That's the Spirit!

Victoria is darn tired of sitting She has decided to take matters into her own hands. First, she figured out how to push herself around in the wheelchair. 

Next, she managed to lift herself up into a sitting position. The doctor didn't think she would be able to do this for quite a while. She has only been out of the spica cast for two weeks.

Meanwhile, my son got himself a job. He is selling knives. Who wouldn't buy knives from this responsible citizen?

While Elliot was busy cutting things, Victoria has been a verbalizing wonder!!! I thought she never would talk, but I was determined. Every single day, several times a day, we do this puzzle. I say the animals sounds and she looks at me like, "yea, whatever mom" and grabs the puzzle piece. Well, my annoying voice must have sunk in, because now she can say  "neigh", "moo", "he-haw", "maaaa" and "ba" (but only if she holds her nose). She even clucks like a chicken. Isn't she brilliant! She is ready to move to a farm.

Here is my speech box. We do this everyday too. Francesca loves going over and over the photos and she can name almost everyone in the family. Victoria started saying "weee-oooo" like a fire truck! She has a really quiet voice, like she is very unsure about the sounds coming out of her mouth. If we get too excited, she covers her ears.

She doesn't like me to feed her at all and she still can't fit in her booster seat, so I just plunked her in a chair. She was a happy camper! 

If she drops something off her spoon, she will take her other hand and put the food back on the spoon.

But here is the really amazing stuff. Victoria is putting her feet down and trying to walk! I know it probably hurts, but she is one determined kid!

See how she is shuffling her feet forward?  She only has to wear her brace for naps and bedtime and she is taking advantage of her freedom! 

I remember when I thought she would never learn to cuddle. She loves when Grandma rubs her back.

We have a few important doctor's appointments coming up. Francesca is going to have a sleep study to determine if she has sleep apnea, which is common in kids with Aperts. Victoria is going to have an EEG done to see if she could be having seizures. Not big seizures, but  she does a strange thing with her eyes sometimes. She moves her head to the side and her eyes move rapidly.  Please say a prayer for her!