6 Months Old Already!!??

Wow! I can't believe it! As of Sunday Feb. 10th my little Amelia is half a year old! Time sure does fly! I had no idea how much she would touch my life and what a blessing she would be to our family, especially to Mary! She has a very sweet spirit and is so loving. You can feel it in her eyes and in her smile! She amazed me every day with her accomplishments. She is beginning to try and sit on her own. For most typical kids sitting around 6 months is pretty average, but it is a big accomplishment for my little Amelia. She has been trying to sit on my lap unnassisted for a week or so. Today I decided to try and give her a little help by putting the boppy pillow around her and guess what?... She sat all by herself 4 times in a row. She sat long enough for me to get the camera and take some pictures. I am so proud of her!! Although she is not officially getting physical therapy yet, playing with Mary is a pretty good work out! Oh and her hair is finally starting to fill in! Yay! I love her so much!

My little smarty pants!

I am so proud of my girl! Mary's at home therapy services end when she turns 3 (in Feb.) From here on out she will recieve services through the public school system by attending a special needs preschool. Before that can happen she had to be evaluated by a Speech therapist, a psychologist and the head of the school. To qualify for services children need to be delayed 1 deviation in 2 areas or 2 deviations in 1 area. Anyways, Mary is extremely shy and does not do pet tricks at all. I was so afraid that she would just turn away and say no to everything that they asked her to do. Boy, did she prove me wrong!! She was on her game and was talking and doing everything that they wanted. She even did some stuff that I didn't know she could do!! She grouped things in correct categories (i.e. things that fly) I was floored! The psychologist said at the end of the testing that Mary did very well and that I was going to need to send in a doctor's dx, because he didn't think she would qualify for services with out it (meaning she is not delayed enough, but because she has Down Syndrome they will be able to still give her therapy). I was so proud of her! She has also had a huge jump in communicating and is talking in 2 and 3 word sentences. My baby constantly amazes me!

My Little Artist...

So, Mary decided to draw a picture. She tried to trace her hand, but it was not as easy as she thought it would be. It took her several tries... notice the marker all over her hand. She had a hard time going around her hand and not on it. With a little help from mommy she finally got it! I told her to show me her drawing so I could get a picture of it. She was very proud of it if you can't tell. She is becomming such a little ham in front of a camera!

Merry Christmas?

Well... It's been awhile. We had a very wierd Christmas. Mary and Amelia both got RSV. Mary had a good Christmas morning and loved her presents. Amelia, however, started the day kinda rough and was not her usual happy self. After opening presents at our house we headed over to my parents. Amelia was fussy and sleepy all day and by Christmas night she had a fever of 103. We gave her tylenol and started her on regular albuterol treatments hoping we could avoid a serious illness. We had planned to spend the rest of the week at Jeremy's parent's house in Chattanooga. It got cut short when both girls became serious ill and Jeremy I were up all night for 3 nights trying to comfort them. By Friday night both girls were diagnosed with RSV and Amelia and I were in the hospital. Mary recovered pretty quickly at home with Jeremy, but Amelia took a lot longer. We spent a total of 5 days in the hospital. Amelia and I got to spend Jeremy's birthday and New Years Eve in the hospital alone. Amelia is doing much better now, but she seems to be at high risk for respiratory problems so we are just waiting for another pnemonia diagnosis and then we are off to a pulmonary specalist. Oh... what a way to begin a new year!

Watching the news!

Mary is becoming such a big girl! It took Jeremy and I awhile before we realized what Mary was doing while watching the News. If you can't tell, she is saying the letters and sounds of letters as they scroll across the screen. A and M are two of her favorites... She can recognize and say/sound out these letters: A,B,D,E,F,G,H,I,K,L,M,O,P,R,S,T, and U. She is also getting really good at communicating! We are so proud of her! She continues to amaze us everyday!! Make sure you turn off my music so that you can hear Mary's voice clearly.

Where does the time go?

It's been almost a month since I posted. Things have been crazy busy, but that is nothing out of the ordinary these days. I have a life full of appointments! Speaking of... Amelia had her opthomologist apt and it looks like she has great sight and will not need glasses! Yeah! Also, she has been doing really great! She has rolled over several times and is pushing up on her arms really well. She is even beginning to sit well in the bumbo seat. For those of you who don't know a lot about hypotonia (low muscle tone), these are huge accomplishments! She is starting to giggle and really notice the world around her. I can't believe she is 4 months old already! I love her so!

Meeting the Wiggles!!

On Wednesday we went to see the Wiggles in Greenville, SC. It was a long drive, but worth it. It was Jeremy, Mary and me and my friend Lori and her little girl Natalie. Mary is a huge Wiggles fan and knows all the songs and dances. Thanks to our kiddos with special needs... we had great seats in the "Hot Potato" section (3rd row) and we were able to attend a Meet and Greet where we met the Wiggles. It was great fun!!