Stay at home vacation happenings

Super long two-week update.

Hippotherapy - Last week during Megan's session I got to be her side walker because there was a volunteer who didn't show up.  Normally this would have been a disaster but since Will was there too and could hang with Sam I was free to do it.  I had so much fun, it really still makes me smile when I think about it.  Megan is doing great on the pony.  Yesterday she had so much fun that when it was time to leave she was trying to put her helmet back on so she could ride some more.  She is now standing up in the stirrups by herself, throwing balls overhead into the basketball goal, getting items out of the mailbox, etc...all by herself.

Speech - Megan has started "filling in the blanks" for me.  I sang part of the alphabet phonics song and she did the "m" part for me.  She also said moo last week for her speech therapist during the old macdonald song.  Her therapist said she can hear all of the vowel sounds now when Megan is babbling.  During yesterday's session she did incredibly well with imitating gross motor movements, even mimicking double-taps with double-taps instead of just single ones.  She is blowing kisses like crazy, waving good-bye and raising her arms during diaper changes.  Yesterday she was getting frustrated with having to perform to get to play with a toy so at one point she crawled to the door, said "mama" and hit it to indicate that she was done and she wanted me.  Her therapist was very impressed by this but told her she had 15 more minutes of work to do.  Megan's response was to get back to work and make the sound she was being asked to make - I was impressed by that.  Megan is now doing the sign for book on a regular basis and it is so cute with her little hands

Walking - Megan has continued to walk when asked, though the past week has been less because I hurt my back so I can't help/facilitate it for her.  Her PT at school was thrilled with her work today - they worked on her standing up from a low bench by herself.  She said that they would sing a song and when Megan sat down she would stop singing and tell her she had to stand up to hear more and she would do it.  She was also standing for 15-20 seconds before sitting back down.  Megan has been standing at home a lot at her kitchen and Sam's tool bench.  She will stand and play and when she drops something she is holding on with on hand, squatting down to pick up the toy and then standing back up.  I thought this was great since she was instigating on her own and her PT was thrilled to hear about it saying it was a good sign too.  Three times in the past 2 weeks Megan has walked to complete strangers.  The first time she climbed out of my lap onto her feet and walked across the room to get to someone.  The second and third times she let go of Will's hands to walk to someone.

Mall Fun - twice during our vacation we took the kids to a mall.  The first time we took them to the ride on toys that move back and forth a little bit.  We were able to put them side by side in a race car and they had a blast.  Every time it would run out Megan would say more in sign language and then clap.  The second mall has a toddler climbing area.  Megan wasn't into climbing - there were way too many kids there, but she loves to watch other kids.  She moved around a little bit until she found her spot.  She sat beside a tunnel so she could see through it and watch kids running by the other end.  At one point I sent Sam through the tunnel to her and she screamed and squealed with delight.  She would also do a little dance and clap when she saw him run by the end of the tunnel.  There was a little boy who she gave kisses to and he returned the favor.  At one point she was walking holding onto Will's hand and the boy started pushing on her tummy.  She kept walking, though sideways to get away from him but she was smiling and laughing the whole time.

Miscellaneous - two of our male neighbors have come by when we were playing outside and Megan wanted both of them to hold her and didn't want either of them to put her down.  A couple of days ago she learned how to tease someone.  Will had been getting her ready for bed and she grabbed her finger brace and moved away from him.  He told her to give it back and she held it up to him and right before he grabbed it she pulled it away and laughed.  She did it several times.  Then yesterday she teases Sam with one of the screws from his tool bench.  This morning when Will pulled into the school parking lot Megan clapped.  They were in the truck so she was high enough to see where she was and she was happy to be at school.