Gross Motor and Speech Skills

Clara is making great progress with both gross motor and speech skills.  She is now walking full time and is developing enough balance and confidence to step over objects in her path.  She really wants to run so that she can keep up with the other kids and loves to try and chase us down if we pretend to be running away from her.  In addition to walking, she has become a pretty good climber.  She can climb onto and off of chairs and couches and will attempt to climb up Mommy and Daddy, especially if we are eating a Popsicle or ice cream.  Unfortunately, Clara also figured out how to climb out of her crib Saturday night.  Needless to say, her crib was converted to a toddler bed on Sunday morning.

Coincidentally, Clara's newest favorite phrase is "uh-oh".  She can imitate sounds of certain animals when asked - the elephant is her particular favorite with a pretend trunk added for good measure. She is also beginning to communicate her preference when given choices.  For example, at snack or meal time we will ask if she wants one item or the other (e.g., apple sauce or yogurt) and allow her to communicate her preference.  Her vocabulary consists of a mix of signs and spoken words, although it seems that she relies on signs for words that are difficult for her to speak.  She will clearly pronounce words such as Daddy, doggy, kitty, and book but generally doe not use signs for those words.  In contrast, she will sign words such as eat, more, and bath without verbalization.  With words such as fish, yogurt, and baby, she will both speak and sign the words.

It is fun to watch her personality develop before our eyes.  She desires to be independent and will make us aware of her displeasure if we try to help her with tasks such as feeding.  She loves live performances, puppet shows, plays, music, etc.  Our church youth group recently performed a puppet show sermon and Clara was enthralled.  She often starts dancing when she hears music and offers exciting applause at the end of a performance.   Yesterday she spent an hour having an animated pretend conversation with two of her dolls. 

When we are out an about, Clara loves to wave and say hi to everyone, and gets many smiles in return.  She is an ambassador of happiness and thrives on those smiles that she receives in return.  Thank you to all the wonderful people who see and compliment her beauty and not the visible characteristics of her diagnosis.  While I fear that reactions will be different as Clara grows older, in these moments I am filled with hope as Clara's mere presence brings joy to the hearts of complete strangers.

Clara can also be quite mischievous.  She loves to empty out toy bins and open cabinets, and will take every book of the shelf if you are not paying attention.  Most recently, she figured out that she could open the toilet lid.  In her mind, she had discovered a big bucket of water and decided that it was play time.  Even though I was standing right beside her, she managed to get her arms and hands into the water before I could extract her from the situation.  After a  Lysol wipe and GermX cleaning, I spread the word that bathroom doors had to remain closed at all times.

Fishies!!!

Happy Birthday!! - Clara's New Kitchen

Playing in the Sprinkler on Hot Day!!!

Camping

On Fathers Day weekend, we packed up the car (as full as we possibly could) and headed north to East Harbor State Park for three nights of camping fun.  After receiving 10+ inches of rain in the first half of June, we were fortunate to have three nights without any precipitation, other than the hoards of mayflies.

We checked in and set up on Friday afternoon, then spent Saturday afternoon at Cedar Point.  It comes as no great surprise that Owen likes thrill rides.  He did not hesitate to get on any ride, including some of the bigger spinning rides like the Monster.  Clara also enjoyed the rides she was able to ride.  It was a long, hot day, but the kids did very well.  Fortunately we were able to take a break during the middle of the day at Soak City to cool down and relax a bit.

Set up on site 34A in the no pet, non-electric portion of the campground.  As you can tell, it was not a busy weekend.

Clara lounging in her camp chair while we set up.

Apparently, setting up camp is boring for a two year old. Don't ask me how she managed to get herself turned around without tipping the chair over.

Waiting in line for the boat ride at Cedar Point, and happy to be out of the stroller.

Owen did not hesitate to get on a single ride during his first trip to Cedar Point. 

Owen in front of the Marblehead Lighthouse.  We had not yet discovered all of the cool rocks that he needed to climb on.

Owen and Clara on the cool rocks at the Marblehead Lighthouse.

Owen checking out Lake Erie at from the Marblehead Lighthouse.  He kept referring to the lake as that "big pond".

Another Buckeye Football Fan

Clara - March 2010

Owen - May 2008

Motorcycle Bike

When it finally warmed up enough in March to get rid of the February snow, it was time to get Owen his first two wheel bicycle (not counting the training wheels). He had been practicing on a two wheel bike during the winter, riding in our daycare provider's basement. His winter testing in the basement peaked his desire for a motorcycle bicycle (Owen's words) of his own.

When daylight savings time started, I knew that the after-dinner requests from Owen to play outside and ride bikes would begin. It was time for Owen to have his very own motorcycle bicycle. It was dark by the time I got home with the bike, but Owen insisted that he had to test drive it in the kitchen.

We have been on many trips around the block since then. After the first couple of trips, I decided that I needed to be on my bike also because I was getting tired of sprinting to keep up. Riding behind is an adventure in itself because Owen likes to come to a dead stop at random moments to look at something on the sidewalk or to tell me a random story about his day.

Gymnastics

During January and February, Clara had great fun participating in a Kidnetic Energy gymnastics class. Kidnetic Energy is a non-profit organization in central Ohio that offers dance and gymnastics classes specifically for children with special needs. Clara was reluctant during the first few classes, but she slowly came out of her shell and started to enjoy participation in the various activities. She is currently enrolled in the spring class and becomes more daring with each class.

Our thanks go out to the instructors, volunteers, and the facility for the generous donation of their time and space to create safe and fun activities for Clara and other children with special needs. Follow the links above to learn more about the organization.

Working on the balance beam.

Rolling down the hill

At the end of each class, each child receives stamps on their hands and feet. At the end of the last class, each child received a medal. As she does with most items, Clara proceeded to chew on her medal.

Do I Have Something On My Face?

Self-feeding some shredded chicken during lunch prior to Owen's fourth birthday party.

Bubbles!

Having fun with bubbles during our recent vacation at Nana and Papa's house in Phoenix, AZ.

Antibiotics

How many more days until spring?? This season of cold and snow and illness cannot end soon enough. Since November, Clara has had two sinus infections with possible ear infections and one case of strep throat; Owen has had an ear infection and two cases of strep throat; and, Ellen and I have had strep throat. Let's just say that antibiotics seem to have become a part of our daily routine.

Poor Clara has perpetual head congestion all winter long. We have Kleenex containers strategically placed throughout the house so that we can keep up with her runny nose. Generally, the congestion does not seem to bother Clara so we watch for behavioral cues and monitor for fevers. For example, if Clara declines applesauce or yogurt (her favorites), we know that she really is not feeling well.

Thankfully, we will be going to Phoenix soon to visit Nana and Papa and to get an early taste of spring. Hopefully, we will be able to take a break from the antibiotics during our trip.

Developmental Super Highway

During the past month, Clara's developmental progress has kicked into high gear. In addition to beginning to walk (see the previous post), Clara's ability to communicate has greatly improved. For those that don't spend much time with Clara, her verbal babble probably sounds like gibberish. However, it is apparent to us that she is trying to vocalize certain words with intent.

ah-gee = doggy

ah-duh = all done

muh-muh-muh = Mommy

da-duh = Daddy

ba-bee = baby

ki-kah = kitty cat

wee = wee (reserved for fun times on the swing during therapy and at home)

whoa = whoa (when the therapy swing goes too fast and she loses her balance)

up = up

Clara is also starting to purposefully use signs in concert with vocalization attempts. Her favorite sign is more. Since she first started to use the sign for more while she was eating, she seems to use the sign to tell us that she is ready to eat. We are working on the sign for eat and drink, but she prefers the sign for more at this point. She also purposefully uses the signs for all done, cracker, and yogurt. Clara waves at appropriate times to say hi or bye, and the girl is professional at blowing kisses.

During our IFSP meeting this week, one of the goals we established was to work with Clara such that she can communicate her desire when given certain choices. For example, at breakfast we will ask if she wants cereal or yogurt with the intent that Clara will learn to communicate her choice to us verbally and/or with signs.

Clara is also learning to do imitation play. On Saturday morning, she was sitting in her room with one of her baby dolls in her lap holding a small book in front of both of them and pretending to read a story to her baby. She was turning pages and babbling and having a great time entertaining her baby. She has also started to use random objects to pretend to brush the hair of her baby dolls. If she is playing with two dolls, she puts them together as if the two dolls were playing with each other in addition to playing with Clara.

On the negative side, Clara has decided that her job is to make the biggest mess possible if someone is not playing directly with her at all times. She will stand or kneel at a toy box and proceed to remove every toy by by immediately throwing it behind her. Keep in mind that she does not play with the toys before tossing them, she just grabs and tosses until the container is empty. Needless to say, Clara will be learning that cleaning up is part of her play time responsibilities.

Clara has also started to periodically hit. Generally she hits Owen when he is in her space or preventing her from getting what she wants. However, I have also seen her hit the dog and the sitter has said that she can sometimes be a bully with the other toddlers. Although she probably does not understand the concept, we have started to give Clara timeouts when we see her hitting. She is old enough to start learning that there are consequences for inappropriate behavior. Furthermore, it is important for Owen (and the kids at the sitter's house) to see that there is not a separate set of rules for Clara.

Step, Step, Step

For the past month or so, Clara has been toying with Ellen and I by taking steps while she is at our daycare providers house or while she is with our friend that takes her for treadmill therapy (refer to the last paragraph of this post), but not while she is with us. During physical therapy last Thursday (New Year's Eve), Clara finally showed Ellen and I that she could purposefully take 3 to 4 steps to get the toy she desired. It was also the first time she had demonstrated her skill for Jen, her PT at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Close to Home Center. Needless to say, it was a great way to end 2009 and we were all very excited.

Yesterday, our friend reported that Clara took ten unassisted steps prior to treadmill therapy, then proceeded to walk for 11 minutes on the treadmill. Considering that she started at two minutes with much complaining back in August, 11 minutes with no complaints was a vast improvement. After returning to the sitters house after treadmill therapy, Clara continued to demonstrate short bursts of unassisted walking. When she got home, she wanted no part of demonstrating her skills for Ellen and I, but eventually relented and showed us her stuff.

We have no expectations that she will be running around by the end of the week; however, this is a significant accomplishment for Clara and we are very proud of her.