Congestion..again

Life has been really busy here lately. Lydia woke up a couple of days ago with her congestion...just as terrible as it always is. She had a really hard time sleeping last night...cried for 2 1/2 hours before she fell asleep, then woke up several times during the night...so, I assumed that she had developed an ear infection since that happened the last time she had a cold. I took her to the dr this morning, and thankfully I was wrong...just a bad cold. But, I'm glad I went because we FINALLY got a decongestant prescribed for her. We saw Dr Ramey, and he said that as long as we follow the dosage directions, it is perfectly safe to give her a decongestant...Yippeee! Hopefully, this will help her to feel better soon. Luckily (and gratefully) she is still eating well, despite feeling so crummy!

I'm sitting here trying to think of all the things to catch up on....it's been a while since I've posted.

PT on Thursday
Lydia got an A-....much better than last week.:) I told Susan how excited I was about the progress we've seen with the inclined mattress. I've even seen Lydia roll to her stomach on a flat surface if I just start her off on her side. So exciting!! Now we've added a new step in our inclined surface therapy....commando crawling. (Using Susan's terminology) Lydia's legs are already wired to want to crawl...she often moves them in a crawling motion...so, Susan wants to capitalize on that so that Lydia can feel some success with it. Our new homework: I put her head-first on the inclined mattress...bend one leg at the knee...hold my hand firmly on her foot...she pushes against my hand to move herself and gravity helps her to move more easily...then do the same with the other leg..etc. It's fun too! I get so excited every time she moves at all. We are also working on stretching her upper back muscles too...she seems to be getting back into the curved posture more again lately...she was seeming to do better lately. I feel like I have lots of ideas for therapy for her in every position...lying down alone, sitting on my lap, holding her upright, work on the mattress...I need to write it all down, so that it doesn't seep out of my brain, as things seem to easily do...just like any mother, I guess (I hope it's not just me. :) )
The Assistive Technology Team from EBR came Wednesday to evaluate Elise for the communication board. I'm still not convinced that it will be an asset for her, but I promised to keep an open mind...though I was openly very skeptical at the meeting. I just doubt that it will logistically work out...seems like a lot more work for me...but not really necessary. It is supposed to help me to figure out what she is trying to say...well, I have to know what she is trying to say in order to create a picture card to go with that word(s)...but, once I figure out what she is saying- then I know her "language" for that word and I don't need the picture. Seems difficult to input to me too...she has a vocabulary of at least 200 words...I don't know how I would keep track of that many pictures and keep the board updated as it should be to work properly...as you can tell, I'm not really succeeding in keeping an open mind...I'll keep trying.

When Suzanne came on Friday, we started the "new" therapy to target phonological processing. Elise did AWESOME!! Suzanne and I were both floored and so excited. I told her I had tears in my eyes watching Elise get into it so well....Suzanne said she had to contain herself from running and doing cartwheels all over my house. Obviously, it went well. She got her to say the /h/ sound in isolation several times. Perhaps, even more exciting than this to me is that I have been able to get her to use the correct beginning sounds in some words lately by giving her a visual cue. I just form my mouth in the way that the sound is made, and if she watches me, then she can do it....she can change "daby" to "baby" ; "nore" to "more"; also some other words beginning with b, m, p, and even t. This has gotten me soooo excited AND to change my "diagnosis." It seems like motor issues are more apparent since she can make the sound while watching my mouth. It started out as a game...really fun, that's how I got her hooked. Now, I am trying to make it not soo much of a game, so that we can use it in normal speech. I say, "Look at Mama, and I'll help you say ____." Sometimes she's into it...sometimes not; she's ready to get her point across without spending so much time getting the sounds exactly right. I'm trying not to push her...I don't want it to become too much of a negative thing.

Martin took the big girls this morning to Elise's library program, "Ready to Read." It's a great program for babies and toddlers...we've gone since Audrey was a baby. It is a six-week program on Saturdays in May-June. What fun! Audrey and I have a date tonight to go to Mary-Cathryn's dance recital...we are so excited. Martin will be here with the little sisters. I pray that that goes well....and that Lydia is feeling better by then.

Thank you for your continued prayers...for Lydia and our family. We thank God every day for the numerous people praying for us, and we pray that God blesses you abundantly, as He has done for us.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, GODMOTHERS, AND MOTHER-FIGURES! MAY YOU ALWAYS FEEL THE APPRECIATION OF THOSE YOU LOVE AND CARE FOR!