Wowza

Both kids in Halloween pajamas.

Funny stuff first: While The Boy was sick a couple of weeks ago, he had less restraint in the potty-training department. As soon as I pulled off his diaper, and before I could sit him down, he peed straight onto my crotch. True story.

This kid is impressive. He is potty-training very well. In fact, just a few weeks ago, he signed 'potty'. At first I thought it was just a desperate attempt to get out of his highchair. But when I put him on the potty, he went! He knew he needed to go. He knew how to say it. Amazing. In fact, potty training is going so well that when he sat on his new Baby Bjorn potty the first day, he held his pee until I put him on the big potty. Twice.

Yesterday, he asked for 'water' using sign language. This is monumental both for communication development and nutrition. He generally despises drinking, but the past few days have seen a real upturn in that department. In fact, I let him hold his plastic Ikea cup with two hands and he drank all by himself! When I tried to get The Boy to show off for his Pops, of course he dumped the water all over himself and eventually threw the cup on the ground, but I know the skills are there.

His PT talks about how he progresses every time she sees him. It maybe only a tiny bit, but he has the motivation to learn things on his own. He is on the very cusp of crawling. He can army crawl a bit, but he also pulls himself into quadrapd and is starting to grasp the idea of mobility (and the ensuing freedom).

His OT talks about how his small motor skills have developed ahead of his large motor. Apparently that's a very positive sign of intelligence. He has a very long attention span, often playing with only one or two toys for the entire hour-long visit. He's got pretty good pincer skills, and we never even practiced that. He points with a single finger. He loves books. And it has to be the book that is being read. It's no good giving him one book to play with while you read a different one. No good.

His Speech Therapist talks about how he is always looking at things, working them out in his mind. He's constantly engaged in serious observation, or would like to be. That's probably why his calmer shopping that sitting on the floor surrounded by his toys. Those are old news. The world is a big place and he needs to see more of it!

And it seems like I'm always talking about all of those things: how amazed I am by him, how proud I am of him, how smart he is, and how everybody is predicting he'll be high functioning. Of course, that prognosis could change, but with so much struggle behind us, and so much struggle ahead of us, I happy for the good news and progress right now, even while I stand knee-deep in plenty of struggle, too.

Running Down a Dream

I have post on Dare to Dream this month.
This entry is about Mermaid's medical mayhem and how running a marathon made it easier.

Happily After

Last year Mermaid experienced hypsarrhythmia A.K.A. infantile spasms or seizures. In this season of gratitude, and as her second birthday approaches, I'm reflecting on that time in our lives. I am so grateful to be outside of that experience, looking back and knowing the conclusion. The uncertainty was crushing. Now doubt is merely the antagonist inevitably defeated by our happy ending.

We have so many "Befores," "Durings," and "Afters" in our days. "Durings" always seem so long, even when they're not. And "Befores" can be discouraging because we can never really go back to them. Even though we can never be sure what the "Afters" will bring, today I'm especially thankful for "After."


BEFORE: Happy Mermaid! So adorable. We didn't even know she had DS, let alone the shadow of seizures in her future.

DURING: The electrical brain chaos caused developmental pause and the steroid-like meds caused weight gain slowing her down even further; no smiles, no laughs, no interest and lots of sleeping.

AFTER: Mermaid began to wake up last December and here she is preparing for take-off in a helicopter aboard the U.S.S. New York. She is all toddler learning to walk, talk, sign and make-believe. She's curious and into everything. She pulls all books off the shelves and has started getting into the refrigerator. I don't even mind cleaning up. I am so thrilled that she is curious and happy.

Yeah, it really has been a year.

11 specialists

6 weeks on oxygen

6 months in a helmet

4 days in the hospital

3 months on thickened fluids

1 surgery

1/2 million prods, pokes, doctor visits, and moments of worry

All of that put together can't dampen to the elation I feel when I hold him close with his soft, helmet-free and well-rounded head touching my skin. Or when he signs something so definitively I know for once exactly what he's thinking. Or when his whole face explodes into a smile because I walked into his line of sight. Or we laugh at each other laughing for 5 minutes straight.

Motivation

Mermaid is motivated by food. She was particularly non-compliant at a recent S.I. session held during the witching hour of 4-5pm. So, I pulled out a couple of marshmallows. I'm trying to get rid of this "red light food" anyway. Ms. SI held a marshmallow next to each cup she wanted stacked or peg she wanted put in place. When Mermaid did the task a marshmallow would instantly reward her action. Ms. SI was so excited about the response she declared she would bring treats every week to prompt Mermaid's behavior. She told me of research on Long Island where kids with Downs will hold tongue depressor's weighted with nickles between their lips to eliminate the socially unacceptable slack jaw. If the child continues for a certain time limit, he/she gets to keep the nickles. Is this another weird indignity my daughter will have to endure?

Now I'm in a quandary. I know Mermaid has a slow metabolism and an increased risk for obesity and diabetes. Pediatricians, dietitians and many psychologists agree that food should not be used as a reward. I acknowledge bribes as an occasional fact of life, but can I purposely use it as an ongoing behavior modification tool? I don't think so. I suggested grapes or slices of tomato as a reward compromise, but Ms. SI thinks goldfish and fruit snacks will be the best. They're certainly tidier. I'm putting a pin in it. In the meantime, I'll let Ms. SI use bribes during her weekly session but I won't. Well...I'll make an exception and use the remaining marshmallows to get Torpedo's into his button-up collared shirt on Sunday mornings! ;)

The Boy's Photo Journal

I was a fish in my other life.

What? Well, how do you sleep?!

Coastal gourmet.

I must be the treat.

All dressed up.

Too tired to eat.

Leaps and Bounds

The Boy is on fire. ON FIRE.

He is using the potty. Every time I put him on the potty, he makes something, and he waives 'bye-bye' when we flush. He rarely poops in his diaper. His diaper is often dry when I take him to use the bathroom.

He just cut his first tooth.
He is going to sleep on his own, instead of having to be rocked.
He is eating solid food in pieces, not just pureed (though he won't touch the wet foods... he'll only pick up the puffs himself).
And he just did his first sign.

Yes, that's right. His first word. And he really knows what it means. Ready for it? The Boy's first word is "all done". He used it first to say he was done eating. Then that he was done sitting by himself, and done laying down, and done eating again. Now that he's been using it for a couple of days, he just likes to play with the wrist movement, or maybe he just does it over and over again because it's his whole vocabulary so far.

When he 'said' it the first time, I thought I was going to implode, or spontaneously combust, or disintegrate or something. It just seemed like too much. Too much pride, too much joy, too much relief. I'm so crazy proud of my amazing, genius, twenty-wonder.

Company "d"

Company "d"

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The Mystery Continues

The Boy (aka Captain Handsome Pants) has no food allergies whatsoever. Milk, wheat, gluten, cinnamon... he's not allergic to any of it. So... uh, um... I'm not really sure where to go from here.

I'm switching body wash. That's done. Maybe that's what caused the rash all along. But this is about more than just the rash now. When I went off dairy, I noticed an increase in my energy levels, and a bizarre side-affect with my hormones (who ever heard of a 7 day cycle?). So, I'm not that anxious to dive back into dairy land, and any milk I do have from here on out will probably be organic (or at least hormone-free). And when I went off gluten (much harder than going dairy-free), it only took a couple of days to see an improvement in The Boy. He was smiley again. I mean, smiling at every glance and word. Happy. Not just quiet. And for the first time in months and months and months (like 6 months), he was pooping on his own. Hurray! Then the Celiac test came back negative, so I went back on bread, and he was plugged up within a day or two. *sigh* Thank goodness for my awesome infant massage skills. I have put them to good use. Back off gluten again, and The Boy is moving things like a pro.

So what's next? I'm still pursuing things with the allergist to figure out the rash (namely the chemicals from the body wash I was using). And she said that The Boy could have an intolerance to gluten, though not an allergy in the academic/clinical sense of the word. What the heck does that mean? I think I need to find a GI.

In good news, The Boy is using the potty already. He has needed so much help with his bowels, he's not in the habit of going with his diaper on. His OT said I should start putting him on the potty when I could tell he needed to go, and it's paid off. He's even started peeing on the potty, too. He still wets his diapers, but almost anytime I put him on the potty, he makes something. Then I let him watch it flush down while we waive 'bye'. It feels pretty darn good to be advanced on something.

Mermaid gets her legs

Two weeks ago Mermaid took her first unassisted steps. There were at least four witnesses screaming excitedly for me to turn around. I missed it, twice! She spent the next ten days asserting her independence by lying on her back. Now we are practicing walking like two dancers. We face each other and hold one hand. Mermaid is skeptical of this arrangement and frequently holds her ground waiting for my other hand or she lunges forward for a body hold. Still, Mermaid is a natural leader pushing me backwards all around the apartment. It's fun to see where she wants to go.

The physical therapist has been telling me for months, "She'll be walking soon." I can't get too hung up on that kind of language. Progress moves a half step forward and a quarter step back. I trust that she'll get there in her own good time. I should give myself and my other kids that same kind of leeway. Meanwhile, Mermaid crawls like she's swimming. I think she's growing up too fast and My Hero is grateful to have a child who is mile-stoning at a rate that he can track. What's next? Flying?!

Gluten Schmuten

I know. He's so darling. The bib says "I am a Joy to the World", and the bloomers say "I made a Joyful noise". He got them for Christmas, but they didn't fit, then, and I figured it would be more fun to wait until he could sit up for a photo op. And the robot stuffed 'animal' in the background is the one I made for him.

He has food on his face in this one, but the food isn't red. That is his rash after over a week off of dairy. It has not made a dent. In fact, the rash is really bad around his eyes and has even gotten worse. The allergy test came back negative, which doesn't mean he isn't allergic to milk (or the other half-dozen things for which they tested), but may just mean he's too young to tell by testing. The real test is experience, and in my experience over the past week, going off dairy hasn't changed anything for him. I'm staying dairy-free until we resolve this, but I don't think that's the problem.

I've been doing some reading and I'm feeling more and more confident he has Celiacs Disease. Here's why: The Boy is generally constipated. For months now, I've been massaging his belly to help him empty his bowels. It's rare to have a surprise in his diaper. He's been eating less and less lately, almost measurable by the day. His mood is different. He used to smile at everyone who gave him the time of day. He is still a calm child, but he doesn't seem as happy as he used to be. He puked all over my hair and down my shirt the other day (during a special pre-op prayer for Turtar, as luck would have it). He has this horrible rash (as you can see). I thought it looked a little zitty, but as I started reading about Celiacs, I read the term 'blistering rash' and immediately recognized that was a better description for what he has. And get this: there is a link between Celiacs and chromosome 6. So my criss-crossed, translocated chromosomes have impeded my baby once again. The translocation in my family that causes our miscarriages and increases our chances for Trisomy 21 is between chromosomes 6 and 21. 6 and 21. I'm sold. I took The Boy in today to be screened for Celiacs (or gluten intolerance). We won't have the results for a week, but I don't want to wait that long to see an improvement in my son. I read that it wasn't good to go gluten-free before the screening test, but now that we've done it, I'm off it all!

Thank goodness for hummus. And almond crackers. And quinoa pasta. and Gerber Graduates apple wagon wheels Finger Foods, which are now the only finger food the boy can have at all. Until maybe I make a trip to Earth Fare.

I never liked gluten anyway. Cookies are completely over-rated.

Adventures in Dairy-free

{The Scene: The Boy's 9 month check-up}

DR. PEDIATRICIAN:

Great. Well, you can go ahead and start giving The Boy yogurt and cheese, everything but straight milk as far as dairy goes.

{4-5 days and a couple of YoBaby products later, enter one nasty, zitty, rash around nose, mouth, eyes, chest. The Scene: Home}

ME: Oh, my poor baby! We will put an end to the products of YoBaby and this horrible affliction will abandon you.

{3 weeks later, the horrible affliction has not abandoned The Boy. The Scene: Pediatrician's office}

ME: Dr. Pediatrician, I don't know what to do! This horrible affliction will not abandon my baby, though we have not partaken of any yogurt for weeks. His breathing is sometimes heavy, his nose clearly has the itch and just this morning he sneezed about 7 times in a row. What can we do?

DR. PEDIATRICIAN: We will do a test. Please take your poor, and already suffering baby to receive much pain as we extract his bodily fluid from his very veins. Also, use this prescription creme in conjunction with hydrocortisone on the horrible rash. Also, stop all dairy of all kinds for two weeks to see if it helps... you know, just in case. And you, too, since you're still breast-feeding.

ME: Oh, okay. *sigh*

{Later that night. The Scene: Home}

THE HUSBAND: What shall we have for dinner tonight?

ME: You and the girl may have cheese omelets. You and the girl may have macaroni and cheese. You and the girl may have sherbet and pudding and chocolate chips, though you probably wouldn't want to mix them all together. You and the girl may have anything you want. I will have dry froot loops. The boy will have actual fruit, albeit pureed. The boy will no longer have any finger foods as they all contain milk, at least milk whey. *sigh* And maybe the horrible affliction will finally abandon my poor baby.

Cute Pills

Must be Saturday because I'm at the beach snuggling with my Mermaid.

Annual return to the place I told My Hero we were expecting Mermaid.  

First rock climbing.  She gets that from her Dad.

Just SO cute!  She gets that from her Dad, too.

Didn't get anything at the Americana sale, but Mermaid will be back for jewelry. ;)

Christmas with P.T.  We love our physio-ball


First Brownie!

First dirt. (I think she liked the dirt better!)
Pre-Barium enema.  She was fine, but we got slammed in the pocket book.

Mermaid has definitely been sneaking in some cute pills. She just keeps getting cuter every day.. and she's more of a pill, too! She's not walking solo, but if she can grab your hands she'll take off "running." If there is something she wants to do, she does it quickly. This includes flipping over during diaper changes, combat crawling towards a marble, snatching up finger foods, grabbing a bowl of soup and getting fistfuls of sibling hair. She's quick to see and surprised the opthalmologist by having completely typical healthy eyes. Most of all, Mermaid is quick to smile.

Recently diagnosed with "moderate to mild hearing loss in at least one ear," she may be slow to hear. I'm not rushing to tubes, though. My instinct, my speech therapist and my neighbor who oversees the baby hearing tests at another hospital all indicate waiting. Mermaid has never had an earache and she recently added "M" to her babbulary. I'll take some intermediate steps (some spiritual, some more conventional) before her next test in August.

The family is doing well. Keeping our homeschool on track during daytime speech therapy and making time for afternoon fun around all the other therapists is a challenge. Everyone seems to be surviving, but I'd love to find something special for the oldest kids like a weekly theatre group. Torpedo loves the therapists and always steals the cool toys, so he doesn't need an alternative activity, yet. I still haven't joined a support group, but may be convinced after Plainbellied claimed her support group helps with babysitting during doctors appointments. What a luxury! I feel less frustrated when Mermaid plateaus and it's never long before she's off and "running."

(pictures loaded out of chronological order, but are all from the past 6 months)

Walking!

Sort of.

So I was demonstrating for my father-in-law the support I will do for The Boy when we get him started on his treadmill regimen. I held him under his arms and moved one foot forward and then the other and then The Boy moved his own foot forward!

I KNOW!! (a la Craig Ferguson)

I guess I really need to track down a treadmill for The Boy ASAP. For now, I'm making him walk between the stairs and the living room, and I help him move his feet a lot of the time, too, but the fact that he can shift his weight to one leg and move the other leg forward and not fall on his darling little bum is so impressive to me. What a super star.

The Mundane

Someone in my area is joining the club. She found out in May that her baby girl (due in October) will have Down syndrome. She introduced herself and posed a practical question: "What are some of the hardest things you have to deal with in the everyday life of your child with Down syndrome?"

I thought back through The Boy's 8 months in our family as an array of answers grazed past me. Surprisingly, it was the most mundane response of all the lingered and eventually settled in: exhaustion.

And you know what? That's kind of a relief.

It's a hassle to clean The Boy's helmet. And I've forgotten his touch therapy for the better part of the past 2 weeks. I hated lugging around his oxygen tank after he was first born, and it's irritating not being able to let him 'straddle' anything for a month while he recovers from his surgery. I sometime feel strapped for time as I schedule and attend his many appointments (and struggle to get the house straightened for the 'at home' ones). I even worry that I may be draining my support group a little by asking them to watch Her Nibs so often while I deal with The Boy's appointments.

But I only really feel overwhelmed by it when I'm sleep deprived. A little rest and even a child with many special needs becomes quite manageable.

The dishes are another matter....

The Next Hurdle

The Boy is almost sitting. In fact, for about 2 seconds at a time, he can actually sit completely unassisted. Today, he was prop sitting and pushed up, or maybe used his abs to pull himself up, to a regular seated position before starting to topple over. I'm so proud!

The next big thing is treadmill training. I can't imbed the video here, but you've got to check out this link. By the end of the summer, I want to be doing this with The Boy. Then we'll be starting speech therapy, too, etc., but I can't tell you how excited I am about this research coming out of the University of Michigan by Drs Dale and Beverly Ulrich. This will make a big difference.

The Boy visited the Down Syndrome clinic last week and was declared a success. He's doing very well, and the therapists attributed a lot of that success to his very, very early intervention. That makes me and Turtar feel so good. Extra validation from a professional source somehow felt really fabulous. I've wondered more than once if our therapy sessions and working with The Boy on our own was making any difference at all. I guess it is. That is encouraging. I will try to keep it up.

Helmets, Massage, and Sitting

That's a lot of pictures, but I can't get enough of these kids. :D

The Boy is pretty much awesome. That's not new. That's old news. But it's so true it bears repeating. So he's had his helmet for almost a month now. We went with solid blue. And I've got to say, I'm really happy with it. It matches EvErYtHiNg in the way of infant boy apparel. The plan was to get biker stickers to put on it. Our neighbor is so cool. She's a Montessori teacher who also rides a Harley and plays with a roller derby team. So she left some stickers on our porch as contributions for The Boy's helmet. Turtar's favorite was this monkey skeleton. It was too big to lie flat on the helmet, so I went to great lengths to transfer it with permanent marker. In fact, I even bought a set of permanent markers with something like 20 different colors. Unfortunately, permanent markers don't stick to this helmet. They work more like dry erase. I have no idea what the helmet surface is made of, but I keep thinking of my high school chemistry class... all I remember is "like dissolves like". Oddly enough, the pencil I used initially to sketch in a monkey skull under the strap, I can't get off all the way, even with rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover. So, usually I leave the helmet plain, but last Sunday I let Her Nibs draw a heart and color it in, and I drew a mouse (at her request) along with some encouraging epithets. The Boy has also seen an osteopath twice and his head is showing significant improvements in rounding out. Hurray! Sadly, Medicaid will only cover these custom helmets before 6 months of age and The Boy was at least 6 months and 5 days at the helmet fitting, so we had to pony up for the co-pay ourselves. He was sweating in it like crazy at first, but it's calmed down a little. It does get really stinky and we have to clean his head and the helmet very thoroughly everyday. Whenever we let him out of his helmet for his one hour, he is positively euphoric. Every time he seems to think "That's the end of that!" So sad it's not true.... but at least one time it will be...

We are also doing infant massage with The Boy. Someone from church is certifying to teach infant massage, so I was fortunate enough to get the course free as part of her certification. (YEAH!) And I like it. I think it's really good for The Boy. At first I thought of it as very extra-curricular, but his therapists and osteopath have been so supportive of it, and proud of me for doing it, that I'm pretty committed. The Boy doesn't like it on his arms and chest though. I mean, he really hates it. He yells and complains during therapy, but he was bawling his eyes out when I massaged his arms and chest. The massage therapist said 'go easy. if he doesn't like it, don't push it'. The osteopath said 'of course he doesn't like it. he's so tight in there, but it's good for him, do it anyway'. And the occupational therapist said 'do it on the arms, but not the chest. there's tons of nerve endings on the chest; we don't even do touch therapy there'. Oh yeah. His Physical Therapist taught me the touch therapy treatments to do today, too. It's with this soft brush, like you would use to brush the silky threads off a corn on the cob. I think it feels nice. The Boy does tolerate it better than massage.

The big goal right now is sitting. The Boy is SOOOO so close. Today he was prop sitting for like 20 or 30 seconds. AAH-SUMMM! (in a sing-songy high-pitched voice) I don't think he'll be there by 7 months (which is tomorrow), but he's almost there. He hates it, of course. But I get that. I started a new workout routine 2 weeks ago and my muscles are always aching. I bet that's how he feels. When I'm sore from the last workout still, I don't really feel like working out again. We're in the same boat. And I find he is a great inspiration to me, motivating me to work harder to develop my own muscle tone, even when it's hard, even when it hurts, even when I'm tired, striving for my own milestones...

And we're doing solid foods, too. That's really hit or miss. I thought we were really getting a handle on it the other day, and he's started sticking his tongue out constantly. Not the "I'm used to nursing and I use my tongue for that" sticking it out, but sticking it out like he's trying topoint at something with it while receiving food. But at least he now accepts eating solid foods as a viable solution to his hunger. Nursing is not the only answer!

In other news, I'm feeling completely inadequate. We're learning about an amazing treadmill intervention that can have kids with DS walking about 4.5 months earlier. Definitely worth the effort, but I'm still cringing a little and bracing myself against yet another step in our daily therapy and care regimen, even as I start scouting out an appropriate treadmill. Maybe it's just another step in the process of accepting my son, but I feel like I resent my own weaknesses, not his. I think 'if only I were more organized and productive, if I were already on top of my own issues, I would be able to handle my son's care better'. *sigh* But we all adapt to the hand we're dealt. Maybe Urban Tangerine would consider adding her bit about Kung-Fu Panda on this blog as well. I keep trying to tell myself 'there is no secret ingredient ... I am the Dragon Warrior'. I may need to make a T-shirt to remind of it, though, printed in a pretty reflective metallic. I am the Dragon Warrior! Or at least, I'm training to be.

skull cap

The Boy had a head scan this week to see if he needs a helmet. Looks like he does. He has a pretty classic case of Symmetrical Brachycephaly, which means the back of his head is mega flat and the sides are squashed out to be extra wide. Normally, the width of a head is less than 90% of the length, but The Boy's width and length are almost even steven. Here are some pictures of him in his head sock pre-scan. This fancy eye-safe laser created a 3D rendering of his head, which will also be used to make his helmet, so he won't have to do a plaster cast. Hurray for technology!

For all kinds of details about head deformations, helmets, etc., check out Orthomerica's website. They even have a little video that shows how they do the scan.

If producing ear wax was a super power, I'd buy a cape for The Boy. It took a nurse and three doctors to clear out his ears. He does have super teeny tiny ear canals... maybe he's earned a cape after all.

The weird thing was, after he had his ears cleaned, he ate better than he ever has. He had almost no coughing, sputtering or any indications that he was overwhelmed by the milk. A day later, we were back to the same business, along with gassiness and fussiness coming back. Weird, huh?

And, I learned a new use for laxatives: Drop "Pedia-Lax" in each ear weekly to help break-up the wax. I hope his darling little ears appreciate the Fruit Punch flavor. (double weird...)

Actually, the biggest thing lately (worry-wise) is that the back of his head is still really flat. Next comes a head scan or two to see if his head is technically 'abnormal' and if he needs a helmet. I think if he needs a helmet, I'll buy a mini skateboard to carry around with him.

In other news, he's totally starting to grow hair. Tummy-time is at an all time high, to the point that he's rolling out of it almost as soon as he's put in and pushing up on his hands a little. The Boy is King of The Tummy! Maybe I'll get him a crown to go with his cape, helmet and skateboard. Babies are all about the accessories, right?

The Boy

After careful consideration of various heroes from mythology and Irish lore, we have decided on a new name for Lizard Loaf. He will now be known on the blogosphere as The Boy.

The Boy is on top of the world right now. He's terminally cute, as you can see. He's got amazing head control. He's reaching for objects and eventually bats at them or grabs them. He tracks objects with his head, and with his eyes alone. And the big change that I forgot to mention is he's breast-feeding! That's right. The Boy is no longer aspirating, and he's been breast-feeding for a month now. He's become something of a connoisseur, actually. Now he won't take a bottle. Ever. That's okay by me.

Her Nibs is even more taken with him, if that's possible. She thinks he's the most beautiful creature of all. She said "I wish I had slanted eyes...*sigh*..." And she figures he doesn't even have Down syndrome anymore since he isn't aspirating. I love that girl.

New skills

I am happy to report that Mermaid is having a banner quarter. We have just reduced her seizure meds for the last time and if she's doing well after two weeks, she should be done. (fingers crossed) Her latest milestones and skills include:
*two teeth- four more on the way surprisingly coming in the right order and locations
*blowing raspberries-first seen at 3 months, but never since the seizures until now
*reaching
*grasping
*solo sitting for two minutes or more
*legs bearing weight upwards of six minutes at a time
*laughing at funny noises
*laughing when tickled
*increased communication of displeasure, for example fussing if I'm not there even if she doesn't need anything else
*bearing weight on one hand in crawling position
*rocking back and forth in crawling position
**plus-I've seen her pull up to crawling position 4 times, but only on carpet. She's a smartie, that one!