Sunday, December 30, 2007

Allie

Life here with Allie has settled into a routine. Mondays and Thursdays is physical and occupational therapy. Tuesday and sometimes Wednesday is speech therapy. Friday an educator comes to train and re-train Allie's brain functions and motor skills. Every other week a nurse comes in and get Allie's weight and evaluates her progress.
Molars have been working their way through Allie's gums. One cut through a couple of weeks ago and one is taking it's sweet time coming through on the other side. The poor kid is miserable. And if Allie ain't happy, nobody's happy. I'm praying that once that tooth cuts through, she'll get a bit of a break.
One positive breakthrough is that Allie is now taking naps everyday, twice a day, in her crib. She used to take short naps in our arms during the day, but as soon as we tried to lay her down in her crib, she'd wake up and naptime was over. But now, we're able to lay her down and walk away. This is huge! Today she took a record long nap for 90 minutes. I was at church when this happened so the charming and beautiful Susan got 90 minutes to herself. She was like a new woman.
On January 18, Allie will be fitted for leg braces. Her doctor thinks there is a strong possibility that Allie will walk before she sits or crawls. This is pretty exciting. When supported, Allie stands up and takes steps. She even puts one foot in front of the other on the tread mill. Last time we tried it, she walked for about three minutes on the treadmill. Cool beans.
We took Allie to the beach today. It was about fifty degrees and super windy. The sun was bright and the sea was rough. There was so much sea foam blowing around it made me think some prankster dumped a boatload of dish soap in the waves. That would be a colossal prank. Allie loved it. Even though she couldn't see the ocean clearly, she could feel the sun and the brightness, her ears were filled with the sounds of wind and sea, and her little face bore the brunt of a chilly sea gale as it turned her cheeks rosy. Her face froze in an open mouthed smile. She was so beautiful in the poncho and little hat that her Grandma Ruth made for her with amazing talent and tender loving care.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Life is good. :) Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

She was so beautiful in the poncho and little hat that her Grandma Yolanda made for her

We would love to see a picture!!!


Sounds like your little Allie is making progress. The naps are HUGE!! There is an Institute in PA that specializes in brain damaged children like your Allie and they make huge strides with many of them! I was reading their book and in some cases, these children even read before their "normal" peers. It's been an interesting read.... I got it from the local library, but here's the link.
http://www.gentlerevolution.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?

Bryonm said...

jody:

thanks for the comment about the book. susan just ordered it...

Anonymous said...

Aside from the pain from her little teeth, I'm so thrilled about her progress! Yay!

paigemom said...

Bryon and Susan.... we don't know you and you don't know us, but we do think of you and pray for you and little Allie often. Thank you for laying down your lives for this little princess.....thank you for your progress reports on your blog.... I'm glad that the Phoenix Preacher blog keeps your blog listed in it's "blogroll" as a constant reminder.

God bless you all.... and blessed New Year to all.
paige and mark dinsmore
beaverton, oregon