A Week of Firsts

It has certainly been an eventful week in the Hannan household - including a few firsts

Rosa's Firsts:

*  She has been so close to walking for several days now.  She is cruising everywhere along couches, toys, kitchen cabinets - you name it, Rosa has put her drool-covered hands on it.  This morning, Tim and I sat across from each other and decided to take a try at getting Rosa to take those infamous first steps.  She got close, but lunging was more her game.  Tonight, Abuela (Grandma) was over, and we decided to take another try at it.  While Abuela watched, Rosa took not only her first step, but soon afterwards took two steps in a row!  Well, certainly Rosa had no idea the significance of that event, but every adult in the room knew.  When she was placed in Tim's arms on February 7th (Gotcha Day!), her head flopped, and she had very little muscle tone.  So it is a true miracle that in less than 5 months, she is walking!  My only regret is that it isn't on video, but it will always be taped in my mind.

*  As if that wasn't enough, Rosa has started talking up a storm.  She loves the words "Hi Baby" and "Up" the most, and she absolutely adores screaming at the top of her lungs (in happiness).  She is enjoying her voice and is very proud of it!

Rosa High Fives Momma While Swinging

Katie's Firsts:

*  Katie has started a gymnastics class at The Little Gym.  It is such a fun class, and since it is a Mommy and Me class, we get to do it together!  For the last several sessions, I have put her on the handlebars and tried to get her to hang.  The instructor even tried to help with this one, but she kept letting her hands just slide off the bar.  I talked with her OT about it, and she said that since her hands are so sensitive to sensory input (as we have seen in other exercises), this is probably very uncomfortable for her.  Add to that poor muscle tone, and it is a recipe for disaster!  But being the persistent mom I am, I keep trying it at least once with Katie each week.  This week, I tried a bar that was higher than the one we tried all the other times.  I got her stable on it, and then I let go, ready to catch her if she did the normal letting go.  This time - she hung on!  She got a huge smile on her face and said, "Again!"  We nearly missed the instruction that started soon after that because we were having so much fun at the bar.  Neither of us cared!

*  Another exciting first for Katie is that she did a puzzle this week!  It may not seem like a big deal, but she has been unable to understand the concept of a puzzle, and because of her sensory difficulties, she has trouble turning the pieces and putting them in.  The Developmental Therapist showed me how to hold Katie tight after doing her sensory exercises, and do the puzzle with her as I held her.  I tried it this week, and after working for a bit with her, she managed to put several pieces in on her own.  I about cried at that point because we have literally been working on this for months!

Momma and Daddy's First:

*  We also experienced our first safety near-disaster. We were on a quiet, concrete path at Round Hill Farm. Katie was sitting in the stroller but not buckled in because we were only going a few feet at a time before getting out to look at the animals. Tim was holding Rosa and she was looking all cute as usual, so I got the camera out to take a picture. As I was snapping it, Tim yelled, "KATIE!!!!" I turned around to see the stroller barrelling down a steep hill at full speed with Katie inside of it. "Shennanigans!" I screamed as I went running after the stroller. But I didn't say "shennanigans" - I said something much worse. It was the gut reaction to seeing my daughter's life flash before me. I ran at full speed for what seemed like an eternity, losing both of my shoes in the process and praying that the stroller wouldn't hit something and jettison her out. Finally the hill leveled off and I caught up to the stroller. Tim was close behind with Rosa and we both were still in shock over what had just happened. We looked at Katie, and asked if she was ok. Her response was - and this is a direct quote - "Again!"

I was taking this photo as Tim screamed "Katie!"

Certainly, it has not been a boring week here!  If all this can happen in one week, I can't imagine what the next few MONTHS have in store for our family.  Should be an exciting ride!