Bella’s Week

All of this stomping our feet has had a great benefit.  She was willing to sit in Joy’s tomato chair.  She is so gravitationally defensive!  She freaks out just to sit in a chair at the table.  So putting her in the chair and playing this game was helping her work on that fear.  Awesome!  All of this hard chair sitting also has another objective – to strengthen those muscles.  See the second picture?  She is at the doctor again, sorry Bella.  (It was just endocrine, she’s fine)  See how she’s slumping forward?  We have to strengthen those muscles to get her to sit upright.  Sitting in a hard chair without a lot of support (what she usually has) is excellent therapy for that!

Bella cuddling with her Daddy

Loved watching Bella trying to eat some of the chocolate milkshake  She was a mess, but she got some in her mouth!  So impressed with her trying to eat!

This one was great!  We were reading scriptures and Bella crawled over to the table, stood up (holding on to the table), cruised a little(!!!) to get to the side of the table with the books, got a book, scooted back over to us, and sat down to read.  A lot of effort, but I was so pleased!

Seeing if we can’t entice her into using Brother’s walker.  She needs so much support when she walks – that left leg just can’t support her weight, but she just doesn’t like walkers.  We got about four steps out of her.  PT doesn’t understand why she won’t use them.  She could get everywhere.  But she does go everywhere – she scoots or she has started crawling again.  This girl knows her body.  When she’s ready she’ll use it and not a second before!

We went to a Hydrocephalus Walk for Brother. 

Bella’s Week

Therapy

This series – Bella wants to jump so badly.  But you have to have working knees to jump!  She was giggling so loudly during this!

Joy had an appointment downtown.  I had to bring all of the little kids with me.  It was traumatic for Bella.  I must have told her a million times that this was Joy’s turn and no one was going to touch her.  She absolutely refused to go into the weighing and measuring room.  She literally put on the brakes on her wheelchair.  My poor baby!  She has had so much done to her.  I am sorry my sweet girl!  The only way I could get her over the hysterics was giving her my phone and letting her watch this video over and over again (thank you Miss Rosie for doing some crazy things in therapy some times – they help us get through the yucky times!)

Saturday we went to the amazing Baytown Special Rodeo.  Everything is set up for children with special needs.  It was incredible!  Everything was free.  Everyone was super kind and went out of their way to make it a truly special experience for the kids.  We will be back next year!!

Signing “goat,” but not touching :)                                     The fire truck

Taking a break to sign a Signing Time song.          In the saddle           Picking a tattoo she wouldn’t allow them to put on her :)

Watching and dancing to the music                     Awesome Rodeo clown!

Howdy partner!       She went in the bouncy house with sissy!

Bella’s Week

Bella loves to play outside with her sisters! 

Walking with Miss Lien and Daddy!

Building a foot rest for Miss Shorty!  OT says you can’t focus on doing fine motor skills when your feet are dangling in the air.  Then playing around and being goofy!

Little Miss went to a normal dentist, rather than the one at the hospital!!  Yea!  We did have to hold her down and she did panic a little, but we got all of that tarter off without having to put her under – awesome!  I’m hoping she’ll learn that no one is going to hurt her here – it’s just that they look like doctors and nurses. 

This crazy bug is eating strawberries straight off the vine in the strawberry patch!!

Saturday night we headed to the ER with a hard, distended tummy.  Fun times around here all the time!

The First Week of School

Bella now goes to the same school as two of her sisters.  She was excited to be there!! 

She attends for 1/4 of a day with the goal to reach 1/2 day like the rest of her peers.  After the first day she came home and slept for two hours.  By the end of the week, she was able to stay awake till nap time.  An improvement!! Way to go babe!

 

Wednesday we went to see pulmonary – she hates it!  I was pushing her in the wheelchair and she put the brakes on.  No, you can’t push me in there!  Sorry babe.

She is fascinated by dressing and undressing right now.  If she disappears, I know this is what I’ll find.  Every piece of clothing she can find on her body – this is 8 shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 skirt, and 2 pairs of underwear!

Therapy shot – love the sequence! Pick up the play-doh ball, take it to the container, put it in

Working so hard in therapy

Such a crazy, happy girl!!