July : Alba Highlights

Having spent so long focusing on the things Alba can't do, and ticking 'no' to endless development questions, I think it's time to focus on the things she is doing. I'm going to start documenting Alba's highlights from each month - things she learns, new skills, new places we visit, milestones in our world. These things may seem trivial or weird to celebrate to some of you, but to us each one is big. We're at the stage where we wouldn't even care if her first word was 'fuck', it would just be amazing for her to say something. SO I think it's really important to shift our focus. It's not always possible, but making an effort to track the good is a start.....

July:

Alba learnt how to blow bubbles in her drink. She's not yet mastered tipping a cup to drink, so we use a water bottle with a straw and spout. Her old one broke so we bought a new one, and somehow Albs figure out the art of bubble blowing! I was frustrated at first that she wouldn't just drink, then realised how much of a big deal this is. Now every time she sips from her bottle, she likes to create some bubbles too! She often giggles, which is awesome knowing that she's aware of cause and effect.

Alba had her first pony ride! We are incredibly lucky that my best friend's sister has a pony and offered her time to let Alba have a go in the saddle. I am probably one of the most un-horsey people you'll ever meet. I've never been into them and never will. But I'm willing to give anything a go for Alba, especially things that will benefit her development. It's great physio for her core, and such a wonderful activity for her mental well-being too. Horses are used for Hipotherapy (I've just learnt that Hippos is the Greek word for horse) which uses the movement of horses to enhance physical and neurological functioning. Alba also loves animals, so I knew it was going to be a hit! Sometimes it's difficult to tell if she's enjoying something or not, but there weren't any negative signals so I'm pretty sure she was having a great time. I never thought she'd have the strength at this stage to sit on and ride a horse unaided (obviously my friend was leading the pony), so I was amazed that with a little help from a very clever seat, she managed about half an hour on her own. Despite my own feelings towards horses, we will be back! Luckily Alba's Aunt is a retired pony club member 😉

Alba's language has really come on in the past few weeks. By language, I don't mean the traditional sense of actual words and things making sense, I mean Alba's language. She's babbling a lot more than she had been, and there's a definite shout when she's sad/angry or frustrated. Our SALT (speech and language therapy) worker has said that Alba's conversational skills are there - she makes eye contact, will watch/listen to what you're saying and will sometimes take her own turn in response. Again, this is not the same as a traditional conversation but the foundations are there. She told us to copy whatever sounds Alba makes in order to have a 'conversation' with her, and it definitely works. Not always, but it's so lovely to have a bit of to-and-fro with her. We don't know yet if she'll ever be able to talk 'properly' but I'm really hoping that these are all promising signs 🤞🏻The fact she's trying to communicate her feelings is really great.

In July we had Alba's first Orthotics appointment to measure her feet for some more supportive shoes. She is hypermobile - her joints are super bendy which means her muscles have to work even harder to counteract the extra wobble. When standing, her feet roll in at the ankles, and we've noticed the more ankle support she has the more controlled her movement is when standing and walking. This referral came from the wonderful Physio team and was a speedy one. It was a relatively quick appointment and there was such a big range to choose from! When I first thought of supportive shoes, my mind flashed back to my childhood and seeing kids with really chunky black boots. But this catalogue was filled with all sorts of bright shoes, boots and trainers, and even sandals! Genuinely more choice than if I'd taken her to Clarks for 'regular' shoes! We do actually have the boots now, but I'm counting that as an August highlight!

Finally, July brought Alba's first festival - WOMAD. The last time the festival was on was in 2019, and I was about 10 weeks pregnant. It's actually where told Dan's family that we were going to have a baby. It felt very special taking her in (just for an afternoon -the rest of the weekend was for us to enjoy whilst GG and Bampa babysat!). I wasn't sure how she'd take it as she's never really been anywhere with that many people and so much going on. She had a small wobble but nothing the ear defenders and dummy couldn't fix, then was off on Dan's shoulders into the crowds. I think the sensory experience was just amazing for her - music, flags swishing in the wind, lights flashing around the stages, and so much more to keep her eyes busy. She had a go on some bongo drums, had a staring competition with some giant puppets, snuggled up with her cousins and danced right at the front of the crowd in one of the tents. Plus a festival dinner of Mac and cheese!

July has brought us some lovely memories to bank, and August is already looking great....