A mom post tonight….
I was having a conversation with Lily’s OT this week while we were having a joint visit with our physiotherapist – a special treat. We were talking about how, when learning new skills, it has taken Lily a long time to figure things. She would plateau for ages but then one day it would just click and suddenly she could do it. There has been no middle ground with her – she can’t do it until she can and then she’s amazing at it. We had always known that kids with Down Syndrome do everything that a “typical” child does, they just do it a bit later, and Lily seemed to take that to her own level – we affectionately call it, “Lily time”.
But lately, the gains seem to be coming faster and faster. Somewhere in between learning how to sit and becoming aware of her mouth, she’s been jumping ahead in leaps and bounds. The baby who was so silent now chats up a storm, entertaining herself for hours. Earlier this week we saw a girl on the edge of creeping and we watched in amazement today as she stood on her own (with a little help from the couch) for about 30 seconds (especially impressive since not even a week ago if you tried to make her bear weight on her legs she would scream murder).
Each and every time she moves forward in life, I’m reminded of just how proud I am of this little fighter and how far she has come. Her personality has started to shimmer through – she’s quick to share a giggle when she’s delighted by something new and equally as fast to tell us when she’s done. Her eyes light up when she sees us in the morning, and at night has learned that if she just rolls around and chats to herself she doesn’t have to fall asleep right away. She plays the xylophone like a concert pianist and finds herself terribly amusing. Before our eyes, she’s moving away from being the strong fighter of a baby and into this tiny lady with so much determination and an fierce independent streak. But at the end of the day, when she’s tired of working, she brings her head in on my chest and her hand plays with my necklace and reminds me that she’s still just a little girl.
