Sunday, August 30, 2009

Heads Up Seven Up

Elle had a very productive weekend. I can honestly say that I had tears of joy this weekend as Elle held her head up for the first time. From the day she was born, I have been obsessed with tummy time. I was looking through the notes I made for the first time we met with the out patient cardiologist and at the top of the list in big letters is "CAN WE DO TUMMY TIME?" It's also at the top of the list of questions that I had to ask the pediatric surgeon when we followed up with him after she got her g-tube. I know that Elle will develop at her own pace and I am thrilled with each little milestone she reaches....but the milestone she reached this weekend was enormous! Each day we work on tummy time. At first she hated it and would scream until she was flipped back over on to her back. The funny part is that she will fall asleep on her tummy, but she hates it when she is awake. I have always felt that the reason she hated it so much is because she couldn't hear that well. Being deaf and having her face flat into the ground wasn't her idea of a great way to spend a few minutes - she couldn't see what was going on around her! Now that she has her hearing aids - she feels more comfortable being on her tummy because she can at least hear what is going on around her even if she can't see it. For the past week, she has tolerated being on her tummy more and more. It's pretty funny to watch because we will put her on her tummy and her head will be turned to the right (not elevated - just turned) and then she will slowly turn it to the left and when she is tired she will put her whole face straight into the blanket she is lying on and start sucking on it. I'm just so thrilled she isn't screaming after 2 seconds! So yesterday I made a little pallet on the floor for her to play on and for the first time in a long time, I put her on top of a little mini Boppy thing that came with a tummy time play mat. That seems to have been the trick because as soon as I put her on it, she raised her head a little bit! I ran and got her favorite mirror with bugs hanging all around it and held it in front of her and the little girl lifted her head up and moved it back and forth as I moved the mirror. I was bawling I was so thrilled!!

We meet with her physical therapist for the first time on Tuesday and I can't wait to tell her all about Elle's big moment. We went and ate dinner at Lee's parent's house on Saturday night and I brought the pillow so we could show them too. Sure enough, as long as she had her pink pillow and mirror - she held her head up and did such a great job!

I went to church this morning while Lee stayed with Elle. I can't wait for the day when we can all enjoy church together as a family but that day is way in the future. This afternoon Mark and Vickie came over to help with Elle while Lee and I cleaned. We are getting ready for a "Making Room for Baby" sale (aka garage sale). Since Elle came a few weeks early I didn't have time to clean out my kitchen cabinets to make room for all her accessories, nor did I have time to clean out all my stuff from her closet...plus we just have a lot of junk! It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in just a few short years! I think they did a pretty good job of keeping Miss Priss occupied!

One thing is for sure, with all her head lifting and spending time with ViVi and Big Daddy - she was fast asleep by 6:30pm! Her weekend just wore her out!

3 comments:

Lindsey said...

Yay!! Go, Elle!! Such a great way to end the weekend- reading these words of yours!

Jennifer said...

That's great! She looks a lot bigger than 12 pounds in the picture... I think she is gaining her weight back from being sick just fine!

annalee said...

hooray elle! i wanted to do a toe touch for you, but thought it would be best just to congratulate you!