Play date with Miss Becky (aka our OT)

Because of Piper’s prematurity, we adjust her age according to her due date, instead of her birth date.  So, really, she’s expected to be doing things a 6 month old should be doing, instead of an 8 month old.  Because of this, she was just allowed to start on solid foods.  Her therapist really wanted to get her oral motor skills developed before she attempted to eat. 

Because she had such a difficult time learning to eat from the bottle, I’ve been really apprehensive for this next journey.  I really wanted it to go smoothly.

We’d tried a few times over the past few weeks, and she’ll eat it fine (at least she doesn’t refuse it, which, to me, is a big step) but I really didn’t have an idea how it should look.  She wouldn’t take a whole lot at a time, either.

Last week at therapy, Becky fed her a whole half-serving of cereal!  She did make a fairly good mess (but not too bad), and enjoyed the whole thing!  She’s getting faster and faster at getting it down, now, too.  I’m so excited!  Now to decide what she gets to start this week…  I’m kind of leaning toward some kind of vegetable, but don’t know which one! 

We also started working on the transition skill to go from sitting to crawling.  She’s supposed to sit with the sole of one of her feet up against her other thigh, and lean forward putting both hands on the ground.  She refused to do it with Becky last week; after she left, though, she showed us that she can sit like this with absolutely no problems.  She is such a pro! 

While practicing it this weekend, she actually pushed up with her feet.  Of course, her hands didn’t know what was coming, and she ended up face-planting square into the floor.  But she knew what she was supposed to do!

She’s also started being able to really support herself on her hands and knees, in the crawling position.  Her arms are still fairly weak, but she’s keeping herself up for longer and longer periods.  I usually have to hold her feet up under her to keep them from slipping out.  She was hanging out there the other day, and decided to reach forward to one of her toys.  She reached forward, and pushed her feet at the same time!  It’s like she really does know what to do, just isn’t quite there yet!

So last night when we were at my parent’s house, Mom got out a towel to give her a hand.  Can I tell you how much fun she had???  They “crawled” toward me, and she had the biggest smile on her face.  It was like she was screaming “LOOK AT ME!!!  LOOK AT WHAT I CAN DO!!!”  Maybe that’ll be incentive for her to figure this out!

…and really, who better to convince you to move than your Nana and Grandpa???