Making Strides

It's really hard for me to see Clara as disabled.  I know she meets the definition, but to me, she really is the cutest little girl making strides in her own time.  I also know that she's still a baby so it's not as easy to see.

I've mentioned it on my Facebook page already, but Clara is sitting up now.  It was the last goal her early intervention team and I had set for her to meet this first six month period, and she did it with a week to spare.  When she sits, she puts her arms in front of her between her legs, her palms flat to the ground and she looks at me as I cheer her.  Her face says, "Okay, Mom.  When you're done I'd like to get back to wiggling around on the floor playing with my feet, please."  I don't think she sees the usefulness in this exercise yet, but we'll keep doing it and eventually she's going to like it, right?

As she accomplished this last goal and I was pumped with excitement, I started thinking about our next set of goals that her team and I will write this week.  I've mentioned that Clara doesn't sound consonants; only vowels.  I thought that should go on the next set of goals, and so last night I was saying "mama" and "dada" to her repetitively, just to give her a little taste of what's ahead.  This morning I was lying in bed and Cxdy and I were just starting to stir as Clara was already awake and babbling in her crib.  My head popped up when I heard, "dadda.... dadda... dadda.."  I couldn't believe my ears.

"Did she just say dadda?" I asked Cody.
"That's what I heard,"  he sleepily replied.
I jumped out of bed and confessed my pride to her as I changed her diaper and drowned her in praise.

However, I haven't heard it again so now I'm wondering if it really was just a dream.

Nah.  Couldn't be.  My little girl will say it again.  When she feels like it.