What Olivia is doing these days

Olivia has become very active since turning one year old! She is a pro at army crawling backward, pivoting, and rolling to get where she wants to go. She cannot go forward, and thus gets stuck when she runs into furniture or walls, but indecent days she has been trying to reach forward more and push with her legs. She is not going forward, but has the idea that forward exists and that it would be useful. Mommy spends a lot of time getting Olivia unstuck these days, as well as showing Olivia that forward is an option. We all are working on supported kneeling and bench sitting with Olivia, to help her with the bent knee position that she needs for crawling. This builds the muscles she needs as well as makes the neural connections to bend her legs. Preemies tend toward being extensor as they left their cramped quarters in the womb too early. We swaddled Olivia for nearly 2 months with her knees bent, and that probably helped prevent major issues. We also fought back arching early in olivia's life, and I think that the the therapies for that issue helped the extensor issue as well.

Olivia finally started clapping the other day! We had been working on this forever! But between low muscle tone and short arms it was not going well. Now she loves to clap and does a fine job! Yesterday while I wad preparing her meal, she sat at her sing a long stage and started clapping everytime they sang if you're happy and you know it clap your hands! And! She figured that out by herself! We did not teach her that! (but I wonder if Grandma did? I will have to ask.)

Olivia is not very interested in sleep these days. Where did our good sleeper go. I hope she returns soon! We are weaning her from her bedtime bottle as it seems to slow her progress to sleep and is not a necessary part of our soothing ritual any longer, as she seems soothed best by her stack of bedtime books.

All this activity has a slimming effect! Mommy had to add more calories for mommy, and Olivia is moving her pudginess around to more flattering locations! :-)