Cora's 12 month milestones

She did it!  Twelve months and continuing to grow.  We had and appointment in town yesterday for Cora's WIC certification.  With that they take a blood drop from the finger, and look at her height and weight.  When the nurse put the information into the computer she got a concerned look on her face and said ,"Cora is not even on the growth chart.  She is well below the 10 percentile.".  I just smiled and said, "That's because your computer doesn't have the chart for infants with Down syndrome.".  Looking relieved she said, "OK. Then we will leave that worry up to Dr. Statler.".  I again agreed.  Then the nurse started talking about getting Cora off the bottle and onto a sippy cup.  I found myself explaining the pit falls of  Cora's lack of jaw and mouth muscle tone that allows her to be able to do this.  I also explained that for awhile Cora was on tube feeding and didn't even have a bottle and what a blessing it was that she was able to nurse from a bottle.  I ended the explanation with a polite decline to even start this weaning process with Cora. We have just started getting Cora to gain a steady weight and eating foods, why upset the apple cart?  Some things are just best left alone rather then messed with.

But on the drive home I got to thinking.  Why doesn't the Health Department have a chart for infants and children with Down syndrome readily available for the staff when it is needed?  Surely Cora isn't the only child with special needs that has passed through those doors or has been entered into their system.  Why doesn't the health department have a better understanding of what a child with Down syndrome deals with or needs...especially someone in the health care profession?

Our society is so programmed to look at the average and the normal that others are easily forgotten.  Such a sad knowing!

In any case, Cora was re-certified and will continue to receive her WIC items.  I am thankful for the help that it offers.

On to the milestones:

Things that Cora is doing as a twelve month old=

• sitting with minimal support
• getting onto knees for two seconds
• passing toys from hand to hand in mildine play
• rolling to whatever has caught her eye
• talking and interacting
• says, "mama" "baba" for bottle and shakes her head for "no" and "yes"
• signs , "all done", "milk",
• recognizes the sign for "toy", "book", "dog", "kitty", "good job", "Cora", "mama", "Emily", "medicine", "sleep", "Phoenix", "papa", "gg", "Kelsey"
• tries to hold her bottle
• starting to grab food and try to aim for her mouth
• eats fork mashed foods (cannot hold food that is more liquid than solid within her mouth) in very small portions, from a spoon
• started drinking whole milk (alternated this with formula bottles)
• putting toys into a pan and taking them out of a pan
•  rolling over top of obstacle that are meant to keep her in the play area and escaping out of said play area
• takes a two hour nap and has developed a routine
• sleep through the night with only one waking moment and puts herself back to sleep
• has gained 12 ounces in the last month
• plays peek-a-boo by holding a small washcloth and doing the movement herself
• remembers where she has left a toy and will go looking for it (without realizing I have put it away during naptime) 

If I have forgotten anything I will add it on the next blog.  It is so amazing to watch Cora's interaction with her surroundings.  It is sometimes easy to forget that she has had two open heart surgeries and has the struggles that she does.  I love those moments, when I can disappear into her world of play and again fall in love with the daughter that the creator gave me.

Life is such a blessing....enjoy yours!  Cora and I are enjoying ours....