Now the much anticipated sequel to Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ Sophie Kate in her second unscripted short film entitled “Skateboarding Sophie.”
We are headed to the beach this weekend to spend some quality time with our new friend “Gustav,” hopefully we will not become to acquainted with him. We certainly do not want him to over stay his welcome. We are truly looking forward to some time away, we hope all of you have a great extended weekend with your families!
Hey everyone. If I could pick just one word to describe this week for Sophie Kate, I would say calm. How wonderful to finally be able to say that we had a calm week. You know, I have said before that I would love the opportunity to be bored, we certainly haven’t gotten there yet, but I am thrilled with calm. Sophie Kate of course still did all her therapy this week and has worked really hard on head and neck strength as well as on her skateboard, movin’ those legs, and has had lots of stretches and massages.
SK has also experienced her first carline drop off and pick up at Cooper and Jacob’s school. As all of you know that live here that is an experience in and of itself and not necessarily always a very pleasant one. I realized that I haven’t done carpool since November of 2007, can’t say I’m real thrilled to be thrown back into that madness, but I am very thankful for my great friends that covered for me all of last year, no questions asked. The first day back in carpool line really put into perspective the huge sacrifice they made for me. Thanks again Misty and Amanda that is true friendship!
This week has been a bit subdued and introspective for me. Last weekend one of Sophie Kate’s online friends passed away unexpectedly. My heart is so sad for this precious family, who has actually adopted children like Sophie into their family, talk about crowns laid up for them in heaven! It has just spoken to me how fragile these children can still be whether they physically appear that way or not. You know, I just don’t know what to make of all this most of the time. I keep telling myself every morning the things I know to be true. I say them out loud to myself sometimes just to hear them because I don’t always feel them: God loves me (He loves you too), God loves Sophie Kate (even more than Chad and I do), God is in control (not me), He will give me the strength I need to get through each day. To me this situation seems impossilbe, to God nothing is impossible. He is effecting and changing not only SK but also everyone and everything around her, whether we want to be changed or not, b/c sometimes I’m just so tired of it all and I really want to answer the question about changing with a really loud “or NOT.” Then I realize that it’s a question that was never really posed to me, it is what has to happen. I am going to follow, it’s just am I going to go quietly or am I going to go kicking and screaming? Hmmm…of course I am going to go kicking and screaming, I just really wish I wouldn’t do that. I wish I could just accept this and move on but that is utterly impossible. This process is beyond words painful and so then I have to come back to what I know is true-God loves me. The thing is I am not the only one He loves. Please pray that those who don’t know our Savior will be changed in some way through Sophie’s life, that God’s love, grace and mercy will shine through.
Please keep this family in your prayers as well that God will comfort them in a mighty way during this time. And yes, Sophie Kate has online friends, would you have expected anything less from her?
Have a great weekend!
Today (Friday August 15) I took Sophie Kate to her Pediatrician for her 9 month checkup. She now weighs 18 pounds 4 ounces and is 28 inches tall. She is in the 90th percentile for height, which means that she is taller than 90% of the children out there that are her age. Wow, I really believe that, she is sooo long. She is constantly outgrowing footie pajamas and anything else that is a one piece outfit. She’s in 12 month pajamas, I think she could wear 18 month at least in the length she could. Now, for her most important stat, head circumference, at her 6 month visit Sophie was at 14 3/4 inches, today she was at 15 1/2 inches. That is 3/4 of an inch in 3 months!!! I know it may not sound like much, but this is HUGE for a little girl that was expected to have little to no brain growth. She is still below the growth chart on this one, but there has been steady and for us very encouraging growth ever since she was born. Her brain IS growing! Thank You God for this miracle!!
Sophie Kate’s doctor was very pleased with this visit. He was thrilled that she had started rolling over and quite surprised to hear that she was eating rice cereal with fruit two times per day. He said this was the best visit she has ever had and I agree. We discussed some things to help Sophie as much as possible in continuing to move and develop. We will be seeing another Specialist (Physical Medicine Specialist) for that and I am very excited to see what this type of doctor will be able to do for Sophie therapy wise.
Daddy has already made Sophie Kate her first piece of adaptive equipment. We call it the “Sophie Skateboard.” It is bascially a piece of wood with edging around it (no sharpen corners for this little girl) and 4 swivel wheels attached to the bottom of it. I put a big cushy blanket on top of it and strap her to it on her stomach with 2 of the boys belts and off she goes. Well, not exactly, but she is learning quickly. This idea came about in an effort to help SK learn how to use her arms and legs and eventually learn to crawl. When she would try and move her feet she really couldn’t go anywhere but she was able to scoot herself some. Well, all that accomplished was getting her hands and arms stuck underneath herself which made herself very mad. So now, thanks to Daddy, we can put her on the hardwood floor (she hasn’t worked up to the carpet yet) on the “Sophie Skateboard” and she is able to push herself around with her feet in a crawling kind of motion. She’s doing really good with it. I hope to capture this on video soon b/c ya’ll have got to see it, it is just too much.
To cap this day off, Sophie Kate rolled over again for me this morning, that is 4 times total now. You are amazing baby girl! Our uplifting weeks continue and we are so thankful for this. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to remember our sweet Sophie Kate. God is working in her life in such a miraculous way!
Hey everyone! Sophie Kate has now rolled over 3 times all by herself and the third time was a charm. I finally got it all on video. Now the hard part, how do I get it off the camcorder and onto the website? No, never mind that, the hard part was getting it on video, surely we can figure out this other part. She has also been spending quite a bit of time in the exersaucer where she is putting more and more weight on her legs and feet. She is doing great at this and by her frequent smiles seems to be quite proud of herself. We are proud of herself too!
In spite of everything that has gone on here over the past 9 months, in the background quietly gathering strength and determination everyday fighting it’s way through against all odds, has been the explosion of pink that has somehow taken over the house, well everywhere except the boys rooms. There’s really no need for your stuff to be in their rooms “yet” is there Sophie? Wait till she’s mobile then there will be no stopping her or her stuff. For now we are keeping it contained somewhat to her room, the family room and our room. I secretly like it that’s why I don’t mind it in our room, I don’t think Chad minds it either, anything goes when it comes to his little girl.
I have been bombarded by trucks, trains, cars, bugs and dirt for a very long time, not that I mind those things they are very near and dear to my heart. What I haven’t experienced before is doing someone’s nails over breakfast. That’s right, applesauce and pedicures, I guess there’s a first time for everything, huh? The boys never got that excited over me doing their nails during breakfast….uh oh, did I just say that out loud? I’m kidding I never really did that. Anyway, it was fun and everyone has gotten a pretty big kick out of it. It’s just sooo cute on those tiny little toenails, I couldn’t help myself. These are those moments guys and I soaked up every bit of it.
Thank You Lord for another good week. We are on a roll here and we give God all the praise for our little miracle and all that she has been able to accomplish!!
BIG NEWS today, Monday August 4, Sophie Kate rolled over from front to back two times. Of course both times have been off camera even though I have had it set up and ready to go and aimed directly at her ever since she did it the first time. How come it always works out that way? Anyway this is just HUGE. She is really moving around a lot today, she is pulling her legs underneath herself and flipping herself over. She really wants to be on the move. Bless her sweet little heart she is trying sooo hard and working sooo hard, I am so proud of her.
She really does put everything in perspective not just the big things in life like family, friends and health but also the little things like smiles, baby sounds and rolling over. How I took that for granted with the boys, yeah I put it on their first year calendar and yeah I was excited to see them roll over, but it was really just a matter of when they would do it not if they would. So I never thought about it, I knew it would happen for them. Sophie Kate just surprised the heck out of me. It wasn’t like she had been real close the last couple of days and we were expecting it any minute. She just did it right in front of me this morning completely out of the blue and I about fell out. So of course I videotaped her for a while and got nothing. She then fell asleep on her stomach I guess from pure exhaustion. So I fixed the boys lunch, called them up, sat down and ate with them and after we finished I went back into the family room to check on SK, who I had last left asleep on her stomach, and found her wide awake and on her back. I was so surprised and thrilled to find her like that, it was such a sweet surprise.
I wasn’t going to go there, but I really can’t stop myself so I will make this last part as brief as possible. Please, please, please do not take your kids for granted. It is so easy to do b/c we all lead such busy lives. One of the things I took away from my class this weekend is that we have become human doings instead of human beings. Guys, just be in the moment, don’t let the busyness cause the moments to pass you by. OK, there I said it, I’m done now.
I’ll keep trying to catch her rolling over on video and then maybe I can get it on here for ya’ll to see, of course that takes Sophie Kate’s cooperation so that will be really iffy as you all know. Thank you for all your prayers. It was a good day!
Today, Sunday August 3, Sophie Kate is 9 months old. She is 17 pounds now and it seems like forever ago that she was struggling just to get to 10 pounds. I don’t know how long she is, I just know she is very very long. Baby girl, just 3 more pounds and 3 more months and we can turn that car seat around. Bless her heart, her little legs and feet are crammed up against the back of the seat and that can’t be the most comfortable way to ride around town.
Today is the last day of a therapy class I have been taking this weekend so that I can learn some myofascial release techniques to do with Sophie Kate at home. It is a very interesting type of therapy that she has been getting from her physical therapist and will continue to do so, her therapist is much more highly trained than I am, but now I will be able to do some of the basic techniques with her myself. You know, it was just starting to get real boring around here with nothing for me to do in ALL my free time. So I decided to add one more thing, should be no problem working this into our wide open schedule. Yeah, right! I wish I could get bored, it think it would be a nice feeling. Anyway, no time for that, gotta go.
Happy Birthday baby girl!!