I haven't done an update on this little lady for a while so here we go.....
Indie is working on talking and will repeat after me on words and phrases that she knows well and needs done like: all done, more, up, down, out. She has lots of other approximations and randomly says new things often. I can't wait until I know more of what she is saying because it's more than I recognize right now. She also knows more than I recognize because the other day she took her written color words and matched them up to the colors. Her receptive language and understanding are doing really well and she has surprised me with some of the directions that she is able to follow (when she wants to, haha.)
Last weekend we made up a new game where we play follow the leader with what Indie does. She loves it and usually bangs on the table, does jazz hands, taps her finger, touches her head, nose, eyes, claps, etc. She also loves to run down the hall, especially if we are chasing her! We are working on her destructive throwing behaviors and some days I think we are making some serious strides. Today was not one of those days, she threw all her food and was put in timeout several times for chucking her toys down the stairs.
She has started to engage and play more with sisters and toys. The other day, she stacked bowls over and over for an hour, so of course I took some pictures. She also loves playing with dad's ties and Barbies with the girls. She still LOVES reading books out loud, but really likes to do it on her own instead of us reading to her. She really likes a book the first couple of times, but then she gets bored and just throws it.
Indie has learned that she can use the stool for a higher vantage point so she'll play in the kitchen drawers and swipe things off the counter when she wants. She's found the light switch on the stairs is perfect for her height, but luckily she hasn't figured out that door handle. I saw her bravely jump off the stool the other day, but she's still working on getting those feet up for real jumps.
We are slowly working on potty training. We almost always get her on the potty for #2 and she can go #1 a lot of the time, if she's in the right mood. She almost always goes #1 on the potty at preschool. Last week, she had a clean diaper ALL DAY, without a single accident, but we haven't had the same success since. It's going to be a process, but she's getting it and we're taking it easy.
We just switched Indie to a big girl car seat and she looks teeny tiny, but it was time. Indie doesn't seem to mind our daily commute to school and usually stays awake the whole way home. I have started to slowly transition her to falling asleep on her own, for real this time. Instead of rocking her downstairs with a show, I sit with her in her dark room and she is out in 4-5 minutes. Since she's not napping anymore, she usually falls asleep before 7.
A couple weeks ago we had Indie's adenoid removed and ear tubes placed. We spent a couple weeks contemplating a tonsillectomy at the same time, but were worried about the risks so opted out of it. It seems like we made the right choice, because removing the adenoid and adding Flonase really seemed to do the trick with her sleep. She is so quiet at night and even sleeps on her back so I think she is getting better oxygen so YAY!
How much is Down syndrome affecting our lives? Quite a bit actually, but it's just part of our routine now, so it seems natural. I feel like we spent A LOT of time on preschool, therapy, and working on Indie's communication. I feel like I have to force her to talk a lot of the time, but her smile when she gets it, makes it pretty fun. I probably spend too much time worrying about her behaviors because I have no idea if they are just a phase or need to be preemptively addressed before they adversely affect her education, geez!
This little lady brings a crazy amount of joy into our lives and her successes are a family-wide event! The girls try to make her use words too and love hearing new words and phrases too! We have met the most amazing families along this journey and the girls have met awesome friends in the DS community too! While this girl is exhausting, I am incredibly grateful that she is doing well, and wouldn't trade her for anything.
