Saturday, February 14, 2009

34 month update

This week AnnaKate was 34 months old. I do not age her in months anymore but 34 months seemed significant. She is 2 months away from being 3! Wow! We have also said that we have had a baby for a whole longer than most and now AnnaKate really does not seem like a baby.

AnnaKate had her public preschool assessment this week as well. She will stay at the Meyer Center but we still needed to do the public school assessment. My RTS friends know how hard assessments can be. You know...your child can't talk, walk or go to the potty?? BUT...today was different. They were so impressed with AnnaKate. She worked so hard and exceeded their expectations. They specifically commented on her adorable out-going personality, independence, problem solving skills and concentration. I was so proud! Billy and I have always said that no matter what AnnaKate's cognitive skills are, we wanted her to be independent and well mannered. So instead of leaving the assessment feeling yucky, I was on top of the world! We still have to go for the results of her assessment and I am fully prepared for the facts, but their kind words are much more important!

So it seemed fitting that I give an update. My RTS friends don't get to see AnnaKate so I want to give a snapshot of where she is right now. So this is very detailed...so if you know AnnaKate well you do not have to read. :) If I ever create that special needs baby book, it will have a page for 34 months!!


Height- 32 inches
Weight- 27 pounds
She is pretty small and does not appear to be 3. She wears 18-24 months clothes and a size 4 shoe.

Feeding: AnnaKate had lots of difficulties early on with eating and drinking. She has severe reflux and I suspect she had some swallowing difficulties when she was young. She probably threw up a million times in her first year. But she never had a feeding tube. She had a very limited diet due to textural and chewing issues up until her tonsillectomy. Now she eats lots of different things but meat still does not interest her. She drink from a straw sippy cup and we just started working more with an open top cup.

Medicines: AnnaKate is on is Prevacid. Her reflux does not seems to be getting any better. She still regurgitates a lot. She also takes Miralax daily for constipation.

Motor Skills: AnnaKate crawled at 18 months. She is so close to walking but seems to lack the confidence. She can walk while barely holding to your hand. She gets around the house with push and riding toys.
She is doing really well in the area of fine motor skills. Her deviated thumbs do not cause her any problems. She can pick up the smallest items with a modified pincher grasp. There is lots of discussion about having RTS kids thumbs fixed. They are not a problem for AnnaKate so we are not concerned at this point. We will revisit it for cosmetic reasons when she is older.

Problem Solving skills: AnnaKate surprises me everyday with her cognitive skills. She is amazing with puzzles! She loves them and has the best concentration. I guess she is a "therapized" baby because she will attend to task so well. She knows when it is time to work.

Communication: AnnaKate does not talk. She has a few sounds m, b, d, tongue clicking and babbling. She signs yes, all done, more and eat. She understands more signs than she makes. She will crawl to the high chair to let us know she wants to eat and go to the refrigerator if she wants to drink. She will also go to the pantry to get her own food (there is that independence!) She uses pictures as well to communicate. Her receptive language is great. We can give her commands and she will do them. She is also very attentive to when we tell her no. She has just recently started to point more at things other than pictures in books, like things in the sky.

Likes and dislikes: AnnaKate is a lover! She loves to hug and kiss. She does so some favoritism to special people. Her favorite toys are books and this wacky pink ball (see pictures). She also likes musical instruments and stacking toys.

Enjoy these recent pictures!


AnnaKate really likes to play ball. She can throw and roll the back to you.



AnnaKate is very inquisitive. This is her going in to my storage basket!


She loves looking at pictures of people she knows. She can identify lots of people.


Here it is...pink ball!! We call is nasty ball because it feels gross and attracts dirt and dust.


AnnaKate going in to the pantry to get food!!


AnnaKate and her dad have fun playing with a remote control car up and down the hall


This mirror is one of her favorite things...or maybe it is the little girl in the mirror she loves so much!



She has recently become very interested in doors. She tries to open them and knocks on them.



AnnaKate also loves to string beads. She is very good at it!


Climbing stairs...a great past time!


Playing by herself...she is good about that!


Loving on her Lou-Lou! She can't ever get enough!

What a big girl!! Can you believe that she will be 3 soon?


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16 comments:

Brooke said...

I love her.

Melissa said...

I love all the pictures, Kelly. She is very independent and that is a strength that you guys gave her. It is so easy and fast to do things for our children. You have worked hard to make sure that she knows how to do things for herself, even if she can't do it all the way by herself. Great post!
Melissa

angie said...

She looks GREAT! That's great that she loves puzzles and stringing beads. Those are difficult tasks for our little ones. She is just beautiful. Thanks for sharing all of the pictures.

Anonymous said...

that's a great post!! what accomplishments! age three will only bring more sweetness, hugs and kisses...and milestones!

Jennifer

David Parker said...

I can't believe how big she is. She is such a beautiful little girl. We are so lucky to live right across the street from y'all!!

Oh, and don't let Taylor see that remote controlled car, or else it will be Billy, Anna Kate, AND Taylor chasing it up and down your hall...hehehe :)

Anna said...

I'm truly astounded that she will soon be three! She has really accomplished so much! In my wildest dreams I cannot imagine a child of yours not being well mannered!

Holly said...

Did you know that I (we) love that little girl?!? Can't wait to see her soon. She can teach my boys some manners.

Anxious AF said...

You are doing great!!!! Keep inspiring me girl!

Cindy said...

Thanks for sharing the pictures! It's great to see her in action, doing what comes naturally. She's a beautiful girl!

Melody said...

Kelly-
You are an AMAZING mom. I am proud to call you my friend.
WOW, Anna Kate! How big she is getting. I love the pantry picture. No different from Will in decision making and food selection. :O)

Tarah Peacock said...

I can't believe she will be three soon! She is adorable.

Jacqui said...

Your blog post is a celebration of Anna Kates life. She is an inspiring little girl with so many gifts and talents. You and your family really have created an environment where she can reach her potential - that too is inspiring.

Tena said...

Thank you for this update! She is doing amazingly well. It's so nice that her concentration level is so high - can you have her come talk to Caden? Wait no, he won't sit still long enough to listen. LOL! She is gorgeous, congrats on all those milestones!!

Anonymous said...

AnnaKate is gorgeous and multi-talented! I can't wait to see what she accomplishes as she matures because she's already accomplished so much!

Amanda said...

She is getting so independent! I think I am one of her "special people".....lol

Jennifer said...

I LOVED reading about AnnaKate so don't think you're boring me! I honestly don't know anything about RTS (other than what I've learned from you) but it sounds like she's doing really well. I think kudos go mainly to her mommy and daddy and those great peeps over at the Meyer Center. Happy 34 months AnnaKate!