Leah gets into her carseat by herself (and climbs into the car by herself)! I had her start working on this before Rebekah was born so I didn't have to lift her up while pregnant. If you lead her to the door, she'll climb up and into her seat, she tries to get her arm straps around her and pulls the buckle out from under her for you to buckle her. She even says, "buckle". Recently, I forgot to buckle her, and she grabbed my hand and put it to the buckle. Not only smart, she's safe, too!
Leah walked holding hands with her cousin! It was truly a moment of hope fulfilled. Not necessarily that Leah would walk without an adult, but that Leah would walk with a friend. Even thinking about it now, it brings tears to my eyes. As a parent of a child with special needs you look at the "normal" moments in life differently. Making a friend and going for a walk are wonderful milestones in a typically developing child, but in a child with special needs, it is a monumental occasion. We have prayed for a moment like that. We have worried and fretted, wondering what things Leah would do in her life and have had to turn those fears over to the Lord. Praise God that He cares for us enough to take our fears and give us even the smallest of desires, like watching our child walk with another child.
Leah walked up the stairs to the front door by herself! I walked her to them, led her to the railing and she just started walking up the steps before I could even grab her hand to help her. So, I just let her go, and up she went (6 steps).
Leah is saying words and phrases! You can often hear her repeating things we have said, but she also has things that she frequently says: "Bekah", "Leah", "change your diaper", "up the stairs", "brush"(hairbrush), "buckle" (seatbelt), "bus", "strawberry", "more", "done", "go". I'm sure there are more, but those are all I can think of right now. Still no "Mama" or "Dada", but we are hopeful!
Leah helps put on and take off her clothes! She's good at taking off all of her clothes (with a little help starting) and shoes. She will put her arms through her sleeves and pull a shirt down. She even tries to get her shoes on her feet and has been successful a time or two! We're still working on pulling pants up, but I think that will get easier when she starts standing independently.
Leah has started using utensils to feed herself! She will hold a fork or spoon (which was a big battle!) and is getting very good at finding her mouth without losing food! She needs help stabbing and scooping, but it is sure helpful to have her doing anything! She is also drinking from all straws now! For a very long time, she has been unwilling to drink from anything other than soft, rubbery straws. This means we have ALWAYS had to have a sippy cup for Leah, whether we are going to a friend's house or to a restaurant. Now, it's not the end of the world if we forget her sippy cup!
Leah has been using the potty! I bought a potty a few months ago, mostly as a stool for me to sit on during bath time while I was pregnant. When I got it, I tried having Leah sit on it, and she was not at all interested in even sitting on it, much less doing anything else. So, after her birthday, we decided to try it again. This time, when we tried, we made sure we had books and toys ready to distract her. She was much more willing to sit and even went. We got her a potty that plays music when it's used, and when we heard that music, we were all shocked! Leah jumped and Stephen and I got very excited! Since then, she has been very willing and will go almost every time we sit her on it (as long as we catch her before she goes in her diaper!).
We are so proud of our girl and can't believe all she is doing now! Leap Leah, Leap!
Fantastic posts. I love every word! I am so amazed along with you at all of her leaps! She is just our sweet Leah and I am sure she will continue to amaze us forever!
ReplyDeleteGrandma Jeanie