Almost Walking

I’ve scanned through several baby books and they all say the same thing about developments. You should never compare your child to others because they all develop differently. I agree, but I need Olivia to start walking on her own, like yesterday.

We always knew Olivia would be a little behind. It’s important for us to remember she did not have free use of her arms till 5 months old. Crawling began a week after she turned one so obviously walking would take sometime.

We’ve been given some assistance from Baltimore county school district. After having Olivia evaluated she did qualify for home assistance. Since January a therapist comes to our house every two weeks. Giving us guidance on how to help her gain strength. I sometimes wonder what their job really is. They come over and tell me, “Oh, she’s getting there”.

I should say, “of course she’s getting there, what else is she going to do”. I love my child so much but spending my day bending over and holding her hand to walk is not easy.

She just hasn’t gained the confidence to take off on her own. Not bending her knees doesn’t help either. Then there is the game of throwing herself backwards without any fear. Falling on her butt would be progress. Falling back and hitting her head would just be dangerous.

There is also the problem with her feet rolling inward. Finally, our therapist is going to order foot insoles to help. This could mean better support when standing. Hopefully, we are able to see the results. I did ask two different pediatricians about her feet and both said, “don’t worry she’ll grow out of it”.

“Really, because my daughter is 18 months now and I don’t see that happening anytime soon, smart people”.

I’m normally pretty patient when it comes to Olivia. Anytime you spend all day with a child, being patient is a must. The stressful part for me is, I’m now 30 weeks pregnant. If our new baby girl arrives in 7 or 8 weeks I need O to get moving. Two children in diapers I can deal with...two children not walking is a deal breaker. They’re not twins.

Like I say everyday, “it’s a good thing she’s adorable”. Love her. I really wish, I could hold her in my arms forever.