Hello to all! We are alive and well, contrary to what you may think! :) It is safe to assume that no news is good news and we are just keeping busy around here.
In the last couple of weeks, Rebekah has started both physical therapy and speech therapy. In speech/oral motor skills, Rebekah has mild to moderate delays. The therapist is working with Rebekah to drink from a cup (sippy cup and straw), eat a wider variety of foods with different thicknesses and textures, and add more words to her vocabulary. Right now, Rebekah says "mama" and "dada" and the therapist would like to see her add 3 to 5 new words in the next few months. We are working on it! :)
The Gecko stander with all the bells and whistles!
In physical therapy, Rebekah has significant delays in her motor skills development. The physical therapist, DeeAnn, completed the Peabody Gross Motor Skills Test, and Rebekah scored at a 7 month level for reflexes, a 5 month level in the stationary position and a 6 month level for locomotion. Rebekah will be 11 months old this week, so obviously, we have some work to do! The first thing that was done was to order Rebekah a stander. The specific one is the
Gecko Upright Stander. This will allow Rebekah to practice standing on her own. Right now she is not bearing any weight on her feet for more than a few seconds at a time. We will be working up to standing 3 times a day for 45 minutes each time. The stander will have a tray for toys or finger foods. It has supports for Rebekah's waist, hips and knees to keep her in the correct position for standing. It also has wheels on the bottom so it will be easy to maneuver Rebekah around the house. The biggest reason for the stander and the urgency for using it is because Rebekah's hips may not form properly if she does not begin to bear weight on her legs. The stander should arrive sometime close to her birthday.
I'm being a cutie!
Rebekah also had a hearing evaluation in the last couple of weeks. Rebekah was such a good girl and sat very still while the audiologist completed her tests. Unfortunately, Rebekah did not pass the hearing evaluation, so we will need to repeat it in another few weeks. Preliminary results show that Rebekah has middle ear dysfunction and/or hearing loss greater than slight for each ear at normal frequencies. The audiologist said that it was possible that Rebekah had some fluid in her ears, but our pediatrician did not think that was the case. Rebekah must fail three consecutive hearing evaluations at six weeks apart in order to be diagnosed with hearing loss. Rebekah does seem to hear well most of the time, so we have not been overly concerned about her hearing. We will see what the next evaluations bring before becoming too concerned with the results at this point.
Working on eating finger foods!
Rebekah is doing well at trying new foods. We are concentrating more on thickening the foods Rebekah already eats, rather than introduce new foods with a puree consistency. Rebekah's favorite combination right now is mashed avocado mixed with mashed banana. Rebekah has also begun to drink a little bit of milk from a sippy cup, which is a huge step for her! We have struggled with getting Rebekah to drink liquids of any kind. She drinks watered-down grape juice the best, but will tolerate water. She does not like formula in any way - cup or bottle, warm or cold, so we are trying to move away from that during the daytime. Rebekah still gets her formula overnight through her g-tube and probably will for quite a while until we can work her up to enough calories by mouth.
Rebekah playing with Noah's ark animals and Aaron.
Last weekend, we made a quick trip up to North Carolina to see family. It was a very busy, but fun weekend, and we enjoyed getting to see everyone. We were also able to take Rebekah to church at
Beacon Baptist, where many people love and pray for Rebekah regularly. It was wonderful to see so many friends and introduce Rebekah to them all.
With the warm temperatures outside, we have been spending more and more time outside playing. Rebekah has also been enjoying the time outside and loves watching her brothers play. On Saturday, we spent several hours outside playing soccer and baseball while Rebekah played in her exersaucer. She enjoyed our afternoon treat of Fudgesicles as well!
Rebekah ate more of Mommy's fudgesicle than Mommy did!
In other areas, Rebekah is doing great! Her oxygen saturations are remaining stable, and we are very thankful for that. Rebekah has also seemed to have a little more energy to play lately. She loves to play with her brothers, and Aaron especially seems to enjoy playing with her. Rebekah also loves music and will clap or bounce when she hears it.
Watch me playing!
Rebekah is also becoming more interactive. She regularly claps her hands when she feels that she has done something exciting. She also waves on occasion and is beginning to play peek-a-boo. Oh, and just this week, I found another tooth! Rebekah now has two teeth on the bottom, although she does not like to show them off. :)
Watch me play peek-a-boo!
This week is going to be busy! In addition to our regular therapies, Rebekah has an "official" weight check, a pulmonology appointment, pictures, and a haircut if I can get an appointment for her. I have no plans to cut it short, but it's time to have her hair shaped and evened out a bit. We will be sure to get some pictures of that! The boys have only this week and three half days next week before school is out for the summer, and we can't wait! I will be so happy to have all my kids at home for the summer!
Nancy
