We Are Heading to Indianapolis!

Alayna can finally grab her own pacifier with about 95% accuracy on getting it to her mouth! Anything helps and yes, it is a milestone in her book.

Sweet little Alayna right after an evening in the bathtub. She still loves it!

Alayna's sitting is so great! She can sit unassisted for minutes at a time. Sometimes she still will lose her balance, but she is more apt to putting her hand down to recover her fall. She is definitely getting it!

PT Update

Alayna has been improving so much over the summer. It's like stuff is finally "clicking." Whether it be from a simple thing like grabbing the necklace I am wearing to bearing her own weight as she stands at the couch it is exciting progress to brag about! At PT she has been working on standing in her AFO's and playing at a table and then even taking a few guided steps. She has been initiating the stepping a little on her own and even demonstrates shifting weight from side to side. We use knee immobilizers to help keep her legs straight and not allow her to bend the knees. It also helps free up our hands to work with her easier. I don't have a picture of her in those yet, but I will try to post one soon. In addition, her sitting has improved considerably over the past few months. She is becoming more aware of her arms and hands and being able to use them to stop a fall. Alayna lacks strength in her arms because she hates to be on her tummy and use them, but hopefully with the sitting it will improve. We keep trying to get her on all fours in a crawling position, but she doesn't like it at all. I'm beginning to think that she won't crawl at all. Maybe she'll be one to scootch on her bottom and walk instead!?

Eating and Drinking

Alayna loves to eat and she is getting better at it everyday. I no longer have to mash up macaroni and cheese or a noodle bucket with a grinder. She'll eat it the way it is! And she'll take it in by the spoonfuls. She is becoming an expert on using the sippy cup too. My only complaint is that we need to work on sitting it down nicely on the tray and not tossing it to the floor!

Sleeping & Napping

Alayna's sleeping has been pretty good lately. I can't remember the last time she was up in the middle of the night. She still likes to get up early every now and then, but it's not been bad. Her napping has improved because she seems to be getting on a schedule...finally! Her afternoon nap is getting longer and she'll usually sleep for 1-2 hours. It puts her in a much better mood. She is still not like most 2 1/2 year olds though. She naps frequently!

Indy....Here We Come!

On Friday, we are heading to Indy to the 3rd Annual 1p36 Conference to see our "extended" family. We are taking all 4 of the kids and both sets of our parents are going too. I am so excited to see everyone we know and to meet the one's that we don't know. There are about 35 families coming from all over the US and the kids range in age from 7 months old to 21 years old. Many of the kids are young like Alayna and so it is a nice opportunity to share ideas with others and learn from their experiences. It is such a valuable thing for us to have this support group. I can't imagine doing it alone with no one to relate to. I will definitely post pictures and a recap of our weekend when we get back!