9 months ago today we arrived home with a just 9-month old Noemi. That means that she has been with us for the same amount of time that she lived without us. From now on we can say that she has lived with us longer than anyone else. Noemi has thrived with this consistency…she’s one lil’ trooper if you ask me. Yup, I’ve bemoaned the challenges, but we’ve got some serious happy in these here parts of town. And so, in honor of my vibrant and thriving blue ribbon 18-month old…just a few of her accomplishments since she has been with us:• Noemi was only sitting up when she arrived home in September and didn’t even know that she had lower extremities. Her hips and trunk are much stronger and she no longer qualifies for physical therapy. Now she is running all over creation with eager wonder. Up and down the steps--up and down all day long.
• This girl likes to talk--blah, blah, blah. She still signs, but would much rather tell you what’s on her mind. My favorite words: “nuna" (tuna), “uppa” (up), “mung” (monkey) and a howl-like “owwwwww” (cat).
• I love watching the wheels of language turning. She confidently makes the sign for “march” every time she sees the pile of mulch out front.
• Sosi is getting snuggly! Her body is now relaxed and she looks me in the eye during bottle time. She also lets her body sink into mine when she is tired or sad and she clings to me for comfort. She gets into bed with us most mornings to snuggle. She sinks into my lap to read books and she is starting to approach me to lay her head on my lap. Affections keep growing…9 months ago she sharply resisted all of this.
• My girl goes down the slide at the park All. By. Herself. Don’t even think about holding her hand--that would simply offend the budding independence.
• Sosi had a rocky relationship with our eager cat, Layla, when she arrived home. Remember this? They're now buds. It’s not uncommon to find the dynamic duo playing together with the same toys. Sosi thinks it's a hoot that Layla tries to jump into her crib each morning to affectionately wake her. Us, not so much.• We’ve got a water baby. The first few times we gave Sosi a bath she cried hysterically. Now she sticks her face in the water to blow bubbles and kicks her feet to “swim.” She cries “no no no” when tubby time is over.
• Sleep (sigh). Sosi deserves a blue ribbon in this department (despite my grievances). She went from fighting us for hours each time we attempted to get her to fall asleep, to about 15 minutes on most days. She went from me having to rock her like a mad woman into a deep sleep to me now putting her in her crib still awake. Brave girl. Sometimes I forget just how far she has come.
• The “recovery day” is almost obsolete. We used to plan a lockdown day following any sort of activity. Now we can get out of the house everyday with significantly fewer melt-downs from over-stimulation. Bring on the birthday parties and play dates!
• Sosi is starting to entertain herself with books and toys. Even if only for a few minutes now, it’s a huge change from the non-stop attention I needed to provide her just a few short months ago. Bonus: I can now put her in front of an Elmo video to jump in the bathroom for a private shower. Go ahead, boo me now, but that Elmo is a freakin’ saint.
