Sofia Visits the Dentist -- Painless!
Sofia was at the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary for an appointment with the dentist. At this point in her life all the dentist can really do is check her gums and what few teeth Sofia already has. The news is good though! Everything seems to be the way it should be, the correct bone structure is there, and we don't anticipate any problems in the future. Nevertheless, Sofia will recieve periodic checks. Sofia is better behaved at the dentist's office than I am!!
Good News!
The NG tube is still out! Sofia is still not drinking, but she gets enough liquid in her foods to compensate. Naturally Momma watches her very closely to make sure she does not get dehydrated but Sofia seems to be doing just fine!
Sitting, Standing, and Crawling!
Sofia can now get to a sitting position by herself. She is also learning to crawl which at present seems more like swimming, but it won't take her long to get better at it. In the meantime she can get where she wants. When she gets to the edge of the sofa or a coffee table she pulls herself to a standing position. She still has to learn to move her feet the right way, but does move sideways on the sofa to get something she wants. At her little play table she sits on a little seat OK, but sometimes has trouble getting out of it. Still, between the sitting and standing, she has learned to control her falls.
Note - March 29th 2004
Sofia has changed her crawling mode. Instead of her previous swimming-like crawl, she now sits on her little behind, swivels around so that her back points to her destination, then pushes with her feet and slips across the floor. Her navigation is not all that great, driving in reverse is never easy, but she eventually gets to where she wants to go. I'm sure she'll refine her techniques and methods. I don't think she is too far from standing freely either, and the next step after that will be walking! This will probably take a bit longer.
On a previous page we mentioned our concern re Sofia's hearing and the fluid in her her ears. She has since had her ears rechecked and the amount of fluid is less and considered reasonably normal. Of course we will continue to keep an eye on this situation.
A Visit from Grandma 'Baba'
Sofia's true Grandma has come to visit -- she has not seen Sofia for a year. 'Baba', as she will be known to Sofia, has brought toys, and lots of love! She takes Sofia for her long walks and spends lots of time playing with her.
NEW 'TRICKS'!
Sofia is getting good at clapping her hands for anything that pleases her. It is her kind of 'sign' language. She also waves "Hi" and "Bye Bye!" She is learning to turn the pages in her 'baby' books -- put prefers to grab our hand and make us turn them for her. She likes when we make a pile of blocks, and then she knocks them down. She shows signs of a great sense of humor and continues to be a very smiley little girl.
Sofia has said her first word. One evening just after supper, while we were in the dining area and Poppa was in the living room, I asked Sofia 'Where's Tata'? She turned around in her seat, looked around the corner at her father, and said 'Tata! Tata!' and even pointed in his direction! Wow! Her first word!! We are no working on her to say Mama and she is getting close (we like to think).