Updates et al

Oh how winter sucketh.

So last week, I took a friend and her daughter out on an errand, and while I was playing with Kiki in the waiting room, I noted some dried discharge on the outside of her ear. Not earwax; it had obviously been thinner before it had dried. So I immediately called the doctor and took her in the next day. Her ears are STILL too small for the doc to get a good look inside, but she got a good enough look to note that yes, Virginia, there was drainage. Welcome to another round of amoxycillin, her second in 3 months. Is that bad? I honestly don't know.

Then a weekend of breatkthroughs! In one day, she started smacking her lips -- if she just vocalized behind it, she'd be making "mamama" or "bababa" sounds. And she's mimicking what Kipp does: if he dances, she dances. If he smacks, she smacks. It's awesome!! For me? She smiles. Or giggles. I can't really complain about that in all good conscience, but darn it.

And then Monday, we all took sick. Tuesday, I was completely winded, and ended up at Urgent Care. I'm much better now, but it's taken a couple of days of Kipp pretty much taking a couple days off work just to take care of me, the baby, and all else. Which makes him appreciate me all the more, of ocurse.

Today, she had her first eye appointment. She has nystagmus, which we knew. It seems to me to much less pronounced and less fast than it was when we first noticed it, and the doc thinks it's possible it might self-correct. The cross-eyed part though will probably require surgery -- 20 minute outpatient surgery -- when she's older. For the moment, no need for glasses, but eventually -- well, Kipp and I are both near-sighted, and evidently people with Downs have a propensity for near-sightedness anyhow, so... foregone conclusion.

Tomorrow, she has an occupational therapy evaluation. The running joke is, "Do you really think she's old enough to work?" Heh. And no. Fine motor skills, people, fine motor skills.

I'm starting to work with her on the skill of putting her toys in a basket, as well as introducing her to books. Well, the book thing is planned today. I have strategically planted a fuzzy book in her play space, and we shall see how she reacts to it.

And that's the news for today!