Therapy Ball /24"

Olivia checked out the big 24" therapy ball at PT today.  She loved it and it provided her  a more dynamic standing experience as it moves with her as opposed to the bar which is stationary.  

Daddy was thrilled with what he saw, and in a matter of days a package will arrive with Olivia's own ball for home.
 We will get her walking yet!  And it is fun to work with her towards this major milestone.
Her therapist is the other person in the photo. Olivia still loves her therapists very much.  They are gentle and soft spoken and patient with her. Just the way she likes it.  When Olivia was doing OT she saw her PT go through the room and she took off after her.  This has thus far been a so much better experience for all of us than the way that Olivia did not take well to her early on therapists, even though they were indeed quite qualified and experienced.  Olivia simply did not click with them.

Movement Sample

I wanted to show the physical therapist a sampling of what Olivia is doing at home in the gross motor area. Here is the sample video I put together.

Some recent photos from January

Realizing that I have written very little during January, I thought I would upload a few photos and try to fill you in on what January has been for us.  Olivia had a 24 hours stomach bug a week ago. She is fine, but it does set her back in the sensory issues of eating.  We are now going to Therapy at the hospital. It is going great! Olivia loves her OT and PT!  Olivia is so brave and friendly there! So good to see!  At therapy we are working on learning about Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). This is extremely common with Ds.  Olivia has this, but not as severe as we have heard some stories about.  So I am reading some books on SPD and learning how we can help Olivia more at home. One thing is that we are encouraging more old fashioned play, and have ruled battery powered toys for gross motor motivation and for when she needs a break (or mommy needs to get laundry started).

Olivia received this drum from her Grandparents M for Christmas. She is getting better and better at it.  It turns out that banging on a drum and listening to us banging on a drum will help her Auditory SPD.  And it is fun! What is not more old fashioned than drumming on a drum!  Notice that Olivia is sitting on her scooter car from Grandparents B. Olivia has discovered that it works great to get her around in a upright position since she is not yet walking.  Olivia likes to motor herself to her shelf and play.  PT encourages her scooter car as it is strengthening her legs, hips and torso.
And it too is Fun!

After Therapy, we stop by the cafeteria for a quick snack! Olivia is starving by this point!
And when we are driving home, she quickly takes a nap!  Therapy is fun, but tiring!

I know Olivia is making a funny face, but she loves playing on her blue ball.  It is strengthening her muscles too, and we are seeing her hips getting stronger so that maybe one day she may just crawl on all fours as opposed to her belly crawling position. Olivia is still adding words and signs to her communication.  When she wants to play with her blue ball, she speaks blue ball.  Now it doesn't sound so clear, but when you take it in context, one really knows that she is trying to say blue ball!  She can also say ball popper, but that toy has been locked up in the closet!!!! (I think it became a "safe place to hide" and not do the more challenging work that she is very capable of doing. As a parent, I want her to have fun. But I also want her to not limit herself to the easy work, when she can enjoy the more challenging work. But given a choice, Olivia will choose easy. I also think that the ball popper is not good for her SPD right now. She loves her ball popper though.)

Making progress in moving on all fours. She cannot crawl, but is pivoting and hopping forward a few inches.

Olivia LOVES LOVES LOVES her car! 

And for one of her battery powered toys, she has a Leap Frog cell phone.
She really loves this and we pretend to call Grandma! Olivia has become a great mimic! 

This was the first time I showed Olivia her sensory box.  It is a 3 gallon bin filled with rice and kidney beans. I have stuck a few beach toys into the box.  Olivia screamed!!!!  She was very upset by this!  The next day, I took it into the kitchen. When Daddy showed an interest in reaching into the box, then so did Olivia. But not for long.  (This is all SPD work.  Olivia is tactile defensive we think. But we know that she has always been very cautious around new things and toys)  We need to try this box again today and see if it goes better. Then we need to try it everyday that follows.   We very much need to get a sandbox this summer!  (Spring actually!)  Just a small plastic one with a cover for starters we think)

Olivia is getting more sturdy and steady on her feet. We bought this exercise bar with mirror as a birthday gift for Olivia. It was money well spent!  Now a days, Olivia spends much time standing, dancing and hopping in front of the mirror.  She is shifting her weight now, and bending her knees. She is not yet moving from side to side to do any cruising.  But we are encouraged that she is doing so much better with weight on her legs.  A year ago, we could not get her to accept any weight at all on her legs. This has been Olivia's biggest challenge.  Hypotonia or low muscle tone can really slow down reaching those major milestones.  I hope she will be walking by 2 years old. But I think that 2 1/2 is more realistic.    In my most hopeful scenario, she is walking by July 4. But she will walk when she walks, and that is fine with me!  It has to be!

Olivia thinks standing in front of a mirror is great fun!

And I think she really has grown fond of the cute little girl in the mirror who always smiles back at her and also has a great sense of humor!

Standing, Dancing, Hip Hop!

Olivia is almost 21 months old. She has always had significant low muscle tone. She is working currently on strengthening her standing muscles in preparation for walking. We use motivating toys to encourage her to stand for longer periods of time. "Dancing" and "'Hopping" encourage her to shift her weight from on foot to the other and bend her knees. Here is a video of some gross motor playtime.

Tea Party

A Short Drum Recital

This mini recital by Olivia is complete with a wave hello greeting, a short drum piece and a closing signing of all done, and she does it all in 19 seconds! Efficient!

18 Teeth!

We now know one of the other reasons that December was such a difficult month and why our Happy Baby O was a not so Happy Baby at all for a while.  Olivia was getting her TWO YEAR OLD molars!  She now has 18 teeth.  Olivia got her two year old molars when she was 19 months old. Now remember that kids with Down syndrome tend to get their teeth late.  Apparently, Olivia did not get the memo. If our sources are correct, one would not expect the two year old molars until 24 month to 33 months.  Olivia still needs her two top eye teeth to get her full 20 teeth.  Ds moms, I think that others reading this blog would find it interesting if you commented on when your little darling got their first tooth and when their two year old molars came in.  With our little darlings with Ds, development in all areas is all over the place.  Olivia is still not walking, even though some of her Ds peers have been walking for some months. Olivia is talking (or at least she is trying to say lots of words)  a lot,  but some of her Ds peers are not.  Each of our dear children with Down syndrome are just like all human beings. We all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses.  

(The way we learned that Olivia has these molars is that when she was screaming bloody murder while the doctor did her ear recheck, I got a good look into her mouth.  I was amazed at what I saw, and then the doctor looked to confirm that I was correct.)

(Emily L., notice the bumble bee)

Olivia had therapy at the hospital Monday (PT and OT) and she has really taken a liking to the new therapists.   Olivia did not click with her  Early Interventions therapists. But these ladies she really likes!  Olivia was even very comfortable belly crawling all over the room exploring, and even took off down the hall.  When other children arrived and the place got chaotic and noisy, she continued to do well.  I think it is good that we go to the hospital for therapy so that she can learn to deal with getting along in a very different environment than home.  I hope that she will be ready for typical preschool by 3 years old.  Therapy at the hospital is one step to her independence from mom and dad, and starting to have Olivia's life outside of home.  Our Baby O is growing up!    Look out world! Here comes Olivia! And Olivia is very good at wearing people out !  (or so the book says!)