Mary is officially one year old! Where does the time go? We have had a crazy, busy year of appointments, milestones, adventures, and experiences. It has been amazing watching her grow, and the bond between Mary and Alex grow as well.
Motor skills:
Mary just recently started to figure out crawling. It has been interesting watching her figure it out. First, getting up on her hands and knees and just staying up. Then moving one hand and one knee before falling. Then it was two moves before falling. She is making several crawling steps before falling, but she gets right back up and keeps on moving.
She is still working on pulling herself up to standing as well. If she is holding out hands, she can pull herself up just fine. But objects like the couch or table are proving more difficult. It doesn’t stop her from trying though! I cannot wait to see that smile of accomplishment when she finally does it.
Mary has figured out walking if she is supported. When we hold her hands or her hips, she takes off walking with these wide steps. She has not figured out balancing yet, but that will come in time as well.
Speech:
Mary loves to talk. She will babble all day long and will get very loud if she thinks you are not listening to her. She can say Mama and Dada, which she usually utilizes when she is upset. She’s been saying mih-mih, which we think is her way of saying milk. And buh-buh which we think is brother. We are still using plenty of signs with her, which she understands but does not always sign back.
Health:
We made it almost a full year before she needed medication. Almost. Last week, we went to see her new ENT doctor and discovered she has an ear infection in one ear. She still has a few days on the antibiotic and then we will return in 6 weeks for a follow up and hearing test.
The week before her ENT appointment, she had a cough and congestion. The only way to treat that was to incline the bed, run the humidifier, and keep her hydrated. That lasted a week, and many sleepless nights for all of us. With the cold season comes sickness it seems. Aside from this, she has been a pretty healthy child (knock on wood!)
Siblingship:
Her relationship with Alex is just amazing to watch. He still loves her, and she loves him. He wants to hug her daily, if not multiple times a day. She can be angry crying because I put her down and stop the moment she hears her brother nearby. He is excited to help teach her things like crawling, walking, stacking, building, etc. He has taken his big brother role seriously, and I am so glad that Mary has Alex as her big brother.
What does the future hold?
I know, this seems a silly question since the future holds a lot of possibility. But there are some things we know for sure, mostly upcoming doctor appointments. One year means a lot of checkups and follow ups, which we have with the Pediatrician, Down Syndrome Center, Cardiologist, Ophthalmologist, Audiologist, and now her ENT doctor. Hopefully, we get good news in these appointments and we continue with just regular checkups.
Raising Special Roses 