Well I can�t believe it has been a whole year since I have updated this page. Lots of things have happened. I am just amazed how quickly the time goes.
Maddie is now 33/4, she is about 15kgs and about 40inches tall. Really tall and skinny! I think she has grown about 4inches since last year and only put on 2kgs. Having said all that though, she is finally eating a lot better than ever before and is quite willing to try new things. We are all very excited about that. But, just cos she tries new things doesn�t mean she is going to like them!!! We have had her to all the doctors and they just keep saying let her eat what she will, so for now, that is what we do.
Maddie is now in SEDU, 2 days a week. This is the special education developmental unit. This place has been fantastic for Maddison. In November, we learned that Maddie has very mild cerebral palsy. We had been very suspicious of it for a long time and when it was finally confirmed, I guess it was a relief. While this will never be cured, it can be helped. Maddie mainly has trouble with stairs, climbing, balancing and anything to do with depth perception. We also learned from her Opthmalogist that she will probably never have depth perception so that is another reason we need special ed, they will help her with ways around that also. She is still wearing her glasses and her prescription was reduced again so there has been improvement there this year. She is a big girl now and has moved on to more difficult testing there so hopefully they are getting a more accurate picture of what she can actually see. We haven�t had to have the drops put in for quite some time. I guess the allergic reaction she had has put them off.
Maddie�s speech has really taken off. Everyone can understand her now. Even Kristen when she calls on the phone all the way from Canada! Lots of people used to say they had trouble understanding her on the phone, but she is much clearer now. She counts to 20, knows nearly all her colours and shapes and can sing the alphabet. I can�t even begin to think how many nursery rhymes she knows now, probably more than me, they learn so much at school! Her fine motor skills are improving too, but she still needs lots more work. She can cut and paste and is slowly learning to colour between the lines. She does enjoy doing it!! The occupational therapists at school are awesome and they have so many techniques that we would never have known about before. The physio is fantastic too. She even came up with an idea to tape Maddison�s legs to stop her �W� sitting. It worked for a while but this is one hard habit to break. It is obviously so much more comfortable for her to sit that way tho I have no idea how, it looks excruciating. She also got some new orthotics for her shoes. She has VERY flat feet. We certainly notice a difference when she wears her shoes, the problem is getting her to wear them. She is a typical Aussie kid and hates them!! With lots of work she is finally pedalling her tricycle all over the place these days. She can finally kick a football pretty well, even if she is left footed! Her catching skills are coming along but she still needs work on her throwing and aiming. Maddie is also very good at getting out of things she doesn�t particularly like to do. She changes the subject! But her teachers and I are onto this ploy now and we are quick to redirect her back to what she is supposed to be doing. There is nothing wrong with her problem solving skills!!
Maddie still has some sensory issues. She hates having anything on her face while she is eating. She still doesn�t like certain loud noises. But these things are becoming less and less. I discussed a lot of these things with her teacher and they have been noted as things to work on.
We had a trip to the snow this past winter. Ben made the Qld schoolboys Rugby League team this year and the national championships were in Canberra. We arranged with Kristen to fly up from Melbourne to see us for the week before she went off to Canada in October. It was really great to see her and Maddie had a fantastic time tobogganing with her!! It was a great experience and one that she probably won�t be able to do for a while again. Canberra was a 17 drive from our place and that is an awfully long time in the car with Maddie�she HATES the car!! Ben did really well tho and made the Australian Schoolboys rugby league team, not bad for a 30 week premmie!! He went off to England and France in Nov/Dec and had the time of his life. He had just moved down to the Gold Coast to start his career and so far is loving every minute of it.
Well I think we are about caught up now, I hope it�s not so long till I update next time. Maddie is still a gorgeous little girl with a sunny personality and a smile to match.
We all love her to bits.
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