Part of having a 1 year old seems to be that I'm bound to be asked if Evie is walking yet. I cringe inside, because she hasn't even been crawling. I knew that she would likely not be crawling by 12 months, and I know that every child progresses at their own pace, but it still hurts a little to say no.
It really helps me when people ask "What is Evie working on," instead of "Is she walking yet?" I want to hug them when they ask the question this way, because I've just been spared having to give an explanation. Usually they are people who have no idea about Evie's medical history, but it still smarts a bit. At this point, every baby progresses at their own pace, and I know that some kids don't even walk until they are 2 without having Trisomy 21. So it's still "acceptable" that she's not walking yet.
However, Evie is doing pretty awesome. She is at about a 9 month old's motor skills, and she gets better by the week. With having to wait until she was 5 months old for her heart surgery, some delay was especially inevitable.
When Evie was about 3 months old, we were in the Cardiology waiting room and there was a dad with a ~2 year old boy and a baby. The little boy was adorable, and I could tell that he had Down Syndrome. I did the creepy waiting room thing and snuck peeks at them for awhile, and then said hi to the little boy when he came towards us. When I said, "How old are you?" The dad looked at me and said, "He's not really talking doing the talking thing yet." And I just said, "Oh, ok!" Face palm. Now I understand. His dad probably had to explain all the time why his son didn't speak yet. He was very matter of fact about it, but later I wished I had said something like how every kid had their own pace, or just told him that our baby has DS and I just think his son is adorable. Sigh. 20/20 hindsight.
All of this makes me so much more aware that when I meet a new person and don't know anything about their baby, I should ask more open-ended questions like "What's her personality like," or "Does she have a favorite toy?" I never understood until now. Kudos to my friends who are so much more sensitive to this than I used to be, and have always been asking about what Evie is working on lately, or what her favorite food is these days.
So what IS Evie working on?
Crawling. Evie does not want to bend her knees when she is on her tummy. She splays her legs straight out and resists us when we try to bend them for her. Then she lays her head down in silent defiance. This girl is feisty! Gradually, each week, she resists a little less, and we've found her rocking back and forth on her knees every so often. We make sure we clap and cheer when she does that!
Drinking milk. Evie hated cups for awhile, mainly because she hated her formula so much. We recently tried whole fat milk, and she doesn't hate that as much, so we will keep offering it to her in a Tilty cup to get her used to drinking again.
Signing. Evie can wave and high five. She is ready to learn sign language! We are trying to teach her "All Done," "More," and "Eat." I have to confess that I watched the famous Signing Times video and got bored and couldn't finish it. If anyone has suggestions for anything more riveting, I am all ears. In the meantime, Evie just humors us while we wave our hands around in her face. One day it will click.
Growing teeth. Evie's 2 lower front teeth came in, and I have been waiting for them to be big enough so I can take a picture! Welcome, long-awaited teeth!! I am so happy to see you, even if Evie now bites me when she gives me an open-mouthed slobbery kiss on my cheek.
Happy springtime-in-the-middle-of-winter to all our friends in Boston! Thankful for great weather, great friends and family, and most of all, thankful for a happy Evie!
It really helps me when people ask "What is Evie working on," instead of "Is she walking yet?" I want to hug them when they ask the question this way, because I've just been spared having to give an explanation. Usually they are people who have no idea about Evie's medical history, but it still smarts a bit. At this point, every baby progresses at their own pace, and I know that some kids don't even walk until they are 2 without having Trisomy 21. So it's still "acceptable" that she's not walking yet.
However, Evie is doing pretty awesome. She is at about a 9 month old's motor skills, and she gets better by the week. With having to wait until she was 5 months old for her heart surgery, some delay was especially inevitable.
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| Hi! I'm Evie! I like to babble in the car. Mostly La la la's. I am also in a big girl car seat now! |
When Evie was about 3 months old, we were in the Cardiology waiting room and there was a dad with a ~2 year old boy and a baby. The little boy was adorable, and I could tell that he had Down Syndrome. I did the creepy waiting room thing and snuck peeks at them for awhile, and then said hi to the little boy when he came towards us. When I said, "How old are you?" The dad looked at me and said, "He's not really talking doing the talking thing yet." And I just said, "Oh, ok!" Face palm. Now I understand. His dad probably had to explain all the time why his son didn't speak yet. He was very matter of fact about it, but later I wished I had said something like how every kid had their own pace, or just told him that our baby has DS and I just think his son is adorable. Sigh. 20/20 hindsight.
All of this makes me so much more aware that when I meet a new person and don't know anything about their baby, I should ask more open-ended questions like "What's her personality like," or "Does she have a favorite toy?" I never understood until now. Kudos to my friends who are so much more sensitive to this than I used to be, and have always been asking about what Evie is working on lately, or what her favorite food is these days.
So what IS Evie working on?
Crawling. Evie does not want to bend her knees when she is on her tummy. She splays her legs straight out and resists us when we try to bend them for her. Then she lays her head down in silent defiance. This girl is feisty! Gradually, each week, she resists a little less, and we've found her rocking back and forth on her knees every so often. We make sure we clap and cheer when she does that!
Drinking milk. Evie hated cups for awhile, mainly because she hated her formula so much. We recently tried whole fat milk, and she doesn't hate that as much, so we will keep offering it to her in a Tilty cup to get her used to drinking again.
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| We learned about the Toddler Jukebox app from our PT. Evie loves to listen to it while she is eating! |
Signing. Evie can wave and high five. She is ready to learn sign language! We are trying to teach her "All Done," "More," and "Eat." I have to confess that I watched the famous Signing Times video and got bored and couldn't finish it. If anyone has suggestions for anything more riveting, I am all ears. In the meantime, Evie just humors us while we wave our hands around in her face. One day it will click.
Growing teeth. Evie's 2 lower front teeth came in, and I have been waiting for them to be big enough so I can take a picture! Welcome, long-awaited teeth!! I am so happy to see you, even if Evie now bites me when she gives me an open-mouthed slobbery kiss on my cheek.
Happy springtime-in-the-middle-of-winter to all our friends in Boston! Thankful for great weather, great friends and family, and most of all, thankful for a happy Evie!
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