Updates on Laurel: April 2002

Within the last week or two Laurel's arms and legs have loosened up a lot more - more than I think they have since last summer, when we started the craniosacral therapy. NO idea what triggered this, and of course still a long way from normal, but we're so happy to see it! It had been so long, I wasn't really expecting any more significant improvement.

[Posted by Bob] She's also been much more okay with being on her back. She used to have real panic attacks pretty much every time she was on her back and awake. Those are rare now and she usually manages to work through them. She's even been calm on the changing table lately too, most of the time, which just never used to happen. She seems like a much happier camper lately.

We spent a nice 30 minutes on a blanket laying on the deck yesterday evening after work. We just couldn't have done that a little over a month ago (well, okay, it would have been too cold then too, you smarties that were thinking that, and you know who you are ;-) but you know what I mean). It was so nice.

[Posted by Bob] Laurel did a very nice roll from her tummy to her back this evening for me. She did one last night too! And she's been rocking a bit from side to side when she's on her back lately - which is making her physical therapist very happy. Laurel has her first occupational therapy session tomorrow morning.

We had a good first meeting with Laurel's new occupational therapist today! We had an evaluation by another OT a few weeks ago, but it turned out that her schedule didn't work with our schedule and I think it's just as well because I like this one better! She confirmed a lot of our suspicions about Laurel having vestibular (inner ear) problems and that being a major reason Laurel has been panicking on her back. Laurel's gotten a lot better than she was but still struggles with it and the OT thought she could help us improve things further. I think she thought there might also be some sensory integration problems that contribute to why Laurel hates being strapped in so much. We are going to work on Laurel being OK in things like strollers and backpacks as a goal, which would sure make our lives more fun if we could take her places without having to carry her everywhere in our arms. And of course, we're going to work on her using her hands more, which is why the OT was called in in the first place. Anyway, it was a great meeting and the OT seemed really hopeful that she could help so I am too!

Last night Laurel made it through the ENTIRE bathing process without crying once! For the very first time in her 17 months! Even when she's made it through the bath itself without crying in the past, taking her out and drying her would send her into hysterics. She was actually *cute* while she was being dried! Probably pigs will fly before this happens again, but we're flabbergasted that it even happened once.

Also, today, I put a toy on her high chair tray that's got a bunch of spinning things on it. In the past, she's totally ignored it. Today she was spinning them so hard she kept launching it off the tray (it's just a little tray, she doesn't really like the big one). And I just gave her a big red plastic train that was outfitted with an "adaptive switch" (a really big red plastic switch). She seems a little scared of the noise it makes, but she also seems fascinated by watching it!

She's actually been kind of a miserable little kid today (teething, I think), but she sure has been alert!

I guess watched teeth don't come through - I missed looking for a day, and tooth #3 is finally here! It's been weeks and weeks, and I've looked every day as her gum swelled to roughly the size of Rhode Island but no tooth. Missed Wednesday and then yesterday, there it was! (It's the upper left one.) I can see #4 is starting the slow process now. Meanwhile, I'm bummed to announce that she's inherited my rather overlarge and formerly gappy upper front teeth. Hello, braces! But she proved that it works well by biting her daddy's ear. ;-)

Last night I was carrying Laurel with her arms on my shoulders - I gave her a squeeze and she squeezed back!

Laurel has been such a fussy miserable little girl for so many days now that I hauled her off the doctor this morning to make sure she didn't have an ear infection.  She doesn't, so that was a huge relief!  (Given the way antibiotics make her barf.)  The doctor thinks it's just teething.  She's never been miserable this many days in a row from teething (it's dragged on for about a week, although it got really bad starting Saturday and she has been getting Tylenol as many times a day as we can give it to her), but I think none of her other teeth have pushed as hard and fast as tooth #4 is.  And as the doctor pointed out, "Boy those are big teeth!"  (Thank you, she gets them from her mother. :-P ) 

Her first real session with the OT went all right - actually, the OT was just thrilled that Laurel didn't cry for her!  I guess most of her new clients cry the first time or two.  But Laurel seems to find different people interesting and is usually pretty good for anybody who isn't her parents, her regular babysitter or her regular therapists.  So just wait until Laurel gets used to you, lady!  ;-)  It happened that Laurel was having a "bad back day" (meaning, she was panicking when she was put on her back, which is something she used to do all the time but not so much lately) so we talked about ways of addressing that.  Of course, she's been fine again since!

Laurel is having a FANTASTIC evening! First we took her out to a restaurant. She'd been sleepy, but she decided it was so interesting she stayed awake to look around. She liked the grocery store afterwards even better! She was able to ride in the cart with her only support being us holding her hands to keep her from falling sideways. She was very engaged and very vocal! Then after we took her home and I (Rochelle) started her feeding, she was still awake so I started reading her some books. I got out her "Touch and Feel Kittens" book and as soon as I opened it her hand went right to the kitten and she stroked it! She wasn't so interested in touching the other things in that book but when I got out her "Touch and Feel Wild Animals" book she kind of reached for the lion and definitely reached for the koala. (She missed it the first time but came back for it.) All of the furry things! After that, I gave her a couple of toys.  One was a rattle with a barrel that has beads in it. She dragged that across her stomach a couple of times and got it to roll. But the biggest hit of all was this toy that Jen H. (cnedaria from the Nov. 2000 board) gave her for Easter. It has three handles on it that can be twisted to make different sounds. I held the handle that clicked, and she kept pushing the other two to make it turn! She did it over and over again, for maybe 10-15 minutes, looking at it, looking at me and having LOTS to say about the whole thing! Bob came in and watched too, she was so excited and so were we! And another cool thing about it was that she was using her left hand/arm, that usually is kind of curled up (her CP is worst in that arm). She had it nicely extended and was controlling it pretty well. We're just over the moon about this! I'm so happy I could almost cry.