Alternative Therapies

I'm not talking rapid eye movement or re-birthing or detox diets or crystals. But look: 

Deep Pressure Via Dog

Back Extension Via Oral Massage (This is Amy, our awesome OT)

Daddy Time

In all seriousness, Daddy does the weirdest stuff with K and she loves it. It's a pretty big deal, actually, that she can tolerate how crazily he plays. Surely, she's building abdominal strength with how hard she laughs with him. The other day, he told me she did some great back extensions when he held her up in the air with one hand. He's got her doing a mean Macarena. You should see it. He blows in her mouth (I know! Gross, right?) because she "likes it." Not sure what that is developing besides tolerance for the weird antics of the boys in the house. Now that I think about it, that's pretty essential.

Playing with Daddy...the only time I get a great photo. 

Keira had a great weekend. It started with a trip to the audiologist. She did great on the first half of the testing, but refused (fists clenched, eyes shut tight, but SO not sleeping) to do anything in the sound booth. No worries. Her hearing seems to be doing well. There didn't seem to be any major fallout from the stress of that morning. She took some naps on her own in her bed, was calm during car rides, and ate well. During the weekend, we also took her to the pool, to a potluck, and on a few other errands. This is progress! As Jeff says, she tends to have the pattern of two steps forward, one and a half steps back, two steps forward, etc etc. We're at that exciting point right now where we're moving forward. She's rebounded from the regression that she showed after a couple of stressful weekends (Sun Valley, then an overnight with Jeff and I to a hotel) and she's movin' on! Love this.

As usual, my moods and stamina vary tremendously. It tends to wax and wane depending on how Keira is doing. I'm pretty sure that it isn't about Keira, per se. I struggle with trying to figure out what Keira's patterns are. What overwhelms her? What soothes her? It's so inconsistent. So hard to predict. I feel confident that K is going to have the best life we can provide for her regardless of her skills. I continue to struggle, selfishly it feels, to wrap my head around what that means for my person and my life. Like most of us, I like to have control and my lack of it challenges me every day.

Vera and Evie

My heart is heavy for my friend Vera in Denver, and her daughter, Evie, who is still in the NICU. Things aren't going well. Evie did not respond to the medication that helped Keira. They are trying to just wait it out at this point, but the CMV seems to be getting worse. Poor baby. Your thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.