I wanted to share a little bit of fun time in Alyssa's life. As I have said she has Cerebral Palsy, to what extinct we still do not know, but she is still not able to sit up by herself. She can sit unassited for a minute or so not actually sit up from a laying down position. So when I lay her down in her bed at night and I know she is sleepy, she can't get up unless I let her up. So I don't have the problem of her gettin up and me having to lay her back down numerous amounts of time before she goes to sleep. I know how it works. I had a little boy who would fight his sleep and could get up. He was crawling out of his bed at 8 months. However, Alyssa has her own way of fighting sleep. She plays with everything her short, but long, arms can reach. Rather it be my hair, her hair, her cover, her socks, her diaper, my glasses, her little pillows, and anything else she can think to grab. Usually the first thing is my hair. She lays there and I am trying to sing her to sleep, but she is grabbing my hair and pulling it. Playfully, but pulling it. I put it up in a clippy and continue to just sing. Her favorite song is 'You are my Sunshine'. Well then it will be my glasses so I have to take them off and lay them on the night stand. So now that all my stuff is without reach she starts on her stuff. The covers go first because she is raising them up looking under them. So I take them off her and let her lay without them. Little do I know this is just what she wants because now she can get to her socks. She pulls on them first to get them half way off her feet and then sticks them in her mouth to suck. She will have both of them soaking wet if I don't take them off so I do. This gives her free range of all five little piggies, which she puts in her mouth as well. She will giggle and play with her feet for a while and then she bored with that and fusses for a while wanting me to get her up. I shake my head no and say it is nite nite time. Then she shakes her head no back and grins. Now it is time she tries to take off her shorts and diaper. I have to fasten the velcro back a few times on her luvs and tell her no before she will leave it alone. So she then proceeds to play with her shirt. Up and down, up and down, she is wanting to play peek a boo. I just sit there and shake my head trying not to crack up laughing futhering her enthusiam. Then it is patty cake time. She will straightened her arms as high as she can and clap. This goes on for thirty minutes or so until she realizes nothing is going to get her back out of bed. That is when she fusses for about five minutes before falling asleep. I love these nighttimes with her. Maybe not the way others do it, but she and I have our thing. It is such a blessing to be able to watch her grow and develop differently than other babies. I wouldn't change her for anything. She is a precious, special, and caring baby. She is so different in the way she figures things out and manipulates things in her own way. She amazes me everyday. Now she is starting to give kisses and hugs and says Hi everytime she sees someone on the phone. It is so cute. She can finally sit up for longer periods at a time, and is starting to put more weight on her legs some. I think she finally realizes she has legs and they actually do something. I also think the swimming the pool is helping. She loves it and will kick her legs just as if she is crawling on the floor. I can barely hang onto her in the water. She isn't afraid of it at all, even when she gets splashed by her big brother doing cannon balls.
Thank you Lord for my family and my blessings in this life. You are trully an amazing, wonderful God!
