Back at the Institutes!  Visit # 5

We are back in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania at The Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential.  This is Chris's and my 5th visit and Tatum's 4th visit.
We are at the Institutes for 5 full days. Today was spent at the clinic being 'assessed' in every way possible.
Tuesday and Wednesday Chris and I spend in a classroom for 9 hours each day.   We will learn about everything from 'How to Grow the Integrative Areas of the Brain' to the 'Study of Seizures - why they happen and how to prevent them'.   The lectures are always very enlightening and inspiring. Tatum will stay with a nanny while we are in class.
On Thursday and Friday we will return to the clinic to be taught our new program.

Our assessment today was fantastic.  Tatum's report card was A++.   She made excellent qualitative and quantitative progress this period.   Overall her growth rate compared to before beginning the Institutes' program is EXCELLENT!

In the last 6 months Tatum's neurological age increased by 6 months!  This is a first for Tatum!   Her growth rate for the last 6 months is 100%!!!    Since our last visit to the Institutes in November of 2013, Tatum's rate of change is 204%.
When we began visiting the Institutes with Tatum in September 2012, Tatum was 13 months old but her neurological age was only 6.4 months.   Her growth rate was 49%.
Since starting our program with the Institutes Tatum's overall growth rate has increased to 87%., an overall rate of change of 178%... so amazing.  We continue to catch up!

Today, Tatum is 35.4 months old... almost 3.    Our assessment rated Tatum's neurological age at 25.72 months - WOW.    Tatum, you are a star.

The Institutes considers 6 different competencies when assessing a child's neurological age.   Below is Tatum's personal competency summary:

• Tatum reads with total understanding (Visual competence)!    The average child can do this at the age of 6 years.  Tatum received an 'Understanding Victory' for this accomplishment today which means that she is at the top of the Institutes' developmental profile in this competency category and that she is performing above her age in 'understanding'.
• Tatum has an understanding of at least 2000 words and simple sentences (Auditory competence).  The average child can do this at 3 years of age... we love being average!
• Tatum is able to determine characteristics of things by tactile means... for example she knows the difference between a bean and a soother by feel.  The average child can do this at the age of 3 as well.  (Tactile competence)
• Tatum is able to move her body in prone position (on her tummy).  The average child can do this at 2.5-5 months of age.   We have been stuck at a newborn level in this category for 2 years so to move up in the Mobility category is a huge victory for Tatum!
• Tatum is able to make at least 2 words (but less than 10) of speech used spontaneously and meaningfully.   In the past 6 months Tatum has regularly said 'hug', 'all done' and 'up'.   This adds to the word she was previously saying which was 'Dada'.   (Language)
• Manual competence is still a work in progress but Tatum is getting closer to picking up things in a pinch!

Being back here is motivating and inspiring for Chris and I and it always fuels my fire.   The affirmation that Tatum is progressing in a very positive way makes me want to keep at it!   Seeing the other children in the program beating all odds is mind blowing.   Today we met a little boy who is likely 12 years old crawl his way from the front door to his seat.   He crawled with a smile on his face and was so determined!   We also witnessed him speak fluently in English, French and Spanish!  Another little boy was very off balance 6 months ago and his eyes constantly flickered back and forth... today his eyes were perfectly straight and bright and his balance was incredible!   Today was a good reminder to me that it is not time to pack it in... it is a good time to find the strength and energy to keep driving towards healing Tatum and helping her be the best she can be.

Tatum has been finding great joy in 'cause and effect' activities lately... this was on our drive home from the Institutes today.   Very appropriate!    Yay Tatum!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNRhkdZNvWg

Spring Shift

Tatum is saying HUG and reaches up with her arms to be picked up and held.   What an amazing gift.   About 12 months ago I started longing for Tatum hug me and hoping that one day she would.   Today she is able to hug so tight it excites her!    The crazy thing is, now I want more.  I want more from her, more for her.    Don't get me wrong, I love the hugs.   I never want the hugs to stop.    Today I long for Tatum to crawl with strength and endurance everyday until she gets up and walks.     Not too much to ask for?   I just wish I could reach a point where I am totally content with how Tatum is today and know that every day that follows will be okay and probably even better.

Tatum started crawling (military style) on February 22nd - that was our 9m day.   Since then she has crawled every day... sometimes 1m, sometimes 5m and sometimes even 10m.   Her crawling has changed over the past month and a half - she is getting her bum in the air on occasion, she is even sometimes pushing up on straight arms, she is beginning to push with both legs and pull with open arms from time to time.   Crawling for Tatum is so difficult but she is doing it and every day is better than the last... even when she refuses to crawl more than a meter.  

Wanting Tatum to crawl with strength and endurance every day IS asking for SO much from her. This week she has been teething and is working through some growing pains in her hips so this week, all she wanted to do this week was stand up tall and roll over any time she was on the floor.   Again - totally crazy but rolling over and standing are two things that I used to long for her to do but the fact that she wouldn't crawl this week really got me down.   I am searching for contentedness!  Can anyone point me in the right direction??? This week has left me feeling like I need a break, she needs a break and wondering how long the two of us can manage our crazy schedule.   Sigh.   Next week, when she starts crawling again I'll stop feeling defeated and start celebrating again.    I am truly losing my mind in case anyone was wondering.

 We are doing some things differently these days... I think it is Springtime that has brought many of these changes about.   We need a change, we need to lighten things up!  We are spending lots of time outside and it feels so good... even though it means cutting into therapy time!   Today, we took all three girls and three friends to the corner store to get popsicles (Tatum had her almond milk, no popsicles for her yet).   Tatum sat up tall in her stroller and grabbed her bare toes as we rolled along.   She was so happy.  She makes this crazy voice that sounds like an Australian Didgeridoo.   Google it and you'll wonder how she makes the sound!   Anyway, she had full conversations all the way to the corner store in her 'crazy voice'!

We've started doing swimming lessons with Tatum.   She kicks her feet and pulls her arms through the water - she loves swimming!   It comes very naturally to her.   It's amazing how well she floats and trusts that she is ok in the water.   The joy I have felt swimming with Tatum over the past two weeks is so pure and so wonderful, I know she is feeling this same joy.  Riley and Peyton love watching Tatum learn to swim and I love watching them get so excited with every new experience she has.  

We've also started a new Mom and Tot class every Friday morning run by the March of Dimes.   This class is therapy, but it is different.   It's called 'Conductive Education' and the therapy is focused on helping the children they work with gain independence in all aspects of life through song and play.    I've only attended two classes with Tates so far but I have cried tears of joy at each session - the first time I cried simply because we were playing.   Tatum is almost 3 and I realized that day that we have been too busy with therapy to actually play.  The second time I cried watching Tatum finger paint.   I thought she didn't like wet stuff on her hands, but she loved finger painting.   The CE conductors are working with me to help her learn how to drink from a sippy cup, use a a potty, crawl, walk, climb and play.   It really feels like a great place to be right now.  The March of Dimes is currently working on turning the facility where we attend these classes into a private school for kids like Tatum who learn differently.   It would follow the Ministry of Education's curriculum but it would be taught to the kids in a way they could truly learn.   Daily Conductive Education therapy would be part of the curriculum as well.   We are hopeful that they are successful in establishing this school which is proposed to be a JK to Grade 6 school   It would be a great option for Tatum and it is only 4km from our house!

Interestingly, as we've started doing all of these new things, Tatum has started acting her age in many ways!   Ohhh, the tantrums she has thrown!   She is laughing more, smiling more, playing with us so much more.  She is stronger in mind, body and spirit.   

The question Chris and I have now is, "How do we do the Institutes' program, the Medek therapy that we have been doing, this new Conductive Education Therapy AND have a life?".  Something truly has to give or we will all crack.

We head back to Philly for our 5th visit and we are hopeful that we will be inspired enough to keep holding on and working hard.   Tatum is doing so well and has come so far.   We know this is largely due to all of the work we have done through the Institutes' program.   We are afraid to quit, but we are afraid to keep going at this rate.  

So many questions.

Thanks for reading and listening to me vent... apparently I had a few things to get off my chest!

Below are a bunch of photos from our winter, which was pretty awesome!  Also attached is a great video of our amazing girl in action.

Tatum is Groovin for Movin!

Last night, Peyton and I had a sleep over... this is when I get to share a tiny corner of my big bed with one of my beautiful children wrapped around me in snuggling bliss!   When we woke up, Peyton looked at the clock and it was 7:11.   Apparently, when it is 7:11 you MUST make a wish - so we did!   I wished that Tatum would crawl today and watch the video on YouTube to see what happened!   Click on the link below.
Don't mind my incredibly excited/happy tear filled voice in the background!   Today Tatum crawled close to 10m over the course of the day... huge victory for Tates.    I am so excited to see what we can accomplish tomorrow.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5gC0qEX5B8&list=FL2ryKziHg9EVCrhPjruePLg

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.

HOPE, PATIENCE, BELIEF AND PERSEVERANCE

We've just returned from our biannual visit to The Institutes for Tatum's second re-evaluation.   Leading up to our visit, I was beat... physically, emotionally, motivationally - I was done.  I just wanted a normal life and a few moments of rest each day.

We had all worked diligently with Tatum for the past 6 months and Tatum still wasn't crawling.   Tatum was doing so many new things - so many great things - but her motor skills were still greatly delayed.   

We arrived at the Institutes on Monday November 11th.   The clinic waiting room was filled with 20 families from all over the world... Guatemala, Sweden, Australia, India, Germany, the U.S. and many more.   Looking around the room, my 'I'm done' attitude began to change.   All of the 'hurt kids' that I recognized were better in one way or many ways.   They all looked healthy and they all had parents with them who believed in their potential so much that they travelled from far and wide to help them reach it.   The room was literally full of love, hope and inspiration.

I realized that in my moments of weakness, I had begun adjusting my belief in Tatum's potential.   I had stopped truly believing that she will walk and talk one day.   I had lost sight of the forest for the trees.   I  was happy about her other progress but I wasn't celebrating it as it should have been because she was supposed to be crawling.    I had neglected to consider that this sweet two year old had broken her femur 7 months earlier and had to rebuild a bone while we were asking her to find her legs, develop her muscles and ligaments and hip sockets.   Sigh.

I'm writing this blog entry to officially celebrate  Tatum's many victories over the past 6 months.

• Physiologically, Tatum is in perfect health.   As with each visit, we are asked to do a myriad of tests including blood, stool, urine and hair analysis.   Tatum's blood, stool and urine results were all normal... and not moderately normal - perfectly normal!   Tatum's hair analysis showed that we were able to flush out most of the heavy metal build up she'd been battling... by feeding her a tablespoon of fresh cilantro each day.   Physiological healthiness means that Tatum is more easily able to get through her very intensive days of therapy.   We saw this in her increased energy levels, improved respiration (boy is she loud!), increased awareness and responsiveness and her 90 days of perfect health.   
• Intellectually, Tatum is doing exceptionally well.  
• She is reading at a 6 year old level and was able to clearly show us that she is comprehending what she is reading as well.   Tatum knows over 2000 words by sight and has been read over 80 homemade books to date.   She loves reading books of all kinds and has clearly told us that her favourite books are about herself and her family.
• We have shown Tatum over 200 'bits of intelligence' which are essentially flash cards.   She is able to recognize and differentiate between the bits.   It's believable to know that she can tell the difference between Fred Flintstone and Scooby Doo but it's remarkable to know that she also knows the difference between an image of John Diefenbaker and Paul Martin or a Dalmatian and a Retriever.
• Communication continues to improve through our use of a 'choice board'.   We are able to ask Tatum simple questions and offer her a collection of possible answers for her to point to until we determine her need or want.   We were introduced to 'facilitated communication' during our last visit and it is blowing our minds!   Tatum has a paper keyboard and is spelling out her answers by pointing to the letters on the keyboard.   Because her motor skills are still under-developed, she relies on me to lightly support her hand and point her finger.   When asked a question, Tatum is unmistakeably directing her hand to answer.   So far she has clearly spelled:  pink, avocado, playground, book, season, and summer.  It is amazing to me that we now know her favourite colour, favourite food, favourite place to go, not to mention what she it thinking about in a given moment.   Mainstream practitioners recently told us that Tatum would not be eligible for any facilitated communication devices until she was 6 or 7.   It sickens me to know that some parents are having to wait so long to communicate with their children.   We are so fortunate for this gift.
• While at the Institutes we were reminded that all sounds are language and that we should respond to Tatum as though we understand that she is speaking to us.  Since putting more focus on this area, Tatum has increased her babbling and now has 3 words of recognizable language... Dada, Ba (basically means she wants to eat or drink) and at long last, Mama (sometimes Mum).
• There is cause for celebration in Tatum's motor skill world as well.   She has become increasing skilled at grabbing and pushing away items as she sees fit.   She is also moving really well on her ramp.   50% of the time, she is pulling herself all the way off and moving a bit on the flat floor.   While working with the Institutes staff we believe we know what we need to do to increase Tatum's mobility and get her crawling.   It appears as though she has the strength, motivation and energy to crawl but she seems to be missing two things:   coordination and a consistent awareness of her legs.   What I love about about the Institutes program is they never throw up their hands and say 'oh well'.   Instead we are going to help Tatum find her legs by building her a standing device.   She will stand upright for 30 minutes each day.   We are going help Tatum's coordination by doubling the amount of crawling patterning we do each day for at least a month.   She just needs more time to receive the patterning.
• Overall, Tatum is progressing 167% faster than she was before we started our program with the Institutes.   She is currently developing at about 80% of the average child.   We are at a bit of a plateau as far as motor skills are concerned but we believe that we will have a crawler by Springtime...  I've asked her to start crawling as my Christmas present but I'll also be OK with a new "World's Best Mom" coffee mug!

This is Tatum's blog and I find myself mostly writing about Tatum and myself but I need to be clear that what Tatum is accomplishing would not be entirely possible without Chris, Riley and Peyton and our loving volunteers.   In our house, Chris (Dada) is the first one to get smiles and giggles from Tatum... always has been.  He brings her into our world with music, play and snuggles.   Riley and Peyton truly adore Tatum.   They greet her in her bed each morning with kisses and hugs.   Both girls practice their own reading with Tatum and are becoming exceptional teachers for their baby sister.     Riley and Peyton will become increasingly involved in Tatum's program in the coming weeks and are excited about learning how to pattern and motivate her to move down her incline ramp.   Riley's grade 3/4 class will be writing some holiday books for Tatum in the coming weeks too!  Our volunteers make Tatum her books and show up to pattern every day without fail.   Thank you all.

I write this blog mostly to help myself remember the good times and that we got the tough times.   I also find that it helps me realize how far we've come.   I'm pleased to share our journey with anyone who chooses to read along.   If you have any thoughts that you want to share, please feel welcome to do so.   I will share anything you like with Tatum and am open to receiving your ideas and suggestions.     Apparently this blog makes it difficult to share your feedback.    Please email me at kimberly.reain@gmail.com if it is easier.

As we wrap up November and the Holidays approach, I'm sure I'll be too busy to write much until 2014.   Happy Holidays to everyone.    Remember to live in the moment and be joyous about today.

I'm signing off with a promise to myself, my husband and my 3 girls.    

• I promise to always be on your team.   
• I promise to always believe in you and your potential.   
• I promise to never give up on you - ever.

Our Work-Life Balance is in process!

I am away for a night, all by myself and here I am writing about my family!!!   Crazy!

My intention in getting away this evening was to ‘get away from it all’, sleep and be selfish for 24 hours.   Easier said than done. 

I’ve spent my day decompressing, which is great but as I’ve removed myself from my ‘chaos’, I am able to feel.   Feel tired, feel sad, feel happy, feel overwhelmed, feel encouraged… 

The biggest thing that I feel is that my family is everything to me.   My husband and my children’s happiness drive my happiness at this moment in my life.   They are my ‘job’ right now and it is the toughest job I’ve ever had.   The thing about my job (and all parents') is that I can’t quit it!  I suppose I could, but I never would in a million years.   On the bad days when I want to throw in the towel, I won’t - no way.   I have chosen the role that I am in right now – mother and wife - because it is of paramount importance to me that I help create good, happy, contributing and experiencing human beings who are the best people they can be.   I want the human beings that I am helping to shape and grow to be good to themselves, good to the world around them and to experience all that life has to offer.   These human beings of course include Tatum.  

Over the past few months, as we’ve been in the trenches with Tates, I’ve come to realize that she and I need more than our four walls and our crazy intense program.   We are not giving it up, we are still doing the Institutes’ program every single day - we are fully committed.  I am just starting to try to figure out how to let the outside world into our days before I lose my myself and she misses out on her childhood. 

The one big shortcoming of the Institutes’ program, from my perspective, is ‘social skills’ development.   The program is so intense that you could (and most days do) spend 8 hours a day, 7 days a week inside your house and not see a soul except for your patterning volunteers.  While investing this time, your child’s brain benefits enormously, it gets better.   The question is, how long can a mom like me or a hurt child like Tatum do the program with this intensity before they burn out or Mom goes a bit crazy?  

Is it reasonable to invest 5 years of one’s life into the Institutes’ program with the hope that your child will get well?   Many families have done it, some have done it for more than a decade.  During this time everything else is supposed to be secondary… Mom’s autonomy, the marriage, the other kids and letting the hurt child experience life outside the home.   Is it reasonable?   I don’t know. 

One thing I know for sure is that Tatum is happiest when she is outside, she laughs and smiles when she is swinging and swimming.   She is most energized when she is with her friends and family.   Her whole body shakes with excitement when she hears the kids in the schoolyard, playground and pool.   She wiggles her toes, giggles and kicks her feet when the wind blows in her face.    Without her words, Tatum is telling us that she likes the same life that we do.  We need to help her get more of it as we help her get well.

This weekend we are starting a new form of therapy called Therapeutic Horseback riding at a farm up in Stouffville Ontario.    While this is still therapy for Tatum, it is going to be something that she does with her sisters.   All of our girls will ride their own horse, in the same arena, at the same time.   We are so excited to do this as a family and to see how each of our girls learns and grows through horse back riding.  The benefits of therapeutic riding are varied and many.  To list a few

• •      Improved self-confidence through risk-taking, and independent movement
• •      Improved muscle control, balance, strength and range of motion
• •      Improved memory retention through learning and remembering horses names, commands and planning moves
• •      Relationship building through bonding with the horse and trainers
• •      Social integration through practicing socially appropriate behaviors such as appreciation, respect, kindness and attentiveness

Best of all, therapeutic riding is fun, rewarding, great exercise and it doesn’t feel like therapy.   What could be better?  Stay tuned for pictures and an update!

All this said, how is Tatum doing these days?  In a word… AWESOME.   She has been healthy, without even a sniffle, for close to 60 days.   She is growing like crazy… 26 lbs and 2 feet 8 inches… right on track for her peer group, maybe even ahead of the curve.   She’s working on some more teeth and almost has a full head of hair.  Her eyes are bright and her eye contact continuous to improve every day.   She will often look into our eyes and tell us a babbling story or listen to our words.   She no longer has a lazy eye.  Her eyes are completely straight 90% of the time.   Her mouth is no longer down turned from low muscle tone.   She smiles wide when she is pleased and giggles adorably.    Most times we have no idea what she is laughing at but we’ll take joy of any kind!   She is chewing her food… big chunks of meat and veggies and eats ravenously.    Tatum wraps her arms around our necks and gives squeezy hugs that are coming close to paralleling those of her big sister, Peyton.   

In the past week, Tatum has started pulling her entire body off of her incline.   She still goes down her ramp about 40 times each day (on a good day!) and now when she gets to the bottom, she actively moves herself toward her target.   She is most motivated by a bottle, snack or a meal so we put them at the bottom of the ramp and she is moving  with intention towards them.   Her most recent victory was last week when she pulled and pushed her entire body off the ramp in cross pattern, grabbed her bottle, rolled over while holding the bottle and put it in her mouth!!  Huge victory Tatum!!!

Tatum’s fine motor skills continue to develop as well.  She is increasingly able to grab toys and book pages and play actively with them.   

In the past few weeks, we have introduced two new components to Tatum’s intellectual program.  In addition to teaching her to read through word flash cards and home made books, we are now teaching her numbers and presenting her with what the Institutes calls ‘bits of information’.  

The math program is pretty basic right now.   She sees 10 numbers each day, 3 times a day.  Each number is seen for 5 days and is then put away.  She is not shown the actual number symbol but instead is shown a series of dots that represent the number symbol.   We’ll get around to teaching the actual symbol later.   For now, this program serves as a visual and auditory stimulation program and it is amazing… she can’t get enough of it! 

The ‘bits of information’ is essentially an image flash card program that teaches her ‘encyclopedic knowledge’.   Again, this is a visual and auditory stimulation program that has the benefit of giving Tatum great information and keeping her interested.   She loves this program too.   This week, Tatum learned about primate, famous buildings and towers of the world and organs of the human body!

Chris and I are heading back to Philly on November 11^th for our 3^rd revisit with Tatum.   We are looking forward to getting our next report card and new assignments.  

Wish us luck finding our new work-life balance!  

Summertime Update!

Blog posts are getting further and further apart... we must be busy!
April and May were tough months to stay motivated and I wasn't really feeling up to writing about our lack of progress.  The broken leg really slowed us down and got us out of our routine.  Getting back into the 'Institutes' routine was very challenging, I forgot how nice it can be just to go out and stroll!  We are still trying to get back to the intensity we were at before Tatum's accident, but we are taking more breaks for the sake of everyone's sanity!   Once the cast came off at the end of April, it became apparent that Tatum had regresses in the mobility department.   Tatum didn't want to move down her ramp at all.   She didn't really want to use her legs at all.   Before the broken leg, she was bearing weight  and standing well with just a bit of support.     When lying on her back, she was able to keep her knees upright and lift her butt.   All of this strength and coordination seemed to be gone... good news is that it is coming back!  May was tough  for Tatum health wise as well.  We missed 10 full days of programming because she was sick with colds and an awful flu virus.  
As she does after every period of illness, Tatum has rebounded with gusto!  She has gained back the weight she lost in April and May (from being in the cast and being sick) and then some.   She has 3 new teeth and the hair on her head is growing like crazy...  she just had her 3rd haircut.
As I look back on my notes for May, although Tatum didn't want to get moving on her ramp, she was up to a bunch of other great things.
Since the beginning of May, Tatum has been sitting really well on her own without any support.   She still falls backwards on occasion and does not put her arms back to stop herself but it is less and less and she is able to adjust and correct her posture when she is losing her balance.
Tatum's fine motor skills have made a lot of progress over the past two months.   She has gone from having no interest in toys or grabbing things to picking up toys, spoons,  and shakers  and shaking them, banging them, throwing them, moving them from hand to hand, reaching and picking things up that are out of her sight and she is occasionally putting things in her mouth.   She is getting very good at reaching her arms out big and wide and pulling us in for big kisses and hugs.    Tatum is clapping her hands when she is sitting, lying down and on her tummy.
She is rolling from her back to her front and back again with ease.
Tatum is also now able to sit up in a swing at the playground and she loves to swing!
Since the beginning of June, we have seen huge progress in Tatum's verbal skills.   She is so loud!   Her volume increases every day.    I have to stop myself from wishing for quiet!  As she experiments with her voice she is telling crazy stories that go on for minutes with lots of inflection and sounds like tha, za, da, la, ba, ah.   She's pretty entertaining - her sisters love the new loud Tatum!   I think she is often yelling me... maybe for feeding her so much spinach and kale!  She loves calling for Daddy and I'm pretty sure our nanny, Len, is her favorite confident!   She is making clicking sounds with her tongue, kissing sounds, zerberts and is also mimicking us when we make her favourite sounds.
The most amazing progress has happened in the past two weeks with Tatum's mobility.    She is moving down her ramp using both of her legs and big wide arms almost all of the time now.   Today, we watched Tatum move herself down her ramp (several times) in what we know as a perfect cross pattern!   If you can imagine a baby crawling, they move their arms and legs in a specific pattern... right arm reaches out, left knee comes in,, etc.   This is what we have been patterning for Tatum since last September!   She is so close to crawling herself off her ramp... we can't wait to get her moving on the flat floor all the time, and to get rid of these massive ramps!!!
So what is the biggest change in our program?  Why are these things happening now?   I think this is the cumulative effect of all of our hard work and Tatum's good health (minus May) which is a result of her super healthy diet.   I think the biggest catalyst has been our new commitment to her respiratory program. We are doing 40 masks every day now.    If we do nothing else, we do masking.    This ensures that Tatum gets rich concentrations of oxygen to her brain every day.   Masking also ensures that we are helping her oxygen tanks (her lungs) get bigger.   We have also starting doing manual respiratory patterning.   We are now doing this for an hour each day and are working up to doing two hours each day once our machine arrives.      Our machine is sitting at Canada Customs right now so we should receive it in within the next week.   Once we get it, Tatum will receive two hours of daytime and 10-12 hours of nighttime respiratory patterning every day.   We are all so excited to see the effect of this on her alertness, energy, eating, speaking, mobility and who knows what else!!   It is going to be a fantastic summer for Tatum and our gang... I can feel it!!

Below are some videos of Tatum from the past few weeks.