It’s a new year and more posts on this blog would be nice. Therefore I am making it my goal to post more often. As of yet I’m not sure this page has really done everything that I hoped it would. I wanted this page to provide hope and support for other families if they are having a difficult time. Ofcourse what else is to be expected when you are blessed with twins than to have your whole world be consumed by babies! Free time is almost non-existent. That being said let’s update everyone.
When we last posted we had just taken Lorelei to the Down’s Clinic at UVA. Since then the girls have been doing amazing. Mikaela is still thriving and getting into everything! She pulls herself to stand and walks along holding on to stable objects all the time. She crawls over everything including Lorelei. She has begun to be able to pick up small objects with her index finger and thumb which is awesome. She has also begun to realize consequences of her actions. She now has figured out that if she bangs things together they make noise. This has been a ton of fun for mom and I.
We have seen simply the beginning of the girls fighting. When one girl has something the other one wants it. This usually results in thievery and someone upset. It’s an ongoing process and is funny to watch. Don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking “poor Lorelei” because she takes things from Mikaela just as often as she has them stolen.
Lorelei is doing wonderfully. She was very fussy the past weeks and we never felt a tooth coming in on the top of her mouth. Out of curiosity I checked the bottom of her mouth and found a tooth beginning to come in on the bottom left side. It is unfortunate that they’re not coming in the order they should but atleast they’re coming in. We often hear of children with Down Syndrome taking much longer to get to this point so we are excited. She has like her sister begun to try and use her index finger and thumb to pick up some small objects. This is not always done with success. She is still more comfort using a “raking” technique to pick up something but we are working on the skill with her at every meal time. Lorelei can stand against the couch or when you hold her hands which is great. The girls watched a whole episode of “Dora the explorer” the other night while standing against the couch. I have a sneaking suspicion that mom and I will learn all the songs eventually.
Lorelei has also taken to eating food with great enthusiasm. The old days of fighting with her to keep it in and not push it out with her large tongue are now gone. She can’t get enough food most days. A very exciting new development is that she has begun to crawl forward a little. She usually does this when she wants something that is front of her. She used to roll to the sides and pivot to get there. It’s not all coordinated yet, arms and legs. She uses her ankle flexion and extension more than anything else but is starting to get her knees under her and push forward.
Most of these new developments are blessings that come from Lorelei’s determination to move along with her sister. We work with her every day as does our nanny but it really comes from LC (Lorelei Cristina). She has done some amazing things so whenever a therapist comes to see her they all say “wow, she looks great” or “she is doing so well”. These little girls are amazing and push Maria and I to keep those expectations high. They have leaped over every bar set for them so far and I’m sure they will continue to do so.
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