1st day of school and a bit of this and that.....

I really couldn't put off writing my first post of the year any longer so this one might be kind of long, so bear with me or just scroll down and see the pictures. Yesterday the 1st February was Saira's first day of school and so a great (I hope) way to start my blogging for the year!! I can't believe I didn't manage a single post in January, just wondering what kept me so busy. Anyway will come to that later, first a little about our day.

This is a montessori/playschool that I have enrolled her in and from my 1st impression they seem to be quite laid back and easy, parents or caretakers can stay with the child in the classroom if they so wish or atleast until the child settles in. I think Saira enjoyed herself, she was very interested in everything and everyone around her and couldn't sit still, something she will have to learn to do especially when it comes to taking part or should I say trying to take part in any of the activities they give her. I am a bit worried about that, she seemed more interested in what the child next to her was doing and more intereted in grabbing their activity in front of them than doing her own. O.k. I know this was the first day and she will take a while to adjust into a classroom environment where everything doesn't go as she wants, I just hope she understands that eventually. She didn't pull anyones hair, or scratch anyone which I am thankful for right now. It's hard when your child doesn't walk, but don't for a minute think that that got her down, she held onto my hand and insisted on putting one foot in front of the other, as wobbly as she is but she insisted on walking like the others, when I tried carrying her she kept wriggling down, so she certainly knows what she wants and that is to be no less than the anyone else. She was actually excited being there and she wanted to do everything the others were doing. Just watching her made me feel so proud.

But......yes there is a but, I don't know why I am worried but I am, I can't help it. I keep thinking of how she's going to manage if I am not htere, she is so innocent and so unaware of her surroundings at times I am scared of leaving her alone. I wonder sometimes if we have overprotected her too much, but how don't you protect your child of 2 1/2 who is more like a child of 1 1/2 and who has special needs, I know on one hand I want everyone to treat my child as an equal to other children but on the other I want them to take special care of her, it's a bit contradictory I know but I really do want them to take special care of her . The thought of her being alone there really scares me so I know I'm going to be hanging around for as long as they allow me.

At home before leaving for school

Her 1st day at school, here she's with her new classmates, the boy on her right is the same age as Saira so you can see just how tiny she is

This was today during snack time, she ate so beautifully all by herself!

The whole class during snack time

On to other news on Saira, well she's keeping us on our toes constantly, her walking has progressed to about 4 steps but she still needs to work on her balance which is still very shaky and until then walking is not going to be easy. When I think of it it's strange how she seems to be doing things in all the wrong order, like taking steps before she actually stands! I still am wondering why she is unable to balance herself properly, I believe hearing problems, fluid in the ears and even nystagmus may be contributing factors to balance. She is due her hearing test (ABR) but thanks to a very bad cold right now it's put on hold she also has a blood test in February. Last week she got her Flu shot as well her Typhoid vaccination and as we sat in that waiting room watching smiling babies going in and screaming ones coming out I waited for our turn, this little girl of mine winced, looked rather shocked as they stuck the needle in she but held it together, no tears, I praised her non stop but at the back of my mind I actually wondered about her pain threshold.......

She absolutely loves playing, whether with her toys or looking at her picture books. I think her dolls take precidence over most other toys. We have tea parties for them and she takes such joy feeding each one of them as well as all of us.

She is loves her Signing Times dvd's, she signs "signing times" (well in her own way ofcourse) when she wants us to put the dvds on and it's just so much fun watching her face change as they come on, she especially loves all the songs and signs along as you will see from the videos. I'll post a few more soon.

She has started feeding herself much better now, everything finds its way to her mouth and her chewing has really improved, I remember just over 6 months ago she couldn't even chew a biscuit.

Saira has become a little clingy with me and come evenings she needs to have me constantly around her. She has developed this new cry, its totally silent, her face becomes all red and tears roll down her face and looking at it would break your heart. She doesn't make a sound except for the sound of her gasping for air. I wish I had this to show on video because its worth seeing, but since it makes us so sad to see her like this we do everything to avoid it, even when she goes for therapy and she cries (which she does sometimes) it's this new silent cry, I don't know if she is doing it to get her way around us because she has realised that everytime she cries like this there is so much attention given to her. Kids are way cleverer than we give them credit for at times.

So all in all we are doing well, getting on with life and hopefully you'll see a little more of us here talking about the everyday things that life brings with it.....