Bigger and better adventures

A month ago I posted about being advised to start Talia on extra physiotherapy. Since then she has made absolutely fantastic progress, so I was feeling much more positive about it than I did on December 6. Still, I took my mother along for additional support - and it made sense that two of us learn about any extra exercises Talia should be doing.

Well, the physiotherapist could hardly believe it was the same baby who wouldn’t do anything other than lie on her back and cry the last few group sessions. She sat up confidently, reached for toys and demonstrated her “stuff tummy time” rolling action. We learned a few useful ways to play with her which will help build her core strength even if she is not on her tummy, and then we were told that we don’t need to continue with one-on-one sessions unless I feel she is having any problems. Hoorah for my little superstar!

As a bonus, we dropped off a bag of clothing to the hospital op shop and then bought a few more items from the same place. I love charity shopping, everyone benefits, and the clothes I bought are gorgeous, I can hardly wait until she grows into them.

Growth seems very likely. I missed my weekly weigh-in with the child health nurse this morning, but I’m certain Talia is getting heavier. She might even be having a growth spurt. Since I posted a week ago to say that she wasn’t eating consistently or very much, she has decided that solids are GOOD. I have gone from one serve of mush per day to 6 serves, and she is guzzling formula like there is no tomorrow. Current favourite: pumpkin and avocado. I’m also serving pumpkin with carrot and pea, banana with milk, banana and pear, apple and farex.

Slowly we are making use of what the real world has to offer, in a way that I would not have contemplated in the first few months after Talia came home from hospital.

Last Thursday we went shopping, catching the train half a dozen stops to a big retail complex. Talia was very well behaved, in what was probably the longest time she has spent in a pram. She was tired and cranky by the end of it, but I was really pleased to have finally gone clothes shopping, with the baby, for the first time since she came home. I didn’t buy anything for Talia - she is the lucky recipient of many excellent hand-me-downs from one of my best friends, who has a little girl a few months older. So I bought my friend a voucher for Pumpkin Patch - so that she can choose some nice new outfit which I anticipate will later become another fabulous hand-me-down.

Now I’m looking forward to doing it again!