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?
Billy and I married in 1998 after dating for 6 years. In 2006 we adopted AnnaKate. We were lucky enough to meet her birth mother and take her home from the hospital. At about 4 months old, AnnaKate was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome. Through all of AnnaKate's struggles and delays she surprises and delights us daily! Thanks for marking this spot and coming back often to check in on us.
