Sophia Update

What can I say, except this little girl is doing AMAZING!  She has rocketed this year alone and I see, and hear, her doing new  things every single day.  Sophia has been a turbo bottom scooter for some time now, but as most of you may know, she is now pulling up and standing on everything!  She is climbing up, down and all around, on anything that will stand sturdy enough for her to hike her little leg up on to pull up.  We have been working on walking, and cruising along furniture, and her baby tredmill routine is paying off.  She will take steps, when it suits her of course, while holding onto my hands or a push toy.  And just this week I saw her cruise around our coffee table, ALL BY HERSELF!  Of course we aren't talking all the way around it, baby steps people, but there were about 3-4 steps that she took to move closer to some prize that awaited just out of her reach.  I've also been hearing lots of babbling and new sounds coming from her little jabber box.  Of course dada has been a regular for a while now, but again, just this week, I heard MAMA come from her mouth, more than once!!!!!  The first time she said it, was during physical therapy, and we all heard her loud and clear.  Then again today I've heard those sweet syllables ring off her tongue like a choir singing in church!  I've also heard dayden (jayden), dog, kitty cat and all done, and all with witnesses around to reassure me that I'm not hearing things.  But nothing is real consistent yet, but still it is an awesome thing to hear her making new sounds and trying to say words!  We've also seen one sign come from her tiny little hands recently, which looks like "daddy", and has been pretty consistent with Randy being around or getting ready to come home.  We've also had some small break throughs in the eating department as well.  Recently, we switched Sophia off her formula, which she has been on since birth, and is ultra sensitive to her very sensitive tummy, and started giving her Pedia Sure.  She took the switch like a champ and is now strickly on Pedia Sure, which is much better tasting, not that she really tastes it, but it's a step in the right direction.  It has also helped her, sorry if this is too much information, stools.  She has always had runny, off colored stools, but recently they have been more formed and that nice brown poop color that I never thought I would love to see!  She is also making small gains in the oral feeding department.  She loves her some mashed potatoes and gravy and uses a spoon to self feed herself pretty well.  She has also successfully chewed and SWALLOWED both popcorn and Cheetos Puffs!  Most foods she simply chews up, mushes around in her mouth and spits back out, but people, WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS!!!!!  This is definitly the longest road we have traveled on this journey so far.  Food has always been a HUGE struggle for Sophia, but I truly believe there is a "finish line" at the end of this obstacle for her.  I know there are still a lot of hurdles that we have to jump over, and a lot of them we are going to fall over and land right on our face, and it hurts every time that happens, BUT, we will continue to pick ourselves up and try, try, again!

Health wise, she has been pretty good, except the occasional cold and ear infection.  Our specialist doctor appointments have been great recently.  We have a routine hearing and vision appointment coming up next Friday and we are also getting her feeding tube replaced, due to a pesky malfunction that keeps occuring with the one she has in right now.  Then in June we have a sleep study, scheduled by our pulmonary specialist to make sure all airways are good, which we haven't had any problems, but this may be an annual routine thing due to possible enlarged tonsils or adnoids which are common in kids with Down syndrome.  We also see our local and developmental pediatrician in June for regular check ups and we'll see Sophia's cardiologist in October for our annual check up appoinment. 

I've said it more than once, but I will continue to say it over and over and over again, Sophia is AWESOME, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL (both inside and out), SMART, HAPPY, LOVING, CURIOUS and best of all PERFECT!  She is everything I never dreamed of, but always wanted.  I never imagined feeling a love quite like this before, but I am so glad that I have been given this amazing little girl to love forever!