Have you met Persistence? She's my BFF!

Recently when out IDP consultant Katie came over for a visit we needed to get information ready for Ola's progress report.

I have to admit I was dreading it.

I told her that I was really not looking forward to it, as I have read some not so nice tales from parents in the states. They said that the progress reports focused only on the things that their children hadn't accomplished yet, their pitfalls, not their triumphs. I was scared of all of the things that she can't do, I didn't want to admit them. I didn't want it down on paper that my 10 month old still can't sit by herself. I didn't want that to be on paper forever.

It was nice to have Katie (and Ashlee) assure me that there would be no negative comments, no failures only triumphs! YAY! I think Ola has accomplished a lot in her short 10 months.

I have to admit I had a hard time coming up with things that Ola was good at when asked directly. I felt so bad, why couldn't I think of them? Why was it so hard? I have no idea, and after Katie left of course I instantly thought of 10 things that she could have written down. We did come up with a list of her strengths though:

• Has great eye contact
• Socially alert
• Physically strong
• Closed mouth at rest
• Babbles and blows Raspberries constantly

I then had to come up with a few things that I wanted to work on. This was easy, I knew right away:

• Work on getting her to sit unassisted by her 1st birthday
• Work on hand to mouth and self feeding

After our visit with Ashlee our IDP practicum student this week I decided that I would try a baby Mum Mum cracker... The following happened...

She put it in her mouth and ate it! The whole thing, by herself, over and over!

I knew that this journey was going to try me. I knew that it was going to be a challenge, and it was hard to imagine Ola eating something by herself. But the challenge was so worth it just to see that cracker make it to her mouth.

I also realize now that her not sitting bey herself right now won't matter in the slightest when she's walking in a year or two! 

PERSISTENCE BABY! She's my new BFF! I am putting her on speed dial and I am going to call on her anytime I need a little push to keep trying.

Just keep trying.

It'll happen...

I promise!