The first step to walking and independence

Tália has just been given a walker and I am just so amazed but how she has taken to it. When I saw her taking these steps I felt very emotional - we are getting closer to the dream. She works so hard, day in and day out. It makes me so happy to see her getting closer to mobility and independence.

Up on her Own two Feet May 09

To view this one, you may need to turn your computer around. My cousin sent me this clip of Talia in her physio sesion in May - look at the progress!! We'll have her walking soon!

Difficult week for Tália

Well Thursday last week was brilliant - Mum came with me to take Táli riding and Táli thoroughly enjoyed riding Deci, a big horse. We then went to Ana's and were absolutely amazed when she held on to a wooden trolley and pulled herself to a standing position all on her own. It was exciting and we were on such a high. But this is an emotional roller coaster, filled with high highs and low lows. I guess she was over exhausted but she caught a cold. Now a cold in a normal child is no big deal but in a smallie, it is. She has gone alll floppy and is finding it hard to hold her weight. Her appetite is poor and her muscle tone has been pretty low. So just need to keep on feeding her and keeping her going. Fingers crossed that things get better and that we don´t have to take her to Costa del Sol tomorrow.

Physio can be a fun Way of Life

One of the things that I have learnt is that physio needs to be built into your way of life and be fun. When it feels like work, Tália cries and doesnt get anywhere but when integrated to play or everyday routines, it just seems to work. For instance, Tália has hypersenitivity in her hands and dislikes holding onto and gripping things. However, take her to the park put her on a see-saw with her sister and she grips onto the metal bar. Put her on a swing and she holds onto the bar as you push her.

We have just had a lovely Easter Week. The weather has been glorious and we have had lots of time outdoors. Its been a long time since we've had a real day off just to have a nice lunch and long walk.

Tomorrow its back to routine again!!

Tália goes Horse Riding

Wow!! What a day - I took Tara and Tália to the Mijas Riding School and huge race course this morning. Ana, our physio strongly recommended that Tália start riding to improve her posture and strengthen her trunk. After a few tears at the start, she seemed to just take to it like a duck to water. It felt great. The instructers were so professional and loving towards Tália. Afterwards she seemed so stimulated and chatty. Tara was fantastic and really helped to make her sister comfortable. We are now going to go there weekly - I know, yet another car journey for me but alas she looks so happy and it seems to suit her temperament! I already feel her posture is better - or maybe I'm imagining it!!!!

Play Time for Tália

Yesterday I really noticed that the more we treat Tália like a Toddler the better. It is easy to baby her - after all she weighs the same as a newborn and measures the same as a 6th month old baby. However she is 15 months old.

So the time has come - this week I am going to potty train her - using a doll's potty - she falls through a normal one. Also I have noticed that when left playing independently, she touches more things and makes more of an effort to move.

Last night we had her sitting in her donnut for a while playing. She really had to fight to keep herself up but she did it and she played. This kind of play is so good for her. Sometimes its hard though because she gets so exhausted just pulling herself forward to get a toy - something so easily achieved for a normal child. But we need to be tough and push her a little as she'll easily sit back and rest if not pushed.

Time to take action

In December, I started to get worried –waiting wasn’t getting me anywhere – My dr at Hospiten had told me he had more or less done what he could and had recommended specialists but unfortunately they weren’t as vocational as him. I don’t know whether it was just a private public thing but I felt like a number and not like a person.

After this realization, I decided that by hook or by crook – I would get to Materno Infantil – the best baby hospital in Andalucia and according to the Spanish in Europe. It is a state hospital based in Malaga,

We are now being seen by specialist there, but how did I get in? Well first we tried emergencies but they just did a urine sample and told us to see our own paediatrician in Manilva. Then I called to make an appointment and was told I had to be referred by a state paediatrician. Then I went to the state paediatrician in my municipality (who saw me immediately after I had a huge outburst in reception when they told me to wait a few more days – I had had enough, now I was going to fight for the attention we deserved). Then the paediatrician studied Talia’s case and agreed that she needed to get to the Materno. I was over the moon and expecting an appointment when they called me (the local centro de salud was very efficient) to say that they thought the bureaucracy and paper work may take months to process and suggested that I try to get in either by creating a fuss at emergency and presenting the paperwork or through some other loophole. I was upset – the Dr agreed that she needed urgent attention but had no clout to put me on the top of the list.

Finally after speaking to some mums I found out about the heads of the units at the hospital and made an appointment to see one of the heads specialising in babies and digestion in his private practice. On December 13^th I finally made it to Materno Infantil. The Dr had looked at Talia and instantly agreed that she needed to be treated at the hospital but as an outpatient as she was too small and could not afford to catch anything.

Weighing day tomorrow

Well before continuing the story - just thought I´d say - tomorrow is weighing day. Last time I weighed Talia, she weighed 4.45 kilos in her pink trousers and a thin top. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Today has been a good day - Talia has picked up her drinking cup and fed herself some water, after missing a few times and squirting water in her eye - she is also trying to pull herself up from a lying down position and using her right hand a lot more. Until late December- she barely moved her right hand, we did not know if she could move it. Today she was starting to reach for toys with it. Each development like this brings new hope.

Tomorrow I have Aprona in the morning - I go twice a week for physio. They are fantastic there. I´ll carry on with the Talia story tomorrow.

Talia head control

At two and a half- three months of age, I started to worry as Talia´s head was really floppy. Cognitively she seemed all there but her muscles and body just seemed so week. She seemed like a rag doll. Car trips were really scary as her head would bob up and down. My husband and I would drive - one of us constantly trying to hold her head up and also watching out to make sure she didn't vomit. Cognitively she seemed ot be developing although 3 months is still early to tell. Thankfully I spotted Talia falling behind immediately as I have 2 other kids and clearly remembered them at that age. My paediatrician was great and monitored us on a weekly basis but she stayed around 3 kilos for ages - now at 7 months she is only 4.45 - so you can see how slow everything is. At about 3 months we had a scan of her head done through the fontanelle and thankfully it was clear. We decided to give her till four months as really she could have just been a slow developer and given problems in the womb - perhaps she would catch up. By four months her head control was starting to improve and cognitively she was all there - she could follow us around the room and chuckle. She was the most loving and warm baby. My two other girls were fantastic with her, constantly stimulating and cuddling her.