Eating out of my hand … actually off the floor, breakthroughs with Down syndrome

(This is a recycled post from five years ago. I’ve been disappointed with Evangeline’s lack of development lately. Reading this about Polly spurs me on. My kids are gifts.)

One of Polly’s Physical Therapists left a half hour ago.  Today was her six month evaluation.  Instead of the usual scream fest and protests to bouncing on a ball and standing at the couch, we just sat back to watch what Polly could do.

In Gross Motor she tested at 18 months for stability and at 8 months for locomotion (mobility).  When Polly’s therapist explained the results, I was singing to myself “come on baby, do the locomotion.”

I was not disappointed even though six months ago she tested out at seven months, which means in mobility she has, technically, only gained a month.  Polly is twenty-one months old, which means she is about a year and a half behind her typically developing peers.  But I know her progress has been steady and to us, it’s been very exciting.  She is doing a lot more than six months ago.  She is doing a lot more than the test acknowledges.

The PT and I made a plan for the next six months.   And I had a revelation.  I have to stop seeing Polly as the baby.

So at snack time this morning, instead of picking her up, placing her in her high chair, and giving her exactly two crackers to eat, while I sit and watch her every move, I asked Polly if she wanted a snack.  She shook her head yes.  I went to the kitchen and put some Cheez-its in a bowl.  Then I walked back to the end of the hallway, showed Polly the snack, and  walked back to the kitchen.  I placed the bowl on the tiles and told Polly to come and get her snack.

She sat at the end of the hall and cried.  ”Polly, if you want your snack, come and get it.”  I plunked myself down on the cold floor and ate a few Cheez-its.  She watched for a moment and then started to fuss again.  “Polly, come and eat.”

I got up and went about my tasks.  Polly continued to fuss.  She is stubborn.

After five minutes or so, she realized I wasn’t biting.  She stopped crying and I heard her sludge toward the kitchen.  She army crawled to the crackers.  I laid on the praise.  She then happily scarfed down her Cheez-its.  She dumped the whole bowl and managed to squash a bunch of them into a pile of crumbs with her rear.

When she finished eating, she began picking up the left-over crackers and crumbs and carefully put them back into her pink plastic bowl.

Bring on the cognition eval…we’re ready.