New Milestones

Yesterday, Brian heard Olivia at the stairs and when he went to check on her, she was on the third step. He called me to come watch and she made it all the way to the top, by herself. We never touched her. She had on her AFO's, and she mostly uses her right leg. She tries to plant her right foot, pulls up enough to get her right leg on the next step and keeps that pattern going the whole time. When she made it to the last step, then she came all the way back down on her own too. She shimmied her way down each step, all the way to the bottom.

She has been doing some good sit-to-standing at her new kitchen. That Santa present has been a good motivational tool.

She now counts backwards from ten to one. Don't know where she learned that (probably TV). One day about a week ago, she started at ten and worked her way down to one. Brian and I just sat there in shock! She doesn't really count forward much anymore. And when she does, she gets to ten and then just makes noises, which is strange considering she used to count into the "teens".

This one isn't really a "milestone", just a phase, I hope! Whenever Mickey Mouse Clubhouse goes off, and Little Einstiens comes on, Olivia FLIPS OUT! She sobs, throws her head against anything she can find, and has a complete meltdown for a minute, until you turn the channel. Now, you can turn on the TV if Little Einstiens has already started, and she is fine, so I guess it relates to the fact that she has realized Mickey Mouse Clubhouse isn't coming on again. We've started to notice similar meltdowns with other shows now. Sometimes, she seems to get upset if a commercial she likes goes off. Silly girl.

Jacob's new milestone is that he went to his first sleepover last night for a birthday party. He did fine and said he had a good time. Now he wants a Wii and Nintendo system.

I've been having many meltdowns lately over Olivia. Two nights ago, I sobbed until I couldn't breathe... Probably wasn't smart to sit down and read the Arthrogryposis Text Atlas when I know that I've been so emotional lately. I'm trying to remember that we just have to take this journey one day at a time. Have faith, pray for her, and do as much therapy as we can. As my meltdown Thursday night started winding down, I was watching the end of a Grey's Anatomy rerun. Izzy looked at George, smiled and said, "We made it through this day." It feels kind of strange saying that I got some inspiration from a rerun TV show, but it's true. At the end of each meltdown, once I decide that I can't stay in a negative place like that forever, I get a grip, and realize that I can make it through even the worst days.

Will Olivia walk? Will she catch up with speech and development? I pray every day that she will. But, the truth is, no matter what, we love her beyond words, and this journey of unknowns is a journey we are honored and blessed to travel with her.

God, I pray for my daughter, that you give her the strength, both physically and spiritally, to overcome obstacles, to talk, to walk, to learn. Provide Brian, me, Sonjia, Bill, Jacob, and her therapists with the wisdom to make the best decisions about her therapy and development. Give us peace about the future.