A Dolphin In The Water

So I thought it was just a fluke or a stroke of luck that the past 3 days Baby has buckled her own seatbelt.

It's for real!

She can now buckle herself in the car!

My life just got that much easier!

She loves to sit alone in the very back of the van so it makes it a little bit of a stretch and bend for me to get her buckled in and now she does it herself!

I'm so excited about this latest development. I knew right off when I saw her do it this morning that she really can do it on her own and it is so cute to watch her trying to make sure she gets it in the right slot and everything.

I'm so proud of her! That takes some dexterity, strength and hand-eye coordination and she's got it!

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first time you have read a blog post about a mother who is so excited about their almost 6-year-old being able to buckle her own seatbelt.

But, I would be surprised if you have been reading our blog for a while and don't realize that all three of our children have Fragile X Syndrome.

In our house, seemingly small tasks have become huge and celebrated accomplishments. It really does teach a parent to be proud of every milestone they hit or any success, no matter how small to some.

Baby did not stop today at impressing me with her buckling skills... oh no she didn't...

She said a full sentence to my mom and I about pretending and making something funny!

I was holding a small (about 3x5 inches) book and she took interest in it. This is very typical of her to take things from me that are small, rectangular and made of paper so I didn't really mind when she took it from me so I continued my conversation with my mom.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Baby waving the book up and down like a boat on the water so I turn to her and she looks at my mom and me and says, clear as day, perfect diction, "Look! It's a dolphin in the water."

I was stunned almost because I have never heard her use a sentence quite like that and I have certainly never had her try so hard to include me in her imaginary play!

My mom and I were so excited and proud of her that Baby couldn't do anything, but smile as big as she could in response to our praise.

Baby had gotten such a reaction from us that she tried it again with a twist, "Look, it's a snake in the water!" as she waved it up and down, smiling from ear to ear.

Today I saw a whole new Baby! It's like she grew up over night. I'm just so excited to see her starting to blossom and grow! This is so exciting!

I am just beaming with pride, excitement and joy that I just had to share these accomplishments with you.

Day 236 of 365 Days of Up