Bondage

Here is Stella with her braces -- the shoulder thing is supposed to round her shoulders forward, thus helping her grasp objects. The wrist braces are supposed to bring her thumbs outward, also helping her grasp objects. (Although what is happening is that her thumbs untuck from her palms but she then bends them at the knuckle back into the palm, thereby defeating the purpose of the brace, really). She doesn't seem to mind the braces, although I have to confess it breaks my heart somehow each time I put them on her.

She gets so frustrated sometimes, trying to grab things. She tries and tries, but not using her thumbs really limits her. And grabbing and exploring is how babies learn. Sometimes I pick the desired object up and put it in her mouth for her when she gets super frustrated.


Here is a picture of Stella in the Dreaded Tummy Time Position. Tummy Time, say the therapists, is key, key to all good things like rolling, crawling, exploring, and happiness (ok, I made that last one up). But the thing is, she hates Tummy Time. With a passion. I am supposed to "tough it out" and let her cry, and man! it is hard.

My Mom gave Francis a book called "Ruby in Her Own Time", about a duck who develops on a different (slower) schedule than her siblings.

She hatches late, is a picky eater, and refuses to swim, even while siblings Rufus, Rorie, Rosie, and Rebecca stick with the program. Their father despairs of Ruby ever catching up, but wise Mother Duck is quietly confident: "She will…in her own time." And sure enough, when it comes time to spread their wings, Ruby flies higher and farther than any of her brothers and sisters. But will she ever come back? You guessed it: "She will…in her own time."

I think about this book a lot. Stella has her own agenda, her own schedule. She's doin' it, in her own time.