working with flash cards and in between milestones

This is the boy, who not too long ago would turn and run in the other direction if a costumed character approached him.

Not scared anymore, huh?

Madison, on the other hand, seems to be a little insulted by characters lately.  When I asked her if she wanted her picture, she said, "No.  That's not Bob and Larry.  It's just a person in there." 

Thanks Chuckie Cheese for sending us 40 free tokens for birthdays. 

I remember months ago, when I wrote this post.  I struggled with the delayed milestones and lulls in development.  Waiting was hard.  Partly because it meant Kamdyn was "different" and partly because it made me feel like somehow I was falling short.  Maybe I wasn't doing enough. Maybe she would do better if I............  You know the drill.  I think those are things that any mother thinks.

But as the months have gone on, I have come to see that Kamdyn will do things in her own time.  Sure, I need to teach her and encourage her to reach those milestones, but it has to be in her own time.

Don't be fooled.  I happened to snap this one picture, when she looks like she is coloring.  She didn't want to color with the chalk.  She wanted to eat it.  And when I told her no...................

....................this was the reaction:

When you have a baby, usually you feel like you wake up one morning, and you have a toddler.  They scream.  They hit you.  They run away from you.  But all those are evened out by their laugh, their smile, their crooked toddle.  It's all good.  With Kamdyn, I am finding this transition to be slowly easing its way in.  Almost like it wants to survey the ground and examine the surroundings before it creeps in.  In some ways, it's there.  Like the way she pushes her head into your chin if you talk to someone else while you're holding her.  Or the way she pitches her cup when she's done with it.  Or there's the I don't want that swat that she has perfected.  So here I am finding myself having conversations about discipline with her therapists.  Discussing strategies.  Hearing the "You can't let her get away with things" pep talk. 

At the same time, I have a baby, content to snuggle up against me and curl into my arms.  She's still army crawling, but we haven't had to baby proof yet.  We hear a lot babbling, and loud babbling at that, but no words yet.  So we're kind of in an in between place right now.

While months ago, I was more nervously waiting and anticipating the next phase, now, I'm able to enjoy where we are right now.  I know all too well that you bat an eye, and you have a 5 year old or a 14 year old.  We get the opportunity to enjoy each phase to the fullest and to be fully present in it. 

Here's Kamdyn's newest little trick:

We've been doing flash cards for about a month.  Kamdyn's Speech Therapist suggested that when I have her pick the duck from two cards, I make the second card plain white with no distractions on it.  This insures that she will focus on the card with the duck.  We show her a total of 5 cards.  Right now, we are doing duck, shoes, ball, baby, and dog.  I felt like those were all beginning basic objects that babies are usually interested in first.  I show her each card, let her touch it, do the sign, and then show her the real object.  Dog is fun, because we can have Ubu come give her a lick on the face : ) 

A little off the topic, but I was born and raised in Maryland.  We moved to Pennsylvania, not too far from the Maryland line a couple of years ago.  With our move, I am finding that parks and playgrounds in Pennsylvania are AWESOME.  After Kamdyn's cardiologist appointment, we went to a park in the area.  It is a handicapped accessible park that is full of stimulating, imaginative areas. 

It has different areas that look like a barn, train, and space ship.  There was also a produce stand and ice cream shop. 

We never had places like this when I was a kid.

Kamdyn got a good report at the cardiologist.  We are continuing our "wait and see" plan, and we have our next appointment in November.  Wow, that is the longest we have ever gone between cardiologist appointments.  It will be nice to have a long break from those appointments.  We couldn't be happier that all is well in the heart department.