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Sunday, April 23, 2006

The Rest Of The Julia Stuff

I was going to put this all in the previous Julia post regarding the allergies etc. but, the entry was long enough so, I am putting the rest of it here!

I had mentioned Occupational Therapy in a previous post. After talking to my aunt, my mother, my sisters, and the PT that she already sees at Health South, we all think she could benefit from a little OT being added to the mix. The eating thing, which could be partially explained by the whole tongue/allergies thing, culminated with her hate of anything touching her bare feet or hands (especially rough textures like dirt or grass) lead us all to believe that she could have some sensory issues that could be better handled with an OT that can share ideas and work with her on a regular basis. She also still has a bit of a motor planning issue (which the OT who did her Early Intervention eval way back when noticed). Motor planning consists of the ability of children to imagine a mental strategy to carry out a movement or an action; for instance, how to get on top of a table, how to move from point A to point B and overcome some obstacle, or how to execute a dance step. In Julia's case she will see a toy that is across the room, in plain view. She is more than capable of walking or crawling to the toy but instead will sit there and grunt or cry in frustration...as if she forgets that she can just walk to it. While it is not a huge issue (as in it doesn't happen all of the time) it is still a concern.

She has an OT Evaluation at Health South on May 5.

What else did I mention? Oh yeah, her birthmark. Julia has what is commonly referred to as a stork bite, right in the middle of her forehead, going down to the space between her eyes. It is mainly noticeable when she is upset and is usually a faint shade of pink when she isn't. She has this red dot that is showing up on it now (almost like a blood blister under the skin, but not quite as dark) and overall, the "bite" seems more prominent. I am not really concerned about it but I figure I might point it out at her next pediatrician visit in July. The doctor said it would fade in time as her skin thickened and she got older but, since it is going in the opposite direction, I guess I will just mention it.

Next up, and I know there is no way I am going to be able to adequately describe this but I am going to try: "The Vacant Look." Many people have noticed it and some have mentioned it(family members only who know I would never be offended and welcome their input). Julia has this look, this look that seems more evident in photos than in person. I call it the "vacant look" because it's like she's there, but she's not. Everyone has this look on occasion but she seems to have it more frequently than most. Like I said I can't really describe it so maybe a picture will help. I'll try and find one and post it next.

So yeah, as you can see, I am still a little worried, but not overly so. She is progressing so nicely and it really is nice to see the hard work of all involved (her mostly of course!) pay off. Call it mother's intuition...call it whatever you want...but, despite all the good news we have had of late regarding Julia, I still have "that feeling". You know what else? No one knows her better than me. No one. So, I am going to go with "that feeling" and address the concerns I have. Could be nothing, and most likely is but can't hurt to find out for sure.

Picture coming...

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