And we wanted to get that funk out from between her toes that only a good scrubbing will remove. Today Allie got her whole bath in that little tub. Not a sponge bath. A bath bath. You know, like the difference between how Presbyterians and Baptists do baptism. One sprinkles and one immerses. Before today, Allie was sprinkled and sponged. Today, Allie was immersed and bathed.

Later today, we took Allie to the grocery store in her little umbrella stroller. We have not ever been able to push her around a store in a stroller. Not ever. She always had a melt down whenever we tried so we quit trying. Friends had given us beautiful strollers. But since Allie only seems to see with her peripheral vision, our really nice strollers limited her visual input. So we went out, again to Target, and picked out el cheapo umbrella stroller and Allie loves it. She loves the rough ride the cheap wheels deliver and the unrestricted, sitting-straight-up view she gets. I've been taking her to the corner park every day and today we went into a busy, heavy on the visual and auditory stimuli grocery store, and she did great. No melt down. We were walking on air.


Finally, for months we've been trying to get her to drink juice. She were unsuccessful with juice in a bottle so we tried a sippy cup and she just didn't want to know about it. She flat refused. That and choked. She used to the consistency and flavor of her milk and anything different was just too big of a change. But today she drank juice from a sippy cup with a silicone nipple that has to be bitten to deliver the goods. And she loved it. And we loved it.

We attribute all of this progress to your prayers for Allie over the past year, God's goodness, and Allie's stubborn refusal to give up.

Hi, Grandma

Grandma Yolanda is missing me so much. She thinks my Pop-pop is a slacker 'cause he hasn't posted any pictures of me lately.

But Pop-pop has been waiting for just the perfect pictures of me since everything I do is so cute. Pop-pop takes it for granted just how cute I am and probably passes up on some really good pictures that Grandma Yolanda would like.

Sometimes Pop-pop needs to be encouraged to put pictures and to write things about me. Sometimes he needs to be nagged. Sometimes you just need to use a little guilt on him. I just bite him.

I have this new stroller. I now have three strollers but I refuse to ride in anything that cost more than twelve dollars. There are starving kids in Africa. All I need is a simple ride.

If you look closely at this picture you'll notice that I'm sporting shoes now. A kid at the park said something to her momma about me going everywhere in socks and ever since that day, Pop-pop has ben putting these shoes on me. Now my feet are less cold and blue.

So, if you see my Grandma Yolanda down in Florida, give her a big hug from me.

SHE DID IT!

"Did you do that?" asked the charming and beautiful Susan?

"Do what?"

"Put her on her back?"

"Nope," says me.

Apparently, while we were gabbing, Allie rolled over from her belly onto her back. That's a first!

Susan's workin' her

I'm so proud of the charming and beautiful Susan. She is so faithful to work with Allie every day on her speech, crawling, rolling over, sight education, motor skills development, you name it. And Allie responds so well. Everything the therapists give us to do as homework, Susan diligently applies.

But what she cares about most is that tonight a new episode of The Office airs.

Beanbag

We bough Allie this beanbag chair. Actually, I bought all two of the beanbag chairs they had stocked at our local Target.

This is the first time Allie has had fun in the chair. Everything new takes a little getting used to with Allie. Once we figure out a way to turn something into a game, she digs it.

This is definitely the cutest baby ever.

Vindicated

Allie said "ma-ma" today. So she's on a roll.

Pa-pa

I'm pretty sure Allie said "Pa-pa" this morning. And the charming and beautiful Susan confessed that she's pretty sure she said "pa-pa" the other day. But she kept that information to herself since both Charity and Aaron said "da-da" before they "ma-ma" which makes me 3 for 3.

Jealousy is one of the seven sins, Honey.

Of course, it's humbling to know that they all said "ba-ba" (translated "bottle") long before they addressed any people/parents by name. So I guess we know where we exist on the children's list of priorities.