Browsing Tag

global developmental delay

Noticeable

Posted on 5th April 2019

Sebastian will be fifteen months old soon, at fourteen months Ariella had just started to crawl. I try not to compare siblings but S is a constant reminder of typical and it is difficult, perhaps even impossible to not notice. I remember being surprised the first day that S looked at my face and brought his own hand up to touch my cheek, I could tell by the way he had done this with such a light touch it was intentional. You only had to look at his face to know he was making a connection, a social one in that moment. I can’t remember how old he was but it must have been younger than six months old. I see S as so much older because the baby stage with A has stretched out in front of us, every single step, every skill takes so much energy for everyone involved.

We have a review meeting planned for next week which is focused around whether or not A fits the profile for a diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this follows a multidisciplinary review that was done back in January. No matter what the outcome of the review I know because I live with A that she is autistic. Every single waking moment is focused around transitions, anxiety and sounds. I know because she has never once held her hand to my face or looked me in the eye the way S does. I know because I still wait for us to have a real conversation. If Autism isn’t the right word then we are making our own profile for a neurological way of thinking that has no diagnosis at present.

It will be nice to draw a line under the last year of confusion on every diagnosis that we’ve gained so far and understand. With understanding we can tailor experiences going forward and we can read and learn how to best support A to enable her happiness. We can stop trying to make a round peg fit in a square hole, I don’t care if we have a round hole in a field full of square holes. But I do care about the unbalance and distress that is caused by the former and while we don’t need a diagnosis it will help a lot with understanding.

In the evenings when I am stirring up the second dose of Ariella’s medicine, watching her eat her ice cream (which she has to have after her evening meal else the world has ended – we make our own now with smoothies) I often think about how something simple like this has become so normal to us and yet for most children, taking a twice daily medicine which you need to give a good stir due to the large quantity of pills dissolving in it would be a massive challenge. Routine has a large role in this, we have a daily rhythm which is held up by blutac and keeps things ticking over. It helps a lot with A’s anxiety and she finds reading the visual timeline very helpful. Somedays it does feel too rigid for me but I know if we don’t keep to it then we are more likely to see a flare of challenging behaviour (kicking, biting, screaming, hitting, repeated phrases, head butting, pushing).

Motivator toys sit in a little accessible basket nearby, only to be used while sitting

We’ve started potty training, yippee! Part of fully understanding the different ways and approaches to how children with ASD think has helped me buy more appropriate reading materials. I’ll have to keep “Oh Crap, Potty training” to hand for S when it’s his turn to potty train, instead I’ve been reading “Ready, Set, Potty” which is aimed at potty training children with Autism and developmental disorders. It makes so much sense to me now why typical potty training methods just won’t work, you are almost relying on a set of typical behaviours and for a child to know what to do naturally. Let me tell you, the only thing that has ever come naturally to A is eating. That’s it, the only one thing we’ve been able to follow her lead for, which is really strange for me because I generally believe that you should follow the child. Only issue is of course that relies on the child having a desire to go.

With that said, potty training so far is going really well given the challenge of communication and resistance to change. We are using a visual time line and motivating toys, no going back now! I’m really keen to keep going and reach that level of independence for A. It will be a joint effort between us and nursery but we are all working for the same goal and I couldn’t ask for more right now. When it comes to potty training S I am hoping it will feel like a breeze! It is the last day of term today and I am expecting the change in routine to holiday to be a challenge for A, I expect Monday will bring lots of challenging behaviours but I am also excited by the possibility of really cracking on with potty training at home. I think having consistency and being able to take A to the potty every hour in the same place will really help, nursery is of course a new environment whereas home is not.

We have visuals stuck up on a mirror nearby and the bathroom is themed with teddies!

Despite how noticeable the difference is, it is different but not less. It has allowed me to think about things in a way I would never have. Would I even know what a visual timeline was? Or have such a understanding of developmental delay and rigid thoughts/routines? I don’t think so. Things are taken quite literally by A and sometimes that can cause some of the biggest laughs ever for everyone involved. I am constantly reminded how lucky I am actually to be part of both parenting worlds, although I wouldn’t wish the struggle on a child it has taught me to look at the world differently and that there are qualities within people that are rare and valuable beyond what we see on Instagram and social media.

Noticeably different but not noticeably wrong.

An educational journey – EHCP

Posted on 16th January 2019

I had expected before the birth of A that my first child would grow and one day go to school, I expected that school to be much like the school I attended growing up. There have been quite a few turning points in the last three and a half years in which a large change in mindset needed to begin, but my main focus has been about what is best for A and how we can meet her needs. To enable this to happen, we’ve very much accepted the advice of the professionals, now facing schooling that’s never been more challenging to accommodate.

Specialist schools

Since beginning the process of simply discussing schools between us, her paediatrician and various nurseries it became clear that deciding what type of setting was the first priority. At which point A had already attended a nursery with a typical placement, minimal allocated support and it became apparent to me by the end of that time that while we could force the route of mainstream educational it might not be the best option for A. Whether or not others those that will offer placements and ultimately decide will agree with me that remains to be answered, but in light of this I’ve spent the last few months visiting specialist schools in the area and soon realised how different they all are.

Always looking around the schools I would be pleased to see an environment which is was tailored at educating children with additional needs but later the realisation would hit that with an bang – this is where we are. The responsibility as a parent trying to find somewhere that can offer the care and education we’ve strive for at home for A is overwhelming. It certainty feels more so than ever impossible to ignore the challenges coming ahead.

Since she was born we’ve been told lets wait and see, I still remember sitting in a room with one paediatrician who said “I see these kids all the time, she has a bigger head that average that’s all. Don’t worry about it, that’s all it will come to you’ll see”. We later moved and that same paediatrician called me out of the blue when he had been included on a letter for A, someone had clearly just forgot to update the address list. He asked how she had developed did she have any delays? When I told him he replied “Oh”. That’s all, I don’t cite this story to shame him but to show why I feel your instincts as a parent are so important, even when in the face of experience. Perhaps I’m too pessimistic but if I had allowed myself to believe that, imagine the crash of the realisation that would have been just delayed for later.

It would be far easier if I could ask her what she wants of course, or take a peek at the future to work out where might best suit her. I’m told however that nothing is set in stone and should things change so can her setting. Ultimately I come back to the truth that probably the very best most tailored individual education for A could be given at home, socialisation is always cited as one main drawback and while I imagine this could be remedied with groups it’s really a non issue when you aren’t interested in children anyway. In her most happy, low stress environment where she could focus on any part of learning that she enjoys – in fact if anything children seem to cause more stress. Home schooling is my backup plan to alleviate the pressure of finding a suitable setting by September, but a huge commitment on my part and her brother.

I know going forward what she needs, I just don’t know how that is realised with in an environment like school. At present have a great environment for A, she’s well supported and happy in her nursery school, has access to every therapy when required. But soon it will all be stripped back and assessed, allocated. A will get x amount of this and x amount of that, parents have to argue for the therapy and support. When once it was just open access based on need a great shift occurs.

We are sitting on the very edge of this prepared to see what comes back as A’s plan going forward. It’s a complex process which I am thankful that we have so much support in navigating whereas many parents don’t at all. It’s certainly not a fair even playing field and it really should be. We should hear soon about the type of placement that the local authority (LA) deems correct for A, they’ve come to this decision by requesting up to date documentation and reports from every therapist. Once we know what type of setting then those settings can be approached by the LA to see who has places available ready for September. Then we wait to hear back and cross our fingers that the one school I visited that I felt would suit her is firstly in the right category and secondly has places to offer.

In many ways a structure educational environment has been a wonderful breakthrough for A, structure is predictable which reduces anxiety and as well as this there is structured learning. When portage first became involved A would sit surrounded by toys and not play with them, with us showing her how to play still it took many attempts hand over hand. We had a very easy and hard parenting journey, easy because we had a child that never tested any boundaries – you could leave her in one place and she would still be there happily. The thought of moving or investigating just wasn’t there. In many ways to date it still is not, in my view we have several years of hand over hand parenting. Modelling behaviour and ways to interact with various different objects, learned through others, television or us. Some of those less desirable then the others but all very controlled. In this regard A is perfectly suited to the right tailored educational environment. On the other side it takes tremendous effort to constantly model play, behaviour, speech, keep to the sensory demands and as well the physical demands of helping someone getting around.

Day to day life is very rigid and it can be quite difficult to remember to turn off the music when certain TV shows hit certain parts, to turn off the music in the car before it changes to a song A will not tolerate. While these demands seem completely reasonable to A how do we accommodate the very rigid routine in a group setting?

But to gain access to the curriculum she needs someone to model, repetitively and help her overcome the other barriers of anxiety, mobility, understanding and social skills. With this said I’m also reluctant to believe that having a shadow for your life is in all a good thing, but learning where to step back at the right times is in my view key.

I don’t doubt this struggle of trying to find the appropriate educational setting is seen across the board for all children. Many of my friends who have just decided on school options have not done so lightly, much thought has been placed and many schools visited to determine which best fits their child and their own family circumstances. I’m sure it’s a testing time for everyone!

Being Mum Parenting Weekly Update

MRI #2

Posted on 28th September 2018

What day is it? I am sorry if you are reading this and you are one of the many friends I’ve forgotten to reply to. It has been like groundhog day here, Ariella is now attending nursery school every weekday but only for limited hours. The adjustment for her has been a challenge, the adjustment for me even more so.

It’s been a struggle losing my 1:1 time with Sebastian, having two days a week in which I can spend catching up with all the chores. From simply keeping on top of the pharmacy trips, multiple medicines all organised at different refresh times, to making sure we have food to eat, clothes to wear, feeding the cats, keeping the house generally just moving forward. When you have what equates to a nap time free each day suddenly it feels like you are on the clock, I have certainly dropped a bunch of things and I am so thankful that we have some outside help to keep everything “clean”.

Scattered along the month are weeks where there are hospital visits, this week scheduled an MRI and a Gastro appointment. The MRI went really well, so much less dramatic than last time – which you can read about here. This time a little bit of gas and she was fast asleep, no worrying about cannulation or MRI machines, no fire alarms going off above her, no vomiting, just sleep and actually peace. Of course it’s always a worry when your child is to undergo general anaesthesia but I enjoyed a really nice cup of coffee and we were happy she was in very safe hands.

When she eventually came around she was sleepy but happy, in fact the most distress she felt was from forgoing her breakfast and the nurses observations afterwards. With each check her heart rate would spike until the nurse soon realised she needed to leave the room to get a normal reading. Seeing her little heart rate spike really made me appreciate how anxious hospitals make Ariella and that I should try and remember this whenever she is having a meltdown.

I have of course applied to have her results sent to me ASAP, I’m not one to wait for the next consultant appointment. Looking forward to getting those through, I would hate to attend the appointment and have it sprung on me should there be any significant changes. Fingers crossed that the results come back positive!

Really glad it is the weekend, time to relax a little and prepare for October which will bring more blood tests, a hearing test, a vision test, a new weekly speech and language group and of course Halloween! It’s also going to be time to start visiting specialist schools, which is quite a daunting prospect but I am looking forward to seeing how they can best support Ariella.

As ever, busy, busy, busy…

Being Mum Parenting Weekly Update

A change of mind

Posted on 9th September 2018

Last month I drafted a very long post about social media and connection, I was about to publish it and then I came across an article online which completely changed my outlook. It was about humanity and the blame culture, I realised complaining about humanity and the way we rely so heavily on social media was counter productive.

Rather than complain and point fingers at faults, how could I work to improve my own use of social media? It’s our responsibility to model the things we want to see and value in society, kindness, compassion and meaningful interaction. I think lately this ties in well with the current issues we are experiencing globally and the social awareness towards our environmental impact. For one currently in the eye of the media is the plastic in the sea, the strange weather we’ve been experiencing – both of these things have raised important questions about bringing home the important of our own impact on our future.

Starting again using a more positive framework, I’ve recently taken a break from my own personal social media accounts. It’s so easy to use up the idle time between tasks with a quick swipe of Facebook and scroll down the feed. I wanted to be present more mentally and I’d like to maintain more of my friendships outside of this viewfinder kind of window box world.

I have found being more “offline” has meant I am much more productive, much more aware, much less attached to my phone although I do still use it for Instagram which I love. I find little snapshots and images are far quicker to process and disconnect from. Right now I’m using my time to keep on top of all the tasks required to organise two children, one with many medical needs, two cats, a household. I’m finding far more time for myself, I now attend the gym which I have always thought about doing but never wanted to invest time into during the evenings. I’ve lost 20lbs in weight (comparing my pre pregnancy weight) and am the slimmest and the most physically fit that I have ever been in my life thus far. My original motivation was to get stronger as my wrists and arms were beginning to ache every day carrying Ariella, fortunately I have done this but she also has started to become stronger herself and needing me slightly less so now I am beginning to lose my tolerance for carrying her at all.

I’m not sure it was constructive for me to always be so visually aware of the things that children the same age as Ariella are doing. It’s much easier to just live in the now and work with her timeline than to see what she “would” of been doing had things been different. So far it’s going really well for me, my friends have mostly adapted to letting me know when they want to chat and use more direct means. It does mean that occasionally I miss announcements but much like sending a letter in the post compared to email, most of the time it still arrives.

We’ve been making some positive changes generally to our lifestyle, Sebastian is now using Eco nappies which is really just one tiny change but it makes me feel a little better. I can’t quite get my mind around going full cloth after comments about having a poo spatula from others but we are trying the Eco Naty disposables that are biodegradable. So far I really like them, they aren’t as absorbent as say Pampers which we use over night, so need changing about as often as cloth would but it’s a good positive start on removing something that really does not degrade – nappies and we use a lot of them!

What have we been up to?

If you’ve been keeping tabs on my instagram you will have seen that we all entered the 100,000 genome project last month – linked in case you would like to read more about the project. It’s the very best chance we have to find a diagnosis for Ariella, I am so pleased we are finally in the system and although it will be many years (around 1 – 2 at least) there was the possibility we could well have missed the deadline as it is now closed. Last May 2017 the discussion of the project being the next step was raised, but we didn’t hear anything back and after chasing we have just met the deadline, I can’t tell you how horrified I would have been if we had not been able to enter. It’s a very important project in which the whole genome is considered against the medical record data, a position in which the NHS is well suited to accommodate in England. Hopefully in future years the data gained will benefit in more ways that I can imagine, certainly if it can help stop future families living a lifetime of uncertainty about their child’s health that will in itself be more than enough.

We also saw Neurology at the same time when visiting St Georges Hospital, Ariella will be having another MRI at the end of the month this time under general anaesthetic. Probably for the best given the last MRI she woke up during it.

Sebastian is doing well, progressing well, sleeping well, smiling – he is a very happy chap with his two teeth. Every day is interesting and every day I’m reminded of how different my experience is this time around. He is almost crawling now, luckily everything is baby proofed still. We still have our stair gates in place as Ariella has just started to crawl downstairs. I am looking forward to getting more one to one time with Sebastian once Ariella starts preschool next week Ariella has now finished nursery but previously nursery days were often unwillingly Ariella admin days.

I have had a whole week with the two children, it has reminded me that actually once you get into a rhythm is isn’t all that bad. To keep busy and feel somewhat in control I planned the weeks events out in my new paper diary, this worked really well and I was able to prepare Ariella every day better. I don’t know why I didn’t do this before, it’s much easier and you can actually make good use of your time. So often I would just waste time or not be efficient with being “outside” and doing the outdoor tasks all together. When you have so many steps to come up and down with two children attached to you, you begin to appreciate reducing those trips up and down. I was fortunate that this past week Ariella’s seizures have calmed down slightly so she has been happier in herself.

This week we tried to make use of some of the memberships we have with the National Trust and RHS, we visited the local Arboretum which both children seemed to enjoy. We took many trips to various local parks to feed the ducks, use the swings and go for walks. We stopped by our local garden centre for ice cream and to use their garden piano which Ariella is so fond of and finally ending with a trip South to the beach, soft play and swimming. Ariella sleeps better when she’s had some good daily physical exertion now, if we stay indoors the whole day then bedtime can be a little prolonged.

September means new beginnings for all of us, preschool every day (eventually) will be quite an adjustment. It will feel I’m sure much like the school run, I hope we adjust to it okay. I hope that Ariella adjusts to her new “nursery” okay too, she will get lots of support so I’m sure that will make it easier for her. Right now she is often going through weeks of phases where she is quite confused, repeating phrases, screaming and generally seeming quite distressed. It feels like there is a lot going on neurologically, I hope that we get some answers soon so that she can carry on moving forward more and we all have a calmer environment. The change in state seems to go hand in hand with seizure activity, absences, tremors, a new kind of seizure too where her body muscles jerk oddly for a few seconds then stop.

Medication is going up but once the seizure activity passes we have a few weeks of calm (with the normal challenges) again.

I often feel like I can’t quite keep up with the updates of what is going on, each week is different. I try and write about what we are up to and then the goal posts will change!

Being Mum Lifestyle Parenting Weekly Update

Intolerance

Posted on 8th August 2018

Out for a picnic and a trip to the park, we needed some lunch and I knew Ariella would find shopping difficult. I try to only go on nursery days but sometimes life doesn’t quite work out that way, we whipped around picking items off the shelf quickly, no time to browse – not quite as easy now that neither of us can eat gluten. Quickly tossing some strawberries into her hands, “Here Ariella, you hold this and we will take it to the till”. Task initiated.

Then begins the repetitive requests from Ariella…

“Ariella, door, door, till, door, door, DOOR, scream, DOOR, scream, -insert random phrase that she likes to repeat when overwhelmed- “.

My reassurances trying to calm her failing I quickly gave the coveted strawberries to the lady on the till and back again to Ariella. Onto the next stop on the train tracks in her mind.

“Door, eat, Ariella eat, eat, open door, NOOO, Nooo, door, Door, EAT, door, *scream*”

I pay, swiftly roll my double pram out the doors parking up outside and wrestle all the food into the pram. Sebastians sat quietly chewing on his fist, smiling up like business as usual. Yes business as usual, just as I’m about to sigh with relief that the shopping is over with a hunched middle aged man walks slowly out of the shop and says…

“She’s a delight”

But not in a good way, in that sarcastic voice that people reserve to cause offence. I turn around, wondering if I heard correctly? “Pardon?” looking him in the eye. He repeats again “I said, she’s a delight isn’t she!”.

I don’t reply, quite shocked – my first proper complaint against her lack of ability to comply. His wife says “come on, lets go” and off they wonder together, slowly. We head off to the park where Ariella has a fantastic day in the park out in the sun and for the first time she plays away from me with distance while I play with Sebastian sat on a park bench.

Screaming

I have so much empathy for parents of children who scream, whether that be a rare one off occasional or a daily, hourly, minute by minute event. It’s really frustrating to hear, it’s shocking, it’s abrupt, it sets you on edge.

Never take for granted the freedom of watching what you like on television without your child screaming between each and every transition, being able to drive your car in whatever direction you like to whichever destination you like, spontaneously visiting a shop to buy something, browsing – oh you lucky devils, buying a coffee, stopping to speak to anyone in the street, speaking to your neighbours outside, playing with toys that make sounds, singing to yourself, going to a music festival, waiting for anything at all! I know when you are out and about, going about your day the last thing you want to hear and witness is a child having a meltdown, I say meltdown because I don’t believe the majority of children with additional needs are having constant tantrums. I know certainly there are a lot of sensory concerns playing their part and a absolutely -need- for the child to respond with a scream, sometimes Ariella will try very hard to hold the scream in.

I don’t want to be screamed at all day, I know it doesn’t sound nice but we can’t stop our children from doing it because they either feel they need to or because understanding and developing takes longer and requires more repetition which comes from more exposure and experience than a neuro typical child. As a society we need to learn tolerance and we need to learn to be more patient, with everyone!

I’ve noticed that as Ariella grows older the tolerance from society appears to becoming weaker, when she walks around she often stumbles sideways and will correct herself or she walks into people. I see less smiles now and more frowns, which is such a shame but we do not like being restricted in speed and pace how often do we want to pass or hurry up a learner driving a car? Easily forgetting that we once sat where they do, learning to drive and that everyone must start somewhere. Never forget that you take your own independence and ability for granted, a simple change in circumstances could shift your world.

For the first time this week a member of the public reported our use of a disabled bay – quite wrongly too not that it matters as we do indeed have a blue badge. I had noticed a lady staring over and wondered if she was going to speak up but she decided to take her complaint to the reception of a local gym I was attending. I’m sure if the new changes to the blue badge scheme do come in, then this will happen a lot more for those with hidden disabilities, society assumes disability based on appearances. Yet if you look closely you can see the differences in gait, only because Ariella is a child the lady probably just made assumptions. I kindly told the security staff that the bay was being used correctly, there were no problems. But it left a sour taste that one lady could look and complain based on assumptions, I hope she was told that she had made an error and can learn from her experience.

So what can you do to help?

If you see a child screaming or struggling and you need to interact always consider that the child might have additional needs. If you’d like to help in a positive way remember to:

Use clear simplified language;
Explain what you are about to do, using Makaton (sign, symbols and speech) or first, and next structured instructions;
Give the child extra time to respond to you;
Appreciate that the child may have sensory processing difficulties and may need to find somewhere to calm down; and
Remember that even neuro typical children struggle with their emotions and adjust your expectations.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
― Maya Angelou

Being Mum Featured Parenting

“Muddle” Puddles – Another update

Posted on 20th September 2017

Like clockwork the meteorological calendar ticks over to Autumn and the rain comes, we have our first sight of leaves falling from the trees today. Plenty of muddy puddles to jump in for all the children, something I’ve been waiting for a while. I thought that it would just be bound by Ariella’s ability to A. stand B. jump but it turns out C. anxiety has reared its head. Yet here it is and I’m so glad Summer is over with now, pregnancy and heat are just not for me. In fact much as it may surprise you I don’t really like direct sunlight all that much, I still enjoy going on holiday but prefer to spend my time in shaded spots – preferably with a lovely cold drink and a good book. I know some of my friends were amazed when I said that since we do favour hot locations, I’d happily go somewhere snowing if I could convince anyone to come with me!

The last few weeks have been full of tears, tantrums, crying and of course children of her age do these things – I hear that a lot. They do, but before you take that thought path let me direct you down this road because I think the behavioural aspects of special needs children is really overlooked. Check out this brilliantly written article by a physiologist part one which lists the cons and part two which lists the pros. It’s odd to see so many of my thoughts written down as I’d never really considered that other people often feel this way too, the feedback reward loop is something that I’ve always found a challenge.

With SN children, however, they often require that you teach—and reteach and reteach—some of the same lessons until the children learn. What happens when the student doesn’t learn? The parent understandably feels frustrated. Parents need positive reinforcement to keep chugging along, but they don’t get the reinforcement they need if the child doesn’t learn the lessons. In this way, the parent’s experience leads to a sort of crisis of faith: Are my efforts making a difference? If not, where do I go from here? – Psychology Today

The hope is that Occupational therapy will aid with some methods and techniques to counter the anxiety and sensory aversions that Ariella seems to be showing. It was rather disappointing when our private assessment had to be cancelled by the therapist, I’m now undecided about whether to continue my search for a new therapist while we wait out the very long (so I’m told) wait list for NHS O/T or just hope that things settle down a little in the meanwhile. I am trying to find out how long the current wait is but it’s proving elusive, hopefully with this knowledge in hand I can make an informed choice for Ariella.

Since starting nursery a fear and dislike of other children has settled in, I’m not sure why this has happened and I’m not really sure what to do about it. There seems to be a proximity around her in which if a child comes near she will meltdown and hit out – I can only think that she did have a collision with another child while walking at nursery a few weeks back. It was only a matter of time, but I hope in time this might ease a little, taking her outside where inevitably there is grass, sand, rain, noises, other children is proving more and more difficult. Usually resulting in biting, hitting and screaming until removed from the situation. Challenging indeed!

We’ve not seen Ariella’s physiotherapist all Summer as there has been a change over of staff but her next appointment is next week and luckily she has been assigned a therapist who she has met before through hydrotherapy. I’m sure she will be pleased with her progress, when her therapist left her she was just starting to walk unaided a little but regressed. Now Ariella is walking well indoors, as of this week she has started to stand up from the ground rather than needing support. She is still a little wobbly and often unsure but her confidence is growing, we just need to work on this outside too! Generally speaking I feel happy to watch her toddle around and no longer feel I need to prepare her for falling like in the early days when she would fall over or lose balance. Next I’m hoping to focus on going up and down stairs, climbing – all tasks which will really help me out with another baby on the way.

Update – Today she asked for the steps and she climbed up with a little encouragement by herself! Taking her lead I offered her the chance to climb the bigger stairs from our entrance door up and she did those all by herself. I’m so pleased for her! So lovely to see all her limbs moving together and building her strength.

Ariella has a new pair of orthopaedic shoes on order, they are a size bigger than her current boots and will have supports which remove in a dashing shade of pink. The plan is to use the supports in regular shoes too and slowly wean her off the support, music to my ears. Her feet are still very bent over but apparently this doesn’t matter so much, it’s about how much balance she has and stability.

Music class is back on the weekly schedule, the break has made her clam up a little in class but Ariella adore music. She loves shaking her maracas left, right, up high and tapping. She’s come such a long way in terms of using her instruments, often copying what the class teacher is doing when it suits. We’ve had many renditions of Twinkle, twinkle and Happy Birthday (ever since her nieces birthday party a few weekends ago). Often she will be humming or singing the words while playing with her toys, doing a little dance. Here is a little clip the original is several minutes long, I wish I had captured it in landscape but never mind!

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