fall trees

Today officially marks week 12. While I am still not up to par, I am much, much better. Yesterday, I watched my neighbors' children, took Lara for a walk outside where we collected beautiful fall leaves, made supper, did the dishes, and tidied up the house. If that's not feeling better, I don't know what is! I know I am better, because I am interested in my hobbies again, and want to get out of the house. I think I could count on one hand the amount of times I have been out of the house in the last 1.5 months. Instead of whining on the couch, I am reading and blogging..AND Lara and I did a much-missed art project today!!

We went to a park this morning, and just drove around (way too cold to play), admiring the trees. We talked about the colors, so now Lara will always say, "Tree...red, blue, green..." But I haven't seen any blue trees yet. So we came home to make our own trees. I cut up a sponge and Lara and I dipped and dabbed.

Lara and I visited her specialist again this week. Lara will be getting tall braces to decrease her toe walking, and will probably be getting Botox injections sometime in the next two months. I feel that her symptoms are getting worse, but her specialist assured me she is not. It is simply more of a matter of US REALIZING those symptoms as we go, rather than the symptoms getting worse...the specialist said he was seeing all of these things all along. Nontheless, it is time to get aggressive. I was hoping we could get aggressive with more therapy, but EVERYONE in the medical profession have assured me that it will not help. Therapy is too "artifical", I have been told, and that Lara will improve best by being taught how to function the right way in day-to-day tasks. Essentially, what I am doing with her at home is much more beneficial than taking her to a one-hour therapy session. I guess. I figure anyone would benefit from a lot of therapy, but I do trust our specialist and therapist...

The botox will temporarily loosen Lara's leg muscles. It is just temporary, but the idea is that Lara will learn some new skills during that relaxed period, and learn them well enough that she will be able to continue them even when her muscles eventually tighten up again. I think the botox will help tremendously. But it does mean shots in her legs, the poor thing.

Enough with that!! I am loving the 2-year-old stage. It is such a cute stage. Lara is communicating better and better every day, and it just cracks me up the way she talks and the way she plays. But it's not all fun. Like her 6:15 wake-up times or playing with cat food. I figured it was safe to take the baby gate down because Lara won't try to eat the cat food anymore. I forgot that she is still a toddler.