Lea's New Skills

This week, Lea learned how to clap her hands. While we did a bit of coaching to teach her this new skill, it was far easier for her to learn how to do this than it was for Hallie. One of the moms on a listserv to which I belong noted that full-term younger siblings of micropreemies practically raise themselves. We definitely concur.

So, we can add to Lea's skill set hand clapping to playing peek-a-boo; crawling like a demon; cruising on furniture; eating pretzels and graham crackers with aplomb; and chasing after and securing any item her little heart desires. She's also a championship-level pincher and biter (mostly of Sharon), but I'm no sure we want to celebrate these aspects of her character.

Anyway, I caught a video of Lea clapping in her swing (with shameless prompting by yours truly). Hallie wanted to get in on the act, so I took some footage of her using the chair in our living room as a trampoline. She is very resourceful about finding ways to meet her vestibular and proprioceptive needs and we are happy to indulge her (especially considering that we never intend to move with the living room furniture. Why not let her trash it? It's not like we have room for a trampoline and so Hallie is happy to call this her trampoline and let us know how much she loves jumping on it).




On other Hallie fronts: somehow I missed this milestone, but Hallie has now had 203 vomit-free days this year. She's been great, really. She's eating (grazing, mostly) quite well these days. She had had a cold ten days or so back, and her intake plummeted, as it does for most kids, but she's making up for things now. She loves toasted bread with butter, requested a sandwich (which, for her is toast smeared with spreadable goat cheese) last night at dinner time and actually ate about half of the half-slice of bread and cheese that I presented to her; and she's eating chicken hot dogs again. We've taken the pressure off of her, and us, and that has been a good thing. Snacking in front of the tv or while playing is not precisely our idea of a family meal, but at least, this way, Hallie does come running over to the table and gladly takes a seat with us when our friends come over to dinner (apparently, the two of us eating alone, or the two of us plus Lea in her high chair don't make the grade for Hallie). And not only does she come running over to sit with us, but she will request some food items (chocolate cake or cookies are her favorite). So, right now, this is enough for us. We need to take it slow and did I mention that a decrease in pressure is a good thing?

Still working on that long post of how far Hallie is coming along...