It's the End of 2010

This past year has been one of positive progress. We have made huge leaps in development, mostly becuse of age, partly due to NR. Since she is so young, we are going to make a huge amount of developmental progress anyway, but I truly believe that NR helps unlock the potential for maximum growth. I just wish I was able to stay as faithful to the program as I would like to. It will be 2 years in February, and we should be close to finished. I doubt that we are because of our lapses. I did the best I could, and vow to be better disciplined this next year. Since she is getting older, I feel like I can get her to cooperate more. Her language skills now let me know that she understands, so I can have the confidence she knows what I am explaining. Last night, she move her legs herself for her tonic neck reflex pattern. If she can keep this up, I won't need a partner, which has been my biggest roadblock. It was a huge risk putting her in preschool, but it has been mostly positive. It has been huge for attachment, which has led to better cooperation. She communicates better with children and adults. Unfortunately, being with other children overstimulates her, so she can be a wild maniac and appear to be a huge discipline problem. Her teacher is very kind and patient, and will let her sit in another part of the room and read if she needs a break. There are several children with behavior problems in her class, which is difficult because she mimics other children, no matter what they do-good or bad.

One major milestone last month was when I heard her say, "Mom! Look at me!!!" To most moms, this is something they hear multiple times a day for as long as they can remember. For me, this was huge because she actually cared enough to want me to look at something she did. Not that she didn't care about me, but with a child who struggles with attachment, saying something like that is really going out on a limb. We have almost normal eye contact now, something we were still working on at the start of the year. Anxiety is still an issue, but less so. Self regulation is still number one. The minute she gets to school, she'll dart to whatever she is interested in and her hands are on it, even if someone else has it. She knows to ask, but usually will only do so if you stop her before she can grab or touch. She does much better at home with regulation because she isn't overstimulated. She loves to draw, and she amazes me at her ability to copy what someone else draws. Her fine motor skills are really great when using a pen, but she has a hard time with scissors.

I was beyond excited this year when she was totally into making and decorating cookies with me. I never thought she would have the patience and skills to be able to do it. She asked for my help a little, but did it mostly by herself.

There was a day not so long ago when she wouldn't touch play dough, now she loves it. She is eating more solid food, but no fruits or vegetables. She still gets fruits, vegs, and meat through baby food in the bottle with milk. Although this isn't the preferred method, I'll bet she is getting a better variety of food than most any child her age. We're on a waiting list for an OT who is supposed to specialize in sensory. I'm hoping that she can help with the eating issues. She usually eats the snack at preschool, which is always something like chex mix, goldfish, or some cracker like food. She drinks small quantities of water from a cup. She is someone who loves her routine, so I need to force the issue a little more at home. I had originally planned to change to 5 day a week preschool in January, but I don't think I am going to do that.

I'm really pleased with our progress this year. We go for our re-eval in February, so we'll see where we stand. I'm hoping we are close to finishing, although I doubt we are. Seeing the finish line will certainly motivate me to work as hard as I can. As much as I don't advocate the slow method like we are doing, I do hope that we can encourage people who think they need to quit because they can't get the program done everyday. Every bit helps, and something is always better than nothing.