Slowly but surely

The biggest obstacle we are dealing with right now in Ava's developmental progress is her ongoing sensory issues. While she truly is doing so well, she still does not like the feel of her hands touching the floor and her body weight bearing down on her arms. Until she is totally comfortable with it, she'll continue to crawl on her elbows, not the "prettiest" crawl, but it gets her where she needs to go. Still, I am amazed that she sees what she wants, and understands how to get to it. Considering a few months ago, she didn't notice the toys that were in front of her. Well, I decided to post some of the 'not so pretty' pictures of therapy so you can get an idea of what a chore it is for kids with sensory issues to achieve normal developmental milestones. Observe her hands and the wince on her face as the therapist attempts to get her to bear weight on her hands. Again, she has come so far, but still have a long ways to go. She is bearing some weight on her feet, another major feat for having such low muscle tone. Yay, Ava!

Another milestone...Ava has started putting toys in her mouth and chewing on them. I gave her a cracker to see what she would do, and.....she put it in her mouth and bit it. I am so pleased. She is still getting most of her nutrition via bottle, but she can hold it herself now (big progress) and she is able to eat applesauce, and baby food with a spoon on a fairly regular basis.