Heidi chomped some peanuts, goldfish and other crunchy things this month!
She made the “vvv” sound which was new for her.
(She likes when daddy takes her on wagon rides to the animals and really is interested in what Chili Pepper the pig is up to!)
We have been working a lot on sign language and she’s mostly resistant as she still struggles to use her hands. However, she loves little hand games and when she wanted us to do “round and round the garden” she moves her hand in a circle. She even tickled her own armpit and laughed hilariously.
She signed water in her own way (tapped one finger to her mouth). She also signed more and jump. She has only done these things upon request and after we’ve just shown them to her, and when we’re withholding what she wants. For example: she loves for me to jump her on the bed and I wouldn’t bounce her again until she showed me “jump”. She is, after all, a 2-year-old and can be quite stubborn! I was very surprised after breakfast one morning when Caroline said, “Heidi, are you all done?” And she signed “all done” without Caroline doing the sign.
I believe there is a lot of processing going on in her little brain and sometimes she is slow to react or respond. But not always! If you tell her “no” she’s quick to throw herself on the ground and kick her feet in a fit, or give you a side eye, or growl in her anger.
(That side eye!!)
She is (usually) good about instantly repeating “mama” and “dada”. One disappointing thing from this month is that she has seemed to lose a lot of words. Other than our names she has never kept a word for more than a week. She sometimes will repeat a word she hears, such as cheese, doll, etc but she can’t get the word again if asked. She did have “baby” for about a week, but she can no longer say it.
We tried several sensory things this month that have mostly been fails in Heidi’s book. She hates the baby pool. She despised finger painting. She was angry about shaving cream play. And yet. If she can come back to the activity on her own terms she will engage to a small degree. After she freaked out about the finger paint and she calmed down she did eventually pick up a paintbrush and wave it around. She also picked up the can of shaving cream to shake and throw. She didn’t cry when a small amount got on her hand.
(Hated it)
(Hated it)
(Hated it! She was so mad at me for this she wouldn’t even look at me for 5 minutes.)
I have started work to desensitize her face to wearing glasses as she will likely get them in August at her appointment. Since she loves to swing I put the glasses on her. At first she threw them off but eventually she left them on for several minutes of swinging.
(Throwing them off)
(Now the coolest little chick!)
We had some good and bad days with eating also. She fed herself the ice cream cone while holding it herself but only one lick, then handed it back to me. But she did it several times. She was picking food up with her fingers. The one meal she fed herself a whole piece of toast that was cut into small pieces! She fed herself bites of a sandwich, a plate of noodles, popcorn, a chicken nugget bite, and more. Most of the time I gently tap her hand to remind her to pick up what’s on her tray and she does it. She has been doing well with the spoon as well. I can usually get her to feed herself 10 bites per meal which is a big accomplishment for her. And actually, sometimes she does better for Trent than for me. Another daddy’s girl, go figure!
We have had many bad evening meals and we’re trying to find a solution. We’ve been swinging her before dinner and for awhile that seemed to help. Unfortunately, that stopped working and she would be in her chair for a minute and start crying. She would go to her room to help calm her and then she would usually be okay after that. We tried putting her in her room before even going to the table and that sort of worked. It usually isn’t a problem at any other meal, just dinner. I do think it could be too loud at dinner with everyone trying to talk about their day at once. Tonight we had everyone talk more quietly and that actually seemed like to help. So, if it continues to work it looks like I’ll come out a winner with quieter meals, too!
(She loved all of Brandon’s tattoos!)
For a few weeks we worked on pointing to eyes. She didn’t seem to get it until baby Cai was here and she automatically pointed to his beautiful brown eyes. She also pointed to my eyes!
(Heidi & Cai! The cutest babies!!)
She learned how to high-5 in one day. Normally it takes us weeks to teach her a new thing so the fact that she got it and kept the understanding amazed all of us!
(She started liking our neighbor boy and he is SO proud. It’s kind of one of the sweetest things to see a new side of him that Heidi brings out!)
She mimicked saying “ahhh!” After taking a refreshing drink of cold water.
(Obviously Heidi loves her cousin, Zoey!)
(And Emma)
We would like to see continued growth in her ability to communicate with us. She doesn’t typically initiate her desires in a way that is understandable to most people. We know if she’s at the back door crying she wants to go outside to swing. We added a photo of Heidi in a swing to the door and point to it and say, “Does Heidi want to swing?” And take her out. The hope is that she will eventually take us to the photo to show us she wants to swing. I’m planning to add several other pictures around the house to help her learn to communicate her wants/needs.
It really does seem like Heidi is understanding us more everyday. She is loving, affectionate, and so very silly. She still has the most contagious laugh I’ve ever heard. She has a light in her eyes and joy in her heart. Heidi is a bit like unlocking a treasure. Each time we think we’ve got it she surprises us with a new complication. Yet each portion that is revealed brings deep joy to all of us.
Heidi continues to be our brave girl. We’re forever grateful that she no longer has to be brave alone; we’re here to fight for her and with her and cheer her on endlessly. We’re the lucky ones to have her in our lives.
Happy 9 months home, Heidi! We love you!
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