8 Months Old And Many Milestones

Kaitlyn turned eight months old this past week. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. She has learned so much and taught us even more. Here are some of her latest milestones and her new list of goals.

Kaitlyn, AKA:

Sister, princess, and big girl, and even sometimes Ms. Piggy. This girl loves to eat and we are thrilled about that. See she is a heart baby, and only 4 1/2 short months ago she was very sick and had open heart surgery. You would never know by looking at her the health hurdles she has overcome. Other than the faded scar on her chest there are NO signs of heart surgery. She is our hero!

Developmental delays are evident in children with Down syndrome. But to be quite honest her delays are almost unnoticeable. We know her milestone's are extra special and celebrate each one with her.

Her greatest ability now, and I imagine well into the future is to melt hearts. Yes, all babies do this, but their is something "extra" special about Kaitlyn. She's changing people in a huge way, I could cry just thinking about, she's bringing a lot of people closer, and God I thank you!

Kaitlyn continues to develop a hilarious personality. We are constantly cracking up at this little goofball. In one breath I will tell you how laid back she is, birth order might have a lot to do with that, but in another breath I will say she definitely has a mind of her own, which could be the red hair, but I'm guessing it's her genetic makeup. It's a gift and a curse! The picture below is Kaitlyn rolling her tongue, she does this all the time, especially when she eats fruit. It is so funny to watch. All our kids can do it, they get it from their Dad's side of the family. I don't remember the boys doing it until they were much older though. She's too cute!

The video below is Katie jumping in her jumperoo. This was a huge milestone for her. One day it occurred to me that I might have to teach her how to jump, she would just sit or stand in there and play with the attached toys. The jumper is next to the computer and one day I heard a much familiar noise next to me. She was jumping, a lot! It wasn't gradual, it was instant, and she loves to do it. She is so proud of herself and smiles like crazy. The video below is sideways, I apologize, I grabbed the camera quick and shot a short video. It's a pain to turn your neck but it's worth watching. For some reason the video is huge, it won't let me edit the size, so you can't see her pretty smile much!

This is a picture of the great smile I can get while she is jumping.

Another skill Kaitlyn has learned is how to take off her headbands. Lovely!!!

Another thing Kaitlyn has done is teach the dog great patience. She is so fascinated by this very large animal. She has zero fear!

Below is a picture of Kaitlyn pushing up with her arms. This has been her GREATEST milestone so far. We worked in therapy on this for a long time. She has great core strength and leg strength but was very weak in her arms. When on her belly she always looked like she was swimming. One afternoon at my in-laws she just did it, she pushed up and placed weight on her arms! I cried. This was a HUGE deal!

Got Toes?

She is so flexible, I think most children, especially those with Down syndrome are. Her feet are her favorite toy and snack. This grosses her Dad out, I love it! Notice the chunka's (thighs and arms) on this little girl. Don't you just want to eat her up.

So Kaitlyn has achieved many things over the last months. She is eating baby food (fruit/veggies/cereal). She tends to be very quiet but does make some open mouth sounds. She rolls from her back to belly, and belly to back. She loves to stand while holding our hands.

The next step for Kaitlyn is to decrease formula and increase baby food. Sit-up, I really think she could do this if she wanted to. She has a really strong back and legs, but she has no desire. You set her down and she throws herself backwards or purposefully goes forward to get on her belly. She does not enjoy the bumbo seat, she would rather be standing or on her belly. We are also wanting her to babble (bababa, mamama, or dadada). Crawling is a ways off, but she is making progress in the right direction. She can move in both directions while on her belly, she's not really scooting but she does it some how?!

So that is Katie in a nutshell. We are loving every minute and rejoicing in every milestone!

We love you big girl!!!