Clara 20 months

Clara turned 20 months old on January 2, 2014! Time keeps on passing us by. . . quicker than I would like to admit. Seems to be the case every month, for every parent, no?

So what's going on in Clara's world at 20 months? She currently has therapy four days a week (OT 2x week, ST 1x week and ECI home therapy 1x week) and she also attends a little Mothers Day Out Program 2x a week (per recommendation of each and every therapist she sees on a regular basis). She is one busy girl, but is making great, great strides. We are so proud of her!

I'll let the following videos do most of the talking. . . And yes, I pretty much cry any time I watch these.

She is learning how to walk behind a walker & is showing more and more bravery in her steps. She hasn't taken a step unassisted yet, but we are hopeful it will happen. A few times she has been cruising around our ottoman and, in an attempt to get to the couch, let go and balanced for a few seconds prior to falling down.

We been working hard on teaching her how to use a sippy cup. She's getting the hang of a straw cup slowly but surely! She also held her bottle by herself and lifted it to her mouth FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. See below. (Still using the bottle some as we transition fully to a sippy cup).

We have also been working with her on how to use a fork. She successfully got it to her mouth once!!  Did you know that for toddlers a fork is easier to teach, before teaching how to use a spoon? Therapist enlightened me on this and it's proving true thus far! For some reason I always thought opposite.

Also been spending lots of time outdoors on the trampoline this month. . . she loves it!

(That's my dads voice in some of the videos just FYI - for those of you thinking that it doesn't sound like Brandon, ha!)

Other areas of development:
She is (now) a rock star eater! She will eat pretty much anything we give her, with the exception of meat. She even ate a pb&j and grilled cheese sandwich recently. We still have to cut everything in tiny bites, and hand them to her a few bites at a time, but don't care because she is eating regular food!

Her glasses are proving to be a great decision. We truly believe one of the reasons she is coming so far in different areas, simultaneously, is due to her improved vision.

She has started making more sounds/noises. I wouldn't call it babbling, but it is encouraging to hear her be more vocal in general. We are working on baby sign language and a few times she has signed "more" and "all done." Other signs we try to use frequently are "milk, ball, swing, mommy, daddy, help, blanket, sleep, bath and eat." Her therapist has started experimenting with an augmentative electronic device. Clara has done well with it so far, so this might be something we implement in the near future. Many kids with Cohens Syndrome have such a device to help them communicate.

Oh, and she became a big sis this month!! She is pretty much unfazed by Camille, unless, heaven forbid, Camille starts crying and then Clara has a meltdown (the noise. . . a sensory thing). So. . . it's not uncommon for both kids to be crying at once. Which pretty much breaks my heart every single time, since I am still not allowed to lift/pick up Clara (due to the c section recovery). I am sure Clara will become desensitized over time, but I'd be lying if I said this issue isn't just a little overwhelming/heartbreaking all at once.

Checking out her little sis . . .

Adventures:
Not too many in our near future (hello life with a newborn) but we "met" a family that lives in Katy, Texas who also has a 20 month old daughter with Cohen Syndrome. How amazing is that? We are both members of a FB group for parents with a child who has Cohens. We have messaged back and forth quite a bit, and we hope to meet them, in real life, sometime over the next few months. We cannot wait!

Until next time. . .