Summertime Summertime Sum Sum Summertime

Is it really almost September? Is the summer really gone? We’ve had a great summer here at our house. It’s been laid back for the most part, and most of our time is spent just trying to stay cool! Our summer has been full of therapy, swimming, play dates and fun. It’s been so fun to be home with Emma Kate all summer and watch her as she has developed into a little girl. She’s definitely not a baby anymore!

In the past few weeks Emma Kate has mastered the art of walking and standing on her own (without having to pull up on something). She’s been taking steps for several months, but she’s finally feeling secure enough to walk more than she crawls. It is beyond fun to watch! Here are a few pictures of her walking around the house:










She is also very fond of her “honey bear”. This is her sippy cup, and she loves drinking from a straw! I say “drinking”, but technically it’s more like “sucking”, as she doesn’t swallow much of what goes in her mouth. Despite the fact that she’s not swallowing, I’m still very thankful that she’s able to suck, because it’s something that she’s really never done before. I’m also thankful that she is tolerant of having liquids in her mouth. It’s a big step for her! We’re still not quite sure what’s going on with her swallow or the lack there of. We’re not sure if she just doesn’t know how to swallow, or if there’s some medical reason why she’s not swallowing. Since the past three swallow studies have been beasts and have not shown anything, G.I. wants to do an endoscopy. We actually had one scheduled for this morning, but canceled because EK’s been so congested this week (this would only make her more high risk for anesthesia). So we have another one scheduled in two weeks. We would love for you to pray for her (and maybe her mommy and daddy too—I’m really not sure who it’s harder for!).

Here are some pictures of her “drinking” water from her honey bear:







As far as play goes, well, Emma Kate has fun with just about anything. Her favorite activities include:

Reading! She LOVES books!



Especially books that are interactive! She particularly loves books that have flaps to flip up or pull down!


She also loves to look at her cute reflection in her mirror.


And play with her house! She loves to ring the doorbell and check her mailbox!



And crawl through the door.


She also loves to take Sunday afternoon naps with her daddy!


She also loves to give big hugs, play in her shadow, play hide and seek with toys, blow bubbles, and play peek-a-boo!

As far as therapy goes, it has been going well. We are sort of at a turning point as Emma Kate is about to transition out of Early Steps and into the school system. Let me just stop for a second and say that I am so thankful to be in such a great school district! If we weren’t, I think that I would be having a major nervous breakdown about now. In a nutshell, when Emma Kate turns three, she will no longer qualify for Early Steps, so the school system will step in and take over. Come November there will be lots of decisions to make. First we’ll need to see what services she’ll qualify for and then we’ll have to decide if she’ll receive therapy at home or at school. If school, then we’ll need to figure out if she’ll go all day, half a day, five days, etc. It will be a sad, sad day to say goodbye to all of the Early Steps therapists that we love so much! This past week we had to say goodbye to Emma Kate’s sweet O.T., Danielle, who we adore so much! She left for maternity leave and won’t be back before Emma Kate transitions. She’s been with Emma Kate since she was an infant and we’ll miss her like crazy! We’ll have a Special Instructor step in to take her place, and she’ll come every week to work with Emma Kate. She is also getting P.T. and Speech therapy through Early Steps and O.T., P.T. and Speech privately. She’s got quite the agenda, that girl!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward
Psalm 127:3