They're 20 months old!

The girls are now 20 months old! What changes in them! First, Catie now sits by herself all the time. She will sit and watch TV (Disney) and empty the toy basket with all their toys in it (she makes a complete mess)! She has started eating with a spoon (Yeah!) What a mess! She has a vocabulary of 7 words (baba, dada, mama, baby, me, nini, puppy). She just started trying to pass a spoon from her left to her right hand. She will grab it with her right hand but won't let go of it from her left (her right hand is affected by her CP). Catie is now in AFO braces for her ankles. She started standing all the time in her walker but I noticed that she always stood on the inside arches of her feet so her toes pointed outward. What a difference they have made in just 2 weeks! She has actually started take steps while holding her hands! Since she has had the AFO's, she is starting to learn to scoot herself along on the floor (crawl). Now that she has realized she can move herself around like that I think she'll be crawling in no time. She had a head CT on August 31 and her neurosurgeon said she is doing great. Her ventricles look small and the shunt seems to be working fine. It's been one year in August since she had any problem with it (yeah!). She is still having a problem with her weight. She was just weighed yesterday (10/21/98) and was 14 lbs even. She is very thin but eats well. She will be seeing a dietician in another week to see what we can do to increase her caloric intake. Shannon is all over the place! She cruises the furniture like nobody's business. She still hasn't gotten the nerve to let go of the coffee table to stand by herself, but she will pretty soon. Her nystagmus has slowed considerably. It's still there (especially when she is not concentrating on keeping them still to focus on anything). But she sees everything-doesn't miss a thing! She does walk with a walker she pushes along by herself but not alone. Shannon still hasn't learned to eat with a spoon. She does still have a severe sensory defensiveness. She can't stand having someone touch or take her hands into theirs. It's very hard for the OT and PT to get her to grab blocks, etc. but she will get them on her own. Weird?!? Shannon is up to 17 lbs 2 ozs as of yesterday (10/21/98). She will be having a speech therapist evaluate her next week because she still doesn't really talk. She will say baba all the time but it sounds like just babbling. I believe she is tongue-tied. The skin that is attached to the underneath of her tongue is at the very tip of her tongue. She also has trouble getting food to the back of her mouth because of her tongue. The Dr says no, but I want to see what the speech therapist says. Both girls drink from sipper cups. Shannon will hold hers on her own. Catie can't because she can't grasp with her right hand. The girls are such a joy! They laugh all the time and I play with them every evening. They love the contact. I will update again around Christmas. Come back then for more updates! Happy Holidays! LOOK AT THEIR PHOTOS PAGE - CHRISTMAS PICS FROM KMART - NEW!!

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