Taylor is sitting!

I've been meaning to write for days with several new developments. I have been feeling very joyful and hopeful as Taylor continues to make good progress with her sitting. I took her to her school yesterday and I was struck with how much progress she has made. Sometimes the steps seem so small, we wonder if we're moving forward, but I was given a gift at her school. You may remember me writing that her first day of school in mid-September was so hard for me - she was the only kid in her class that couldn't sit alone and she seemed so helpless. Now, less than two months later, after hours and hours of therapy she is able to sit unassisted. I wish you could see how hard she has worked for this skill. I hope I never forget her determined perseverance in her therapy and all of the work her team has put into to help her reach this milestone. We still can't leave her sitting alone, because she doesn't have good protective reflexes yet, but that's the next step. For now, I'm so happy she can sit and join the world. Her balance is actually quite good and she can sit for many minutes all by herself - such the big girl. The pictures here show her accomplishment best. At left is her first day of school during circle time - she was tired, so even more relaxed than usual, but definitely had to be held. At right, is her sitting at circle time on Wednesday. It's a back shot because I couldn't leave her to get a front view, but you can see what a great sitter she is! This is a big step for us because it shows she's capable of learning new skills and training her brain pathways to work for her - it definitely wasn't easy, but we're making progress!!!

Our other big news is that she is finally sleeping better!! HALLELUJAH!! After 14 months of very poor sleep, we're finally getting a good night sleep (here and there anyway). David sleep-trained her for a bit while I was in Vancouver for the night and it really worked quickly. On a good night, I only get up once or twice to give her back her binky and she's been sleeping in until 7am. This is an amazing difference and we're all feeling much better. She still has the occasional tough night, but the improvement is wonderful for all of us.

Of course with every smile, this roller coaster of a situation presents challenges along the way. We received Dr. Cowan's written report from her neuro-development appointment and it said she was making "fairly slow progress" with her motor development. I'm sure he typed this quickly without much thought, but it made me quite sad. She has been working so hard and we're all devoting so many hours to her development, and future. I don't know what's fast or slow, but I do know that we're making progress. And we can't get hung up on where she should be, where we'd like her to be, or how quickly we think we should get there. She is such a precious baby and an inspiration in so many ways at her young age. If you could see her struggle with each little skill (holding weight on her hands, opening her thumbs, stretching her arms, and so many more basic movements that most of us take for granted), you would also really appreciate the little things you can do everyday. Our hope is that Taylor never remembers how hard she fought for these skills and can be the carefree, capable girl she deserves to be.

For now, I'm choosing joy and cherising the photographs above as a reminder of how far we've come. I'm certain it's only the beginning.