M fell today. She was walking up the concrete stairs outside her sitter's house and appeared to loose her balance. I was holding Isla and just wasn't quick enough to save her. She tried to get it together and I think it really did lessen the blow, but she did hit her face, mostly her forehead and nose. Nothing too serious -a knot and some scrapes- but I do worry about this kind of thing with her. It's becoming more apparent why as I see Isla learning to cruise. When Isla falls she tucks her body in towards her core and usually avoids hitting her head. M's ACC makes her more likely to have coordination trouble in general; couple that tendency with low muscle tone and what you have is one worried mama. M's body just does not work that way or at least not that quickly. When she falls the thing she is MOST likely to hit is her head. Gravity, disorientation, a weak core and neck and a large head ... not a happy combination. This is why physical therapy continues to be really important for her.
PT in the summer has been really nice. We typically meet her therapist at a park at 7:30am. It's still relatively cool out and we have the park all to ourselves, which can be helpful during PT. For example, physical therapists often encourage kids to climb UP the slide to work on strength and coordination. Also, M can be easily distracted by other kids, so we are able to accomplish more in the hour long session. Right now we're working mostly on endurance and navigating stairs and thresholds.
The picture above was taken this past weekend and does not show today's injuries. Lately, whenever she is startled or feeling unsure she bites her shirt.
