I'm competitive. But I am a good sport. When I lose I know I gave it my all. When the doctors told me that Harper had heart issues, one of my first questions was "Will she be able to play sports?" There answer, "Yes of course." I want Harper to have a competitive spirit, maybe not as severe as mine, but I don't want her to settle. It's my job to teach her that. And it started this week.
I took Harper to her 9 month appointment with her pediatrician this week. I was given a milestone checklist upon check in (which I had no time to fill out in the waiting room because at 9 months, they prick H's finger for tests and then tell me that they no longer put band aids on children because they should swallow them. The lack of a band aid leaves me with a baby full of blood stains and my fingers as her gauze).
The checklist was miserable. I was to pick if Harper completed these milestones: All the time, Some of the time, or Never. Dude, seriously, the girl was born 3 1/2 weeks early, had OHS at 4 months, and has Down syndrome that is notorious for children having low muscle tone.
Does your child "walk" next to the couch? Nope, she can't sit up yet. Does your child crawl? Nope, she can't sit up yet. Does your child take steps unassisted? Nope, she can't sit up yet.
Thank goodness for Harper's reputation at the clinic as being adorable, cute, and heart melting. Because the nurse took the checklist from me and told me to not worry about it. Instead, she asked me questions that could answer in a positive tone, rather than selecting NEVER for all of their questions.
Even with my competitive spirit, I knew at that moment, that I can't make Harper competitive with other children regarding milestones. She has to be competitive with herself. We have to challenge her to reach her goals and the goals we help her set. Even though I wanted to cry during the checklist, I knew better. I know that Harper will reach all of these milestones...on her own time. But first, we need to help her sit up unassisted.
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| Watching Signing Times on the iPad |
Sitting up. We are getting there. Our OT, Julia, has given us tips and tricks that we are using on a daily basis. Her struggle is that she forgets her thighs and booty are meant to help her balance. Harper loves her Bumbo chair with tray attached. Her new thing: throwing toys on the floor until we pick them up. Over. And over. And over again.
My competitive spirit is what will drive me crazy but it is what I need to use to help Harper thrive!
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| Thinks it is funny to throw her toys |
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| Chaos |
1 comment:
That's a bummer. We got the questionnaire at 9 months too and had barely enough time to fill it out. But our doctor emphasized that it wasn't very important. I mean, she knew Cora had delays, for goodness sake. The funny thing is, I kept the list on my fridge for awhile just to keep certain milestones in mind (like I really needed that) and she's STILL not met a huge amount of the gross motor milestones. I see 7 month old babies all the time that can move around better than my 17 month old. Oh well. It's hard but it gets easier, even if there are still moments where it's hard. I like to think that the cuteness makes up for it. And in your daughter's case, I'd say it surely does.
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