Mia turned one on Jan 17th. We threw a party and had a really fun day with all our friends and family, but a combination of the disruption to Mia’s routine on top of an ongoing respiratory virus resulted in a cluster of seizures over the following two days and yet another hospital admission. Such is the yin and yang of life I guess!
8 weeks on and she still has a bit of a crackly chest, but since adding Nitrazepam to the Keppra she was already on we have seen zero further seizure activity – not even a twitch (of which she was previously having many every day) – and no obvious side effects either. For the time being at least, Nitrazapam seems to be Mia’s ‘wonder drug’.
She doesn’t get weighed as often as she used to, and it’s not something we closely monitor ourselves, but I think she’s currently tipping the scales with a fighting weight of around 13lb. We’re still waiting on that first tooth to show itself but, on the dentist’s recommendation, we had our first tooth (ok, gum) brushing session recently and surprisingly Mia actually seemed to quite enjoy it.
Mia loves ‘messy’ play and and is working really hard to sit up on her own. From lying on her back she can lift her head and shoulders clear off the ground and hold that position for up to 30 seconds, the look of determination on her face is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. She giggles when tickled, gives us lots of smiles and continues to be more and more vocal each day. She can now bear her weight on her legs for a few seconds and passes toys from one hand to the other like a pro. She likes holding a spoon while we feed her and has started showing an interest in putting food towards, and occasionally even in, her mouth.
These tiny achievements would no doubt pass unnoticed by most of the parents of the other kids in Mia’s nursery class, who are all toddling about and climbing over each other (the kids that is, not the parents!), but Mia continues to amaze Vicki and me every single day and we see it as an absolute joy and privilege to be taking this scenic route through our special little girl’s development.
Here are a few pics from this weekend of Mia making a mess and getting cleaned up afterwards. Who doesn’t love a picture of a dirty baby in a sink?!
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How time flies my friend. Looks likes she’s doing great!
Mia is adorable!! Keep up the great work on your progress Mia!
I love these photos!
Messes are awesome! Represents great development huh. But I’ve never seen cuter messes:) As always, enjoyed your conversational writing…especially love the term “scenic route”- I’ll be borrowing that one.
Mia is so cute! I want to try and let Nathaniel feed himself, but I don’t know what to start with. What “food” did Mia start with?
Thanks Letty, I’d say a good starting point is messy food play with something soft and tasty like yoghurt or tinned spaghetti. From there you can move on to things like bread-sticks, small pieces of cheese or strips of buttered toast. We generally try to give Mia a little of whatever we are eating ourselves, within reason, to taste and play with. I know it’s hard, but try not to get too hung up on the actual eating, it’s all about becoming accustomed to handling food and developing the fine-motor hand/mouth coordination skills. Let us know how you get on.
When I look at Mia’s adorable photo’s and read about her achievements I can’t help but be impressed. It doesn’t really matter what the other babies do or don’t do. Rochelle has stripped the desire to compete or compare from my life. Participating and rejoicing in the daily development of a unique individual is a fulfilling experience.