Feed Me!!

Alexi's Occupational Therapist has been pretty clear about her not wanting us to be spoon feeding Alexi just yet.  Kids with Down Syndrome tend to have a hard time adjusting to feeding as their oral cavity is a bit smaller and their tongue is not.  This makes the tongue much larger in comparison to the mouth.  We do alot of oral exercises to prepare Alexi for speech and feeding alike and even play with spoon feeding different things from time to time.  But at her 6 month gestational check up, when we told the doctor about this, he very politely suggested (very clearly) that it is time to start!

(old picture as we were so excited feeding we didn't get a picture today)

Alexi had breakfast this morning like she's been doin it for years!  She just sat in her high chair and ate spoonful after spoonful of her oatmeal.  In fact when her serving was done, she threw a "hissy fit" stating (very clearly) that she wants more! 

Well, miss Alexi will have to wait as we don't want to over do anything right away, but sure are excited about feeding!  She was doing all of the oral motor activities that we have been practicing for and it is so awesome to see a full feeding come together so well after all that "training."

We still love and trust our OT and know why she wanted us to wait, as did the doctor.  He acknowledged that what our OT was doing is great, but he felt it's time to get started.  Alexi was super excited and showed us that our patience and practice have paid off.  Even more importantly, it is so much fun watching her try and enjoy new things!  This girl rocks! (very clearly)

(when mom read this she told me she got a cell phone pic from last nights sweet potatoes)

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Busy Busy Busy

We've been pretty busy here lately and haven't had much time to sit down and type, but Alexi is doin AWESOME!  This weekend has been no exception.  We started it off right by going to Alexi's 6 month gestational check up with the Down Syndrome Clinic.  We got to go to their outpatient north location instead of heading into the city, which was great.  A little farther of a drive but no traffic, yay!  (Dad isn't much of a fan of sitting in traffic.)

Alexi got to see Dr. Vellody for the second time, and is lucky to have that opportunity.  Not only is he a great doctor, but he is a great guy, too.  Dr Vellody's inspiration to become a doctor came from his very own brother, who has Down Syndrome.  So these two had lots of fun hanging out together during the check up.

Alexi also got to meet Sheila for the very first time.  It seems just about everyone in the Down Syndrome community from Pittsburgh knows Sheila.  She is an instrumental person at the clinic who's daughter also has Down Syndrome.  She was a pleasure to meet and Alexi had fun getting all kinds of attention from her!



So what did we find out at the check up?  We found out that Alexi weighs 16 lbs, 9 oz and is over 26 inches "tall!"  With these measurements she has made it onto the non adjusted growth charts!  For those who don't know, there is an adjusted growth chart for children born with Down Syndrome as these kids tend to have a smaller stature.  Adjustments are also made to charts for premature babies.  Alexi has made the typical charts with no adjustments!  She is between the 10th and 25th percentile on weight, height, and head circumference.  This is awesome news as it shows she is growing wonderfully and filling out so well.  Doing so is only going to help her overcome some of the "setbacks" she started off with.

As I'm sure most could have guessed, WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR LITTLE GIRL!  She never stops teaching and showing us that there are no good "excuses" in life.  When some may have thought that being born 10 weeks premature with Down Syndrome was a weak hand, she plays with the the hand she has been dealt every day of her life, and 'wins.'  Thus, proving that it is a winning hand, as long as it's played right. 









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Milestones

Milestones milestones milestones!  That's something parents seem to talk about all the time.  So what are they?  Well according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary a milestone is "a significant point in development."

To us milestones aren't anything specific, rather, they are just noteworthy events, the kind of things we think we'll remember and reflect on later.  Well Alexi sure did hit one of those this past weekend, when she met her first friend who also rocks some awesome designer genes!  I'm pretty confident this was the best milestone yet, because we all had a blast!


Alexi not only got to meet Sydney (19 months), who we met through Noahsdad.com, but also got to meet Peyton (almost 3), Tommy (5), Melanie (61 according to Tommy), and Tom.  (Sorry Melanie but I couldn't resist!)  It's pretty obvious that Tom and Melanie share our love for our children and are some pretty awesome people too.  The entire day just reeked of positivity and joy.  

Although I think I spent most of my time playing with Tommy and Peyton, I absolutely love Sydney.  She is so inspiring!  This little girl's coordination and fine motor skills are simply outstanding.  What a good friend for Alexi to have!  Alexi would watch her and you could see Alexi wanted to get up and go, too.

So playing with the Wards was an amazing milestone to us, and Alexi is lucky to have such awesome new friends.   Another great milestone Alexi hit in the past week was drinking through a straw!  It all started with sort of a joke.  Mom was drinking through a straw and Alexi kept reaching for it.  Kerith let her play with it since she has never drank from a straw before, and almost instantly you could see the drink go right up the straw!  Kerith had to quickly take it away, as it was a frozen cappuccino!  Don't worry it barely touched Alexi's mouth, but she sure wanted more!  She must get that from her mother.  We gave Alexi her new juice cup with a straw thing that we got to her begin teaching, and she took right to it.  She now holds it in her hands and drinks her juice when she gets thirsty.

So maybe our opinion of what to consider milestones isn't "typical," but it sure is fun!  We love celebrating and stepping back to appreciate every significant point in our development as a family.