- I brought my concern to her pediatrician at her 9 month visit and was told to keep an eye on it. If she wasn't progressing I was to give them a call before her 12 month visit to get the ball rolling.
- At 11 months I made the call. An x-ray was taken of her hips and all was determined to be well. (Interestingly, she had an ultrasound of her hips at 6 weeks because she was breech.) We then were put on a waiting list for an evaluation for physical therapy at Wendell Foster in Owensboro. (For the record, my other option was someone coming to our home. I was told our wait would be longer. Turns out the wait was quiet long at WF and I never dreamed we would be going weekly for more than six months!)
- At 14 months we got the call that Wendell Foster has an opening and scheduled an evaluation. We met Nicole for the first time and were relieved to hear that nothing big stands out to explain why Anna doesn't put weight on her feet. It is on Thursday, September 7.
- On September 24 Anna pulled up for the first time.
- At 15 months insurance has cleared and we begin a weekly trek to Owensboro for PT from 4-5pm on Fridays. Her first session is on Friday, October 6.
- On November 11 she starts cruising. She went back and forth playing with plastic cookies and cupcakes on the coffee table.
- Anna commandeered a sucker just before bed on Sunday, March 19. I pried it out of her hands and she angrily followed me to the trash can. It sparked an idea!
- After naps on Monday, March 20, I opened a little pack of jelly beans, stood Anna up, and gave her one. Then I backed up and held a jelly bean out. Sure enough, she shuffled her sweet little feet to get that jelly bean. Josiah videoed, and she probably walked six feet. This was significantly more than she had ever done before. When Dave got home we did the experiment again the long way across the living room giving her pieces of a chocolate chip cookie as she walked.
- Our physical therapist was out on Friday with a sick child, but the therapist filling in was familiar with Anna and had watched our journey. Everyone in the room (who administers or receives PT during the same hour) rejoiced with us. Anna was brave and delighted. We were told that her arm placement (low guard) and ability to squat and stand back up were great for a new walker.
- On April 20 Nicole did another evaluation and Anna made a significant jump up the scale. I think it placed her at an 18 month level. Skills she could do were walking down a line and walking backwards. Nicole said that was a biggie for a new walker. Biggest news- we are slowing things down and coming back in a MONTH!
- At our May 18 appointment Anna was not up for our games to get her to do the things on the Nicole's checklist, such as sidestepping and going a certain distance in a certain time (she did this!). She threw a big fit over a corded play phone- she would have had a hard time being tied to the wall to talk! We had the option of being finished, but decided with Nicole's advice to come back in three months to see how she has developed and try to master the checklist.
- August 17- our last appointment. Nicole watched Anna work, then we went to the playground and played. She then said she had done all she felt like she could do and didn't feel like Anna needed to be monitored further. We felt the same way, had a round of hugs and high fives all around, and left Wendell Foster for (Lord willing) the last time. Anna was given a SUPER ACHIEVER shirt, a reminder to me of how far she has come over the past year.
We are incredible thankful for the respect and care of all those we met at Wendell Foster. God is good, a tender Shepherd. While waiting on Anna to progress and trekking to Owensboro weekly wasn't easy, we certainly appreciated each milestone in a way we wouldn't have otherwise. That is, we are grateful for the open eyes we were granted over past year of Anna's life.
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| September 24 Anna pulled up for the first time! |
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| October 4 Now she can play with the big kids better. |
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| October 13 First she sat in a walker. |
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| October 20 Then Anna stood in a walker. |
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| November 10 Anna learned to love pushing the shopping cart. The cart was filled with weights to keep it grounded. Anna wore light ankle weights for "input"- or to keep her grounded! |
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| November 11 She cruises! She moves her feet! |
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| November 22 Working hard to color with the big kids at Thanksgiving. |
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| December 1 Once Anna started moving her feet, she graduated to the reverse walker. |
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| January 5 It became her favorite PT activity. The walker and the slide :) |
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| February 19 We even got to bring one home. She got really good at maneuvering it through the house. |
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| We took it outdoors on an unusually warm February day. . . this was just before my silly girl went headfirst into the pavement and earned her first busted lip. |
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| March 12 Anna started walking holding on to the end of a rag at PT. A fall on the carpet resulted in a carpet burn on her nose, which turned into quite the scab. |
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| Our SUPER ACHIEVER after her last PT appointment! |
