First time walking in the snow

Welcome to the latest installment in my series "First time walking . . . ".  We had first time walking (back in Feb. '10)---followed by first time walking outside, first time walking at the playground, first time walking at the apple picking place, and now first time walking in the snow.  Others that I haven't mentioned on the blog include: first time walking in the sprinklers, first time walking in New Jersey, first time walking in the lobby of the building, first time walking around the tree on Christmas morning . . .

And I'm unapologetic about drawing out this "First time walking" milestone over the past 11 months, because it's amazing.  I never stop being appreciative about her walk-ability, and I delight in every new experience she gets to have as a walker.

So, today, she got to walk in the snow.  She stood pretty still for a full minute or two, delighted by the snow but unsure of it's walking surface:

(we were just going to the diner, hence no gloves)

But then she became bold, and walked and ran (well, the way that she runs), and yelled at a guy with a shovel (yep.  she's not shy.).  (A little sledding clip is thrown in here, too)

We're terrible apple pickers

Our enthusiasm is unparalleled, but our estimation skills leave much to be desired.

Last year we ended up with a ridiculous amount of apples.   (It's pretty mind boggling to look back at that post and see that she was still drinking bottles, not walking, not even standing independently, and just learning to sign milk. My my, how much can change in a year.)

This year, ever so slightly less. 

(By the time I took this picutre I had already starting a big crockpot of applesauce, so we really had a 1 bowl decrease from 2011-2010.)

What can I say?  The sweet cidery smell of the apples that have already fallen under the tree, the cool-enough-for-long sleeves weather, the sun shining down on us . . . it's hard not to stay for hours.  And then it happens subconciously . . . while I'm still here, I may as well just pick a few more apples . . . that one is so nice and pink . . . I wonder if I can reach that one up so high . . . and so on until we're overflowing a bit.

For two years now, Dave says a lot of "Just a few more!" while we're picking . . .  and then "Holy cow, that's a lot of apples" as I'm hoisting them out of the stroller and onto the counter to pay.  At least applesauce freezes well. 


Last year, Maya mostly traveled in the stroller.  This year, she walked :)

And fell.

No big deal!  I'm nearly a professional faller :)

She tried apples for the first time in feeding therapy this week (and was able to chew them!).  Talk about perfect timing.

This was primarily apple licking, but it's still super cute.

I love hanging out with my cousin!

A good time was had by the whole family :)

Maya!  I swear, once this kid learns a joke she never forgets it.  Ever.

Here we come, walking down the street (for real!)*

Back in November I had a similarly titled post, in which Maya got to "walk" Parker from her stroller.  It was very cute. (Parker looks so much smaller in that video, by the way.)

But you know what's cuter than that?

Maya really walking Parker.  She's on her 2 feet, he's on his 4 feet, and she's in charge (for better or worse).  (Parker is clearly not convinced that we're actually letting her be in charge.  He keeps shooting me glances like, "Really?  Just stick totally with her?  You don't want me to heel to you?")



Although Maya seemed pretty confident that she could open the door herself, I thought I should help her out.  So here we were after we made it inside:  (This one is long, but there are many cute moments, so I'm not cutting it down.)



The best parts:
0:30, when she sits at the window and kicks up her feet.  Too cute.
0:40, when she calls Parker because he's starting to wander off.  Show him who's in charge!
0:45, when I tell her to tell Parker to sit, and she stands up and holds up 1 finger---that's our "sit" signal :)
0:51, when she suddenly decides that it's time to move along (because, as it turns out, she remembered that on the walk home we told her we would get the mail when we got home)
1:26, because falling down is no big deal.
1:42, when she's just pulling him along on an adventure, and the size comparison of him walking behind her makes it look like she's leading a pony out to a field somewhere.

I guess the whole thing is pretty darn adorable :)

Winners, a loser, and Twitter

Winners:  Dave, Maya & I had a great weekend :)

1.  Lots of playground time, some dog park time, general happiness and soaking-in-the-sunshine:

I love to climb so high . . . and Daddy's a great spotter. 

 I made it to the top!

Blowin' kisses to Mommy on the ground

We've taken to sitting anywhere.  Right in the middle of the action for a milk break?  No problem.  It's kind of strangely liberating to just sit right down wherever you please.

2.  We went to a birthday party today and Maya got to wear a dress!  Of course, this is not her first time ever wearing a dress, but it kind of was the first time that she really got to wear a dress.  Before, she wore dresses to events that either a) would have her in our arms/in a highchair the whole time (like out to dinner at a restaurant)  or b) would be in a safe enough place that we could tuck the dress into her diaper cover and let her crawl around like that.  But now she's walking!  And she can wear a dress to a party and walk around in it.  Pretty amazing (and pretty adorable, too).

It doesn't get any sweeter than this, does it?

Loser:  Parker did not have the best weekend.

A totally accidental dog park incident left him cut up.  And now until the skin heals he remains banished from the dog park (since I don't want any dirt to get in the wound).  Good news is that it's healing very quickly.  Poor dude.

Ouch.  Parker, by the way, is still obviously crazy about the ramp.

Twitter?

Since the whole Kristi Yamaguchi twitter thing, I've been wondering what the deal is with twitter.  Then someone asked me last week if I'm on twitter.  Truth be told, I'm not even sure if I should be capitalizing Twitter . . . I'm not twitterliterate (twitterate?).  But it got me curious about who reads here and is into Twitter----please take a moment and cast a vote in the new poll (upper left corner).  Thanks!

PS.  If you didn't see the Helen Keller video that I posted on the blog's Facebook page, you have to go check it out.  It's totally amazing and inspiring!

Simple certainty & Kristi Yamaguchi. Wait, what? Kristi Yamaguchi?

In 1992 Kristi Yamaguchi won the gold medal for figure skating at the Olympics.  Weirdly, I clearly remember the bio piece that they played before she skated.  In it, they talked about how she was born with foot/leg problems and had to wear casts, braces, special shoes  (I just wikipedia'd to fortify my 12 yr old memory, and she was born with club feet.)  They talked about how her parents always knew she would walk and run, and that she started skating as a form of physical therapy.  I (along with most of the country, probably) thought "Wow!  Good for her!  And good for her parents, for always having hope and never giving up!" 

Kristi Yamaguchi with casted legs/feet.  I'm not BFFs with her or anything, I just found this on Google images.

I mean, I was 12.  I saw a picture of a little girl with casted legs and thought, how can any parent look at their casted up child and keep the faith that she will walk and run and jump?  I marveled at their hope and faith. 

But maybe they didn't have hope or faith. 

Maybe they just knew. 

I have a child with splints and a walker, who passed by her first and second birthdays without taking her first steps . . . but I can absolutely say that from the first times that I saw her stand and play, I've known Maya will walk. 

Without a doubt.   100%.  She would walk.  It might take a few months, or a few years.  She may need giant leg braces or walkers or crutches for a long while.  But she'll walk.  (And although we're not there yet, I also know that she'll run and she'll climb stairs.  It will come.) 

Not faith.  Not hope.  Not bravado.  Just simple certainty.

The same simple way that you know that spring follows winter, I knew that someday Maya would walk. 

Before we got to the walking, there was waiting, stretching, taping, splinting, laying on the mats and doing exercises.  Propping her to stand at the coffee table and play standing up, shuffling just out of reach and lifting her feet for her to feel a step.  Pulling to stand, then sitting.  Pulling to stand, then sitting.  Enticing her to cruise along the side of the couch by carrying my laptop to the end, then tricking her to go back and cruise the other way. 

There was work.  There was practice. 

There was the mental  marking of an infinite number of baby step celebrations (Her foot didn't turn like that yesterday!  She couldn't get up so quickly a week ago!)

But there was quiet, patient certainty.  I wasn't hoping she would walk, I wasn't kidding myself or keeping my chin up,  I just knew she would.  Clear, simple knowledge. 

How did I know?  I could see it.  I'm with her all the time.  I can see tiny shifts in her abilities that many, many people would miss.  While strangers might see that she falls over 7 times at the playground, I see that she caught herself with her hands 7 times (!), and she's not tipping over backwards as often. 

They see the things that she has trouble doing, and I see how far she's come.

They see the things that she can't do yet, and I see that this month she can do things that were inconceivable 2 months back.

They see a girl held back by splints and a walker, and I see a girl who is zooming (sometimes too quickly for her own good) around a mall.

They see disabilities, and I see new abilities. 

And I'm not judging them for it . . . really, how could an outsider see it any other way?  They see her walker and her, um,  interesting new way of taking steps (she looks like she's rock climbing as she walks---hands and arms in the air as she overcompensates for her weak core by using her arms to help her go) and it really jumps out that she's working harder than the average toddler to get around.  It's easy to see her challenges, but it's impossible to see how far she's come.

Hands up, like she's climbing rocks, to help her move and balance

But I see it all the time.  And luckily, it doesn't matter much to me what other people think she'll be able to do (well, except for Dave.  But that's for another post,  maybe a "part 2"). 

I would bet that there are a lot of other moms out there who feel the same way.  Although I had the idea for this post a while ago, I waited until she was actually walking to speak my mind, just in case there were any sweetly sympathetic readers out there who might respond with the cheery "Oh, Dana, of course she'll walk!  Keep the faith!  Fight the fight!  Keep smiling!"  I love the positivity, but it kind of misses the point for this.

What's the point again?

I guess the point is that parents are often gathering massive amounts of qualitative data on their kids (oh, my science nerdiness is showing, isn't it?).  We remember the past, and we're proud of where we are today.  (If you see a toddler with a walker at the playground, don't feel bad for that kid---she's happy to be moving independently.  And don't feel bad for the mom, as she's likely excited that the walker is working, and wondering how she can help her kid get up the stairs to follow the other kids.) 

Also, we can see the future.  Kind of.  Sometimes it's just easy to see the road our kids are walking on, and we can be totally certain of something that you may think we're wishing and praying for.  Sometimes, for us, it's easy to see.

(And lest anyone roll their eyes and think "This must be easy to write, now that Maya is taking her first steps and all", I'll throw another one out there.  Maya will talk some day.  I'm completely sure.  Maybe not until she's 5 or 6-or later- but she wants to, and she tries.  Someday her muscles will catch up, and words will come.  I don't say it boldly, or as a dare, it's just a simple truth . . . after summer comes fall, and someday Maya will talk.  Simple.)

New pictures

are up on the Facebook page (which is set to public, so you can go and check them out even if you're not on Facebook).  It's just easier to quickly upload there :)

Pics include highlights of the week (literally and figuratively)---a few from Maya's first time walking outside, then first time walking at the playground, then my first time back in the salon since this little debacle.  Yeah, that was almost a year ago . . . don't most people get highlights once a year?

First time walking outside :)

I'm too lazy to upload the pictures---but she was very interested in the bushes and the dirt.  A whole new experience, to walk outside!

Here's a quick cell phone video from right before we headed back inside:



If you just see an empty spot, click the play button and the video will appear.

See Maya walk. Walk, Maya, walk!

I had a rough morning, a not-so-great preschool tour (more on that some other time).

Maya must have known that I needed some cheering up . . . she decided to show off her walking skills (more than I've ever seen).

A few things:

1. If you have your sound on, you can hear her "talk" :)
2. It looks like she's going to crack her head on the wall, but don't worry, she doesn't (I'm letting you know so you can watch without cringing)
3. I love how she knows where the barn is, even though I don't.
4. See how she peeks around the doorway (1:04) instead of going into the room?  And then she keeps glancing to her left when we're in the spare room?  That's because she's suddenly become very wary of the snake----she points to the cage, wants someone to walk over with her and look at the snake, etc.  We don't watch tv (so she's never seen a scary snake) and keep puzzling over why she's suddenly nervous . . . and then we realized that one of her favorites books (Dear Zoo) talks about a snake being "too scary"!  I think that's where it's coming from.  How smart is she?!

She walked! Like, for real!

So it turns out that Maya can walk from the table to the couch . . . who knows how long she's been harboring this secret skill.   Clearly, she's never cared enough to get the job done before.  But tonight?  Well, tonight Dave & I were setting up her new iPad (thank you, Grandma Lainey & Grandpa Joe!) and we put on a few Sesame Street videos.

Well, that got her attention real quick.

The first time she did it we were speechless, but for the second time we had the video camera ready:



As always, if you see an empty box and a play button, just click play and the video will appear.
:)

Let me see you 1, 2 step*

We have an announcement!

(Maya just needs to proofread the sign first)

That's right, people!  Maya took her first steps today!

Oh, it was so much fun!

We were on the floor.  I kept standing her up and letting go, then asked her to step towards me---and she did!  (And collapsed on to me)  Then we did it again, then again . . . and then I grabbed my cell phone to try to get it on tape for Dave :) 

Warning: To watch this video, you must hold your head (or computer) at a 90 degree angle.  Also, if your volume is up you'll hear me screeching a bit.  But it's totally worth it.




(As usual, if you only see empty space with a play button under it, click "play" and the video will come in)

Walking & Talking

Walking:

Maya's got a mind of her own.  She knows what she wants, and now that she can steer her little stroller (which she's able to maneuver better than the more medical looking baby walker), she's able to go after it, too.

(I could upload 700 pictures like this.  I'm so excited that she suddenly is motivated to move vertically that I can't help but giggle and take a million pictures when we're out and she's (almost) walking!)

Sometimes she wants to wander around the basketball courts:

If I sit like that, I can scoot myself along on the stroller . . . I feel like a big kid .  I wanted to throw my arms up and go "Whhhheeeee!"  

But things got a little dicey  when she found a flight of stairs that she really wanted to go down.  Really, really wanted to go down.

We tried to explain that stroller + stairs = trouble, but she wasn't interested in listening.  Luckily, she's 2 and easily distractable, so the tears didn't last long at all :)

Talking:

We were on our way to Trader Joe's the other day and Maya was babbling up a storm---she loves to chatter in the car (maybe because we're not focusing on her and she's trying to join in with our conversations?).  Anyway, most people---even her speech therapists---don't get to hear Maya "talk" often . . . she really seems silent to most people.  She's always watching and listening, but she doesn't use her voice much . . . so we're happy to let you all hear her "talk".

I'm not sure what happened with the cell phone video recording thing, but somehow the sound is on a delay---you see her mouth move, but the sound doesn't come for a few seconds.  It makes more sense if you click the "play" button and then just listen, instead of watching.

Clearly, her expressive language (able to use her voice to express herself) isn't so great.  But her receptive language (her understanding of us) is actually very good.  You can see a little taste of that here, as Dave talks to her about her cow.

Speaking of cows, guess what we saw when we got to Trader Joe's:



A picture post

Because it's Friday, I'm feeling lazy, and I don't have much to say.  In no particular order, some recent photos:

Just going for a stroll with my Grandpa . . .  

I love givin' my cousin Emerson a big kiss! (This pic is like a week old, but I'm sneaking it in here because it's so cute.)

 Mommy, you look ridiculous.

Why are you people always messin' with me?  (New placement of TheraTog straps to try to get her to not lock her knees.)

Seriously, I am simply adorable.

Is this some sort of bizarre flashback?  No, we're just crazy.  Maya loves the taste of home made applesauce so much that we're buying up cheap bags of apples to make & freeze it.  Who wants to come over and peel apples?

Freedom!

We got outside today!  More than once!  And got some great videos, too.

Maya is in motion with the pushable stroller! I especially enjoy the surprise meeting at the end of the video :)

(if you don't see the video, just click the play button and it will appear)



She's moving, but needs help with the steering. So when she stops we point and say, "Maya, do you want to go over there, or that way?". She'll point, and we adjust the stroller so that she can walk in a straight line towards her choice. Then we follow.

Even if she chooses to go somewhere weird:


Also, Amsterdam International is getting around.  Here are some links:

http://downsyndromepregnancy.org/holland-and-its-offspring/
http://specialchildren.about.com/b/2010/10/09/leaf-animals-and-more-fun-things-to-do.htm
http://ianandchase.blogspot.com/2010/10/amsterdam-international.html

Weekend update

Friday:
Dave wins husband-of-the-year when he shows up from work bearing flowers, and a new Starbucks cup!  My old one (which was my 2nd) had a small crack somewhere, and coffee was trapped between the plastic layers and starting to get gross.  I have 2 big iced coffees per day, so it's hard to live without, and stupid Starbucks does not make enough of these cups to go around (the smaller ones are less tough to find---but I need venti).  He put the flowers in the cup (like a vase) and I was so psyched about the flowers that I didn't even realize I was holding a new cup.  Hee hee.  Well done, Dave :)

Saturday:

I had a great time reuniting with a bunch of girls from high school (I'm an all-girls Catholic high school survivor) back at the school for a cocktail party honoring an old friend of mine who passed away in 2008.  It was nice to actually catch up with people (vs. Facebook catching up with people) and see everyone again.  Also, it was lovely to get together and remember a wonderful friend.  I would share pictures of the event, except I didn't bring my camera.  (Actually, that's a lie, but it sounds more normal than "I brought my camera but was so busy yapping that I never took it out of the bag".)

Sunday:
Maya & I went into the city with Dave, who had a show.  We got to meet up with our friend Liz and her daughter, Leah, who we haven't seen in a while.  Leah was so cute, saying "Maya.  Maya, hi." :)  Maya was her usual self---shy and silent for 3/4 of the visit, then suddenly coming alive and wanting to play right at departure time. 

And then there was LOST. 

Monday:

I'm suffering from a LOST hangover.  I got way too excited (and confused) this morning when I saw an email from LOST in my inbox . . .  which I then realized was from LOFT (as in, Ann Taylor LOFT).  Talk about being deflated.  And I thought I pretty much wrapped my head around everything until a conversation with a friend left me wondering if I had misunderstood the whole deal.  Sigh.

In an effort to distract ourselves, Maya & I did some art projects after this morning's busy-ness (PT, walk, dog park, OT).

She thinks finger paint is fun (and tasty, if you noticed the spots on her lip) . . .

I'm not sure, but I think she may have rubbed her eye while I wasn't looking . . .

After finger painting, we tried walking with the stroller, which worked out pretty well!  Maya, walking solo, for the first time ever on tape:   (At the end I ask her to say "Hi, Daddy!" and she actually does sign it---a quick wave for "hi" and then the sign for "Dad".)





And Parker is growing like a weed.  Here is the picture from the day after we got him, and one from 1 month later.  Ignore the fact that Maya looks drunk in the second picture, it was the end of a long day :)