Another “it’s about time!”

I mentioned before in recent photos that Skyler’s new favorite thing is to push-up and look around on hands and knees. While she’s still not crawling yet, she made another “big step” for progress today. She finally put some weight on her legs and let us “walk” her around while holding her up! Her knees were so wobbly and she has zero concept of balance, but she has never before put both feet down and pushed on them or took pretend steps. But tonight she really seemed to enjoy it! Ronnie and I “walked” (should I say wobbled?) her back and forth between us, and as soon as she’d get to me, she’d grab me and try to climb up my body.

And, I’ve been setting her up on her knees so that she’s kneeling next to me and then placing toys on the other side of my legs, forcing her to lunge forward from her knees and crawl her way over me. It’s basically an army crawl at this point, but she can make her way over, even if it’s not the most graceful thing! I think she’s finally getting the hint in her mind that her body parts are for more than flailing about while laying on her back. She’s a very strong girl, but she is only just now figuring out what to do with her strength.

It’s relieving for me, as I’ve really thought she might just roll around the rest of her life, because there has been ZERO interest in using her feet for anything other than chew toys. Her doctor wasn’t too concerned at her last appointment, saying it’s just another way that she’s behind as a result of her surgery, but did mention possible physical therapy in a few months if she still showed no interest in mobility, but hopefully she’s on the right track now!

On a side note, I did get the highchair together. After a little break and some mental cooling off (it was still 82 degrees by 8 o’clock last night), I attempted the installation of the backrest that was causing me so much frustration, and it clicked right in! It was smooth sailing from there, and the highchair got used at dinner for the first time tonight. Skyler seemed pleased with the chair, even if she isn’t so thrilled about learning to feed herself! But that’s a whole other challenge these days. Our girl loves to eat most anything, but refuses to put it in her mouth herself. She only wants me to do it! Hopefully with the highchair she will have more “play” opportunities to experiment with edible items that I place on the tray in front of her. But I have a feeling this one is going to require a lot of patience for both of us…

Idiots only

It was a scorching 97 degrees today, and the sweaty-headed Miss Skyler and I walked in the door after work today, only to find the inside of the house at a stuffy 83 degrees. I guess it’s that time of year again when our air conditioner decides to go on it’s own vacation! I don’t know if it just runs out of steam on days like this, but it just doesn’t get the job done! I stripped Skyler down to her diaper and I threw on a tank top and shorts, the dry-fit athletic kind, and we did our best not to be miserable.

Ronnie finally got her high chair down from the attic, so I set some toys in front of her and attempted to assemble the dang thing. Apparently Skyler does not take the heat so well because she just whined and whimpered, so I got some cold yogurt out, fed her, and then put her in her bed, which lucky for her is the coolest room in the house. I think she realized it, because she quieted down and went to sleep.

Nice, now I would have uninterrupted focus on this highchair. I was amazed at how many pieces it actually came in, and all the screws in the little package. I was slightly concerned, but when I got the seatbase, legs, foot rest and wheels all attached in about ten minutes, my confidence soared.

And then came the reclining backrest. It appears to be a handy little contraption, and the way it attaches is ingenious. And by ingenious I mean IMPOSSIBLE! The directions are very clear and I can tell what they want me to do, but there is no possible way to make this happen in the intended manner, unless maybe I had an extra three hands! After a good eight attempts (sweat is pouring down my chest and pools are gathering beneath my eyes), I decide that surely this must have been a problem for everyone else who owns this highchair, so I look online for reviews and assembly tips. Bad idea! Now I feel like the ONLY toad in the world who had a problem with this highchair. Here are some sample reviews:

“I was shocked when I first open the box and saw all the pieces but it was easy to assemble and so well worth it!!”

“Also i dont understand how people had a problem putting it together. I did it myself in 20 min and it was super simple.”

“Easy to assemble. I put the whole thing to together in about 45 minutes.”

“is easy to put together if if your not an idiot and you can read instructions.”

Alright, I QUIT!!!!!!