Patience has never been one of my strong attributes. I hate to wait, on anything. I have always been a very fast paced kind of person. I know what I have to do, I do it, and I move on to the next thing. Simple as that. But the truth is it isn't always about how fast you can get something done, but that you work hard and do your best and give it time and good things will come. And I definitely see good things coming together every day, more and more for Sophia. It seems like just recently I've noticed a lot of little things that she's been doing that have made me stop and think, "Wow, she just did that all by herself and knew what she was doing." Like putting blocks into a bucket or even fitting them into the appropriate shape cut out. Or taking a puzzle apart and then helping put it back together. Or when we go to clean up, I'll ask her to help me put the cars away and I will show her how I put the car away and then give her a car and ask her to put it away and she does it, just like she saw me do it. I've also noticed her responding more to certian things I say, like if I ask her to get the ball and throw it to me. She'll scoot that little bottom over to the ball and get it then fling it my way. She's banging things together, and could clap her hands if she wanted to, but obviously that isn't high on the priority list right now :) She'll also sit in her room, in front of her bookcase, and just pull a book out, open it, look at it and then toss it aside and move on to another book. Just looking at the pictures and seeming to take it all in. I couldn't be more proud of her than I am right now. I've waited for so long to see her play with purpose and to use toys and objects appropriately and she's finally starting to do it! She's not speaking, or signing, but I know that she understands us and she is very good at responding to us, in her own way. She's also not eating yet, but she is definitely making good steps in the right direction. She has a good handful of foods that she will munch on willingly and we continue to introduce new foods, flavors and textures and let her explore with the whole process. She's moving in the right direction, I see that, but nonetheless it still gets very discouraging and frustrating some days. But most of all I am so proud to have such an amazing daughter that is teaching ME a great thing, to have more patience. To take one day at a time and focus on all the things that are good and that are happening in our world right now and not to worry or dwell on the things that I wish we were doing or that I think we should be doing. Everything will come and fall into place, in time.
