Seasons

It really seems like every time Meagan has a problem, we see a burst of new accomplishments or new progress shortly after.  As you know, about 3 1/2 weeks ago Meagan had her 8th or 9th brain surgery - her 3rd technical revision, and her 1st emergent one.  Since then, she has been doing extremely well.  Last time I updated the PT news, we were working on getting her more comfortable on her feet.  Everyone always comments how cute and tiny Meagan's feet are - and that's true (she's 3 years old but only wears an infant size 3 or 4 shoe!) But a big reason for that is because she doesn't weight bear on them.  So without the stimulation of standing, cruising, or walking, her feet do not grow at the rate they should compared to her body. This poses a problem when trying to help her learn to stand because for a while, she will feel unsteady and even unsupported with her little feet.  For the longest time we have battled sensory issues, surgical setbacks and also literal physical problems with her holding herself up due to her tiny lower body.  That all changed this last week.

As I was sitting there last week during dance waiting for my older girls, Meagan was doing her usual routine.  (At dance class Meagan loves to scoot around greeting everyone and of course going up to each parent and saying hello).  I was distracted by my conversation with a fellow parent when I happen to look down and see Meagan holding on to my legs - except she wasn't sitting on the floor like usual - she was standing between my legs! I couldn't believe it.  Meagan had just pulled up to stand for the first time! The other champ parents who were there and know us so well were so excited as well! They clapped for Meagan and as I sat her back down on the floor, encouraged her to do it again. And she did.

Another thing that has seemed to catch on is her counting and her letters.  She has always loved numbers and letters, but it seems we have had another jump in both.  Meagan always counted to ten in the last few months but would then start again at 1.  One day in the car while waiting for a doctor appointment, she asked me to count.  Of course I obliged, and we started to count.  When we got to 10, she continued on.. I was shocked! As I ended with an excited "twenty!" I heard from the back a small voice say "twenty one...."..... um, excuse me? When did she learn this?! I was surprised as was one of her sisters who was with us at the time and so we continued on.  Meagan made it to 28 before she finally stalled and went back to 1.  What a surprise that was! As for her letters, we have been working with her to start recognizing some of the letters by sight.  Nothing hardcore, but, at least wanting to familiarize her with some of them since she loves for me to sing the ABC's to her so much.  At Kaitlin's doctor appointment last week, I had about an hour of one on one time with Meagan so I decided to get out her favorite ABC book and start to teach her a few easy ones.  Within a few hours, she had O, P, and M memorized.  We worked a bit more on A and B this week but those are still fuzzy.

We often complain about and stand in awe of the change in seasons all at one time.  We complain about the cold in winter, but then complain about heat in summer.  At the same time, we enjoy the cozy nights with our families, or the fun sunny days by the pool.  There is good and bad in every season.  That's how I really feel we view Meagan's life - seasons.  There are some that are great, and some not so great, but every 'season' of Meagan's growing up has offered something beautiful on some level.
As we enter Fall,  the crispness of the air, the fresh winds and the colors that abound this time of year bring a fresh look on life and a new excitement.  Likewise, we are excited for the changes Meagan is experiencing right now.  I try to enjoy these as much as possible because seasons sometimes change suddenly, and I don't want to miss a moment of being thankful for all she has become.