Yesterday, Tatum and I went to Sterling Hall School to thank a group of grade 6 boys for creating homemade books for Tatum's reading program. We were blown away to have received over 50 beautiful books made with such care, creativity and attention to detail. Tatum and I were invited to sit with the boys in their library where we talked about who Tatum is, how her brain is different, what we are doing to help her get well and so many other topics. The boys had many questions that sparked great conversations. We also discussed how it feels to be different in typical world and the fact that many people stare and wonder when they see someone who acts or looks different. I asked the boys to consider the most polite way to enquire about what they were wondering and then ask instead of staring.
The afternoon left me and Tatum feeling supported and understood.
Although the purpose of our trip to Sterling Hall was to thank the boys, I think what the boys did for Tatum felt good to them... it seemed as though they were thanking Tatum for the chance to help her. What a lovely day.
Tatum's development has taken a huge positive turn since late November. She is so interested in moving her body. When she is being held, she is able to move so that we know how she wants to be held... facing in, facing out, snuggling, etc. She is also crawling (inchworm style) anywhere between 6 inches to 2 feet each day. It really just depends on how much time she has on the floor. If she is on the floor these days, she is moving! She can turn herself completely around in a circle and she can move herself forward by pushing with her legs (bum in the air) and then pulling with her arms. Inch by inch, she is finally moving!!!
Tatum is also standing very strong and tall with very little support. She is able to push herself into standing from my lap and remain standing for minutes while holding onto a table or my hand. Recently she has begun taking the occasional step (with a bent knee now less) without any coaxing from us. She is still supported but her legs want to move!!!
Tatum's babbling is constant and loud! Sometimes she just won't be quite! I have been known to pop in her soother just so I can get a word in! She is making new sounds every day and we are uncovering the words within her sounds as well. We know the sound for hungry is 'un', Daddy is 'dada', up is 'uh' and the list goes on. Tatum and I are getting better at using her facilitated communication board together. So far she has spelled out for me: book, yes, milk, seasons, summer, carpet, eat, walk, bits, read, bottle and hungry. She is truly remarkable. She has also begun looking at things to get her point across. For example, she stares at the door each morning until I tell her who is coming to help out and stares at it at night until I let her know when Daddy will be home.
We are all so proud of Tatum. Riley and Peyton constantly share Tatum's accomplishments with their friends and share in the joy of each new sound she makes, inch crawled, step taken, whatever. I love that we are teaching our kids to celebrate everything without it having to be a parenting lesson... it feels fantastic for it to be so organic.
