An Update, Two Years Three Months

Ada is now two years and three months. For our own record and for those who are on a similar journey after I'd like to give some updates on how Ada is doing.

About two weeks ago I started to notice a change in Ada. She seemed to be whining less and became more communicative. There are several reasons why this could be happening. If only we knew which ones! It seems her teeth are mostly in so she isn't gnawing on her hand like a crazy girl. She is a chronic teether and I feel so badly for her. Her sisters got their teeth in early and quick so this phase never bothered us before.

Standing on her step stool

Ada has a charming whine that droans on and on. At certain times of the day I had to take deep breaths to get through until bed time. A lot of times I believe she is just bored. She can't do certain things due to low muscle tone but her brain is more advanced than her body. If a visitor comes by they would never guess she whined. She engages and loves to be with them. As a Mom, I can only sit on the floor for so much time. Its quite the balancing act of stimulating Ada and getting necessary tasks done.

Ada is a sponge when it comes to American Sign Language (ASL). She has surpassed the Baby Signing Time videos we have viewed and is now onto the elementary school ago videos that can now be seen on Netflix. A few weeks ago is when we switched over to these videos and I think this could be one factor of why her whining has been reduced. She can tell us what she wants and she loves learning.

Ada loves to read and she knows she can get Daddy to read to her at almost any given moment. She reaches up real high and signs "book" and then she says "Buh?" She has this way of tilting her head all cute to make her more irresistable. She now signs quite a few books and knows what is coming before we turn the page.

During the week Ada attends a Parent Tot class where she likes to sing songs. I am pretty sure she believes she is conducting everyone who attends. Every week there is a teacher, a social worker, a speech therapist and either an occupational therapist or physical therapist in attendance. There are four students so the adult ratio outnumbers the children. Some of these same people come to our home for an hour on another day and we work on some of the things we are learning in class as well as talk about Ada's specific needs. 

Recently, we have acquired a device called "Go Talk" to help Ada communicate. She signs most of the words given but its to help her get used to the idea of pushing a button to communicate and helps her to hear the word over and over. Soon she will acquire a 32 button device that will be more of a challenge for her.

Because Ada isn't walking yet we have been going to physical therapy at the local hospital since last year around this time. So many times I've wanted to give up on going but I know that if we didn't go I wouldn't be doing those same exercises with her at home. For one, we don't have the equipment but I also believe it sets the time aside for us to be intentional in helping her grow stronger.

Right now I am working on a few things for Ada and I hope we grow or find the solution soon.

     * Ada loves to throw her cup on the ground when she's done. We've tried a number of things to get her to keep it on her tray but she is not willing to obey. She looks at us with this blank stare as she tosses it away. It is very aggravating!

     * Ada seems to eat a smaller variety of foods than her sisters did at this age. I'm not sure if its because she is picky or has weak oral motor skills. It could also go along with her defiance of throwing her cup.

     * We are working on more ways to expose her to help with speech.

     * Most likely, Ada will be crawling again this summer. We are looking for a good knee pad so she stops blowing holes through her pants and will be more comfortable crawling on cement and grass.

     * We are praying about how much therapy to do over the summer. It would be nice ot take time off but there is that looming thought of "Now is the time!"

So, there's the update! If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to comment!