On May 1st, we had Avery officially evaluated by a physical therapist. She is on target for her reflexes and some of her stationary movements, but at 11 months old...her locomotion actually looks more like a 6 month old.
For the past few weeks, we have been putting in a lot of time working on her skills. We have worked on homework from the PT and we have been doing a few mommy suggested things as well. She almost never sits up (only breaks and when she plays with sensory boxes) and spends most of her time on her tummy. She no longer hates tummy time!! Whee!! She is moving around in circles better on her tummy as well, using both her arms and knees to move around. Yesterday, she actually was kind of sitting on her side.
And this past weekend. The best thing EVER. ROLLING OVER. And she is consistently doing it now!!! She was sort of doing it in March, but not that great. And she would not consistently do it. In fact, after a couple of weeks, she kind of seemed to say "eff this" and wouldn't do it anymore. It was too much work.
We are now going to start focusing on her vestibular system a bit. Because she is so darn cautious and doesn't like to be moved beyond her comfort zone. Our PT suggested we put her in a little blanket, like a hammock, and swing her around a big. At home, I have also incorporated a therapy ball as well. She does fine in a regular swing, so I'm not SUPER worried about her vestibular sensitivities. I'm more kicking my own butt, but we'll talk about that in a minute.
(Taken from behind a 2 way mirror....You can't tell, but she is crying in this picture.)
PT sessions themselves have been a little rough for Avery. I like them because I can borrow some of her techniques and work on them at home. It works great! But as far as Avery working with the PT....She hates it. She's got stranger anxiety and someone other than mom is pushing her beyond her comfort zone. Dan took her yesterday and every single picture he sent, she was clearly red faced and crying. But the PT thinks she is really showing improvement, even working with her. So that's great. I had a hard time watching last week because I just wanted to run out and comfort her.
So...on to mommy guilt. I am an OT and I really should have known better...to not let her get out of tummy time the moment she figured out how to sit up. I just hated hearing her scream and cry over it. She got plenty at daycare, though, so it is likely she still would have had issues even if I had forced the tummy time issue. We found out a couple of weeks ago that Dan didn't even walk until between 18-20 months, which is considered a bit late. So it's likely she is just slower on the gross motor path just like he was.
Again, I have said this before and I will say it again...IT'S SO HARD to see other kids developing typically and see her so far behind. But we're rolling now. And sometimes, while she's scooting backward, she momentarily gets those legs up under her and rocks on them. Even just for a moment, she's rocking on them.
I couldn't be more proud and excited for what she will accomplish this summer....
Go Miss A!
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