Yes She Can! Change I Can Believe In

I have no idea if our next President will be able to bring about the “change” he speaks of, but what I do know is that Skyler is changing fast, and she can do new things almost every day now!

Where to start? It’s been so long since I’ve updated specifically on her developments, I don’t remember what’s new and what’s “old.” She’s been crawling for several weeks now of course, and getting more and more agile at it, not to mention speedy. I can’t believe how quickly she can get from one end of the house to the other, all while I’ve only unloaded the top rack of the dishwasher! Needless to say, I purchased a baby gate, which at least cuts her coverage of our house in half.

Her kissing has progressed as well. It’s no longer just a smash-face, she actually puckers her lips and knows to press them to her target’s lips. She still doesn’t have the smooch factor down, but she’s now halfway there! And she will just crawl over to me, climb up to me and give me kisses without even being asked! She is so darn sweet!

Last weekend she said her first official words (not counting Mama or Dada)! She was eating eggs and pancakes in her highchair. Normally when I think she’s done eating, I ask her “All done?” and put my hands up in the air. But that morning I didn’t even have to ask. I looked over at her and she said “Ah duh!” right at me. It caught me by surprise so I asked her “all done?” and she immediately raised her hands up in the air in response! It was so exciting! She hasn’t said the words since, but every meal raises her hands in the air when she’s finished. I do think she’s getting a little full of herself and loves how excited I get when she communicates with me, because tonight she raised her hands up in the air and smiled after every other bite, even though she threw a hungry fit just minutes before. So I had to remind her that she needed to eat more before she could be all done. It was so cute though because she gets so proud of herself for communicating that she even grins and claps her hands once I respond to her.

And tonight, she officially pulled up on something and stood there without any assistance! She’s been attempting this for a couple months now but has never had the strength or coordination between upper and lower body to do it without help. But after a couple tries tonight, she pulled up on the couch cushion and stood there facing Ronnie and I as we sat on the couch. Which at the suggestion of my friend who’s 8 month old daughter is doing similar things, it might be time to get Skyler a helmet. I see many bumps and bruises in her future as she pulls on things she shouldn’t and learns how to get a good grip!

Finally, last Friday we visited her cardiologist for a milestone appointment to decide if she was at risk for additional surgery on her heart. There was the potential that her original surgery would get too much scar tissue and the original problem could recur, and in addition she had another slight narrowing further on her aorta that could potentially get worse as she neared one year old. But her sonogram was perfect, with great measurements of everything and her doctor was very pleased with where she’s at. She said she is now in a very low risk category for her condition, and we won’t need to come back for 6 months. After that, the goal is only a maintenance checkup once a year. It’s so exciting to be in this position now, with those dreadful, worrisome days behind us. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon when Skyler and I left the doctor’s office, and as cheesy as it sounds, the melody “I can see clearly now the rain is gone…” ran through my head. I’m so thankful and overjoyed to have my healthy, happy, adorable daughter! I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Next post: photos!