Emma is doing well! She still stutters throughout the day and gets frustrated at times, but she is handling this like a champ :) We have started to try and take a pro-active approach and do some of the things that are supposed to help with stuttering (if she has developed a true stutter)... Craig and I talk much slower to Emma to help her brain keep up with what we are saying. Not so slow that there are pauses in our sentence but slow enough to make sure there is space between our words. As you all know, I can talk pretty fast so this is probably a good thing! We don't interrupt her when she is struggling, we wait as long as it takes so she knows that we want her to finish her thought. We don't complete her sentences for her, again we just wait for her to be able to complete it herself. When she gives up trying to say what she was thinking, we encourage her to keep trying. That is the hardest thing. Knowing she is aware of her own struggles is truly heartbreaking as a parent. We also repeat what she is trying to say, so she knows we still understand...
We are also attempting to give her more attention. This could be a subconscious way for her to get more attention and not compete for attention with Owen. I don't really think that is it, but we are willing to try everything to help, ya know. I also read about a stutter that comes on when the child gets low blood sugar. I have noticed she is affected by low blood sugar (really cranky, lethargic, acting out) so we have been giving her something to eat or drink at steady intervals to try and curb her blood sugar from dropping too low. That seems to really be helping with her frustrations too.
Children's hospital hasn't called yet to set up her appointment but I am sure they will call before the end of day tomorrow. To top off everything else the kids have a cold... We just have the BEST luck, don't we?!? Overall, things are much better then last Thursday. We have a better grip on what the possibilities are and how we will handle whatever the outcome is. The world is looking brighter again :)
Thanks again for everyone's concern. It truly is heartwarming to know so many people care about us! We LOVE you guys!
Monday, September 15, 2008
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4 comments:
emma is so lucky to have such great parents! sounds like you're handling everything like a champ, too!! =) it was great talking to you yesterday. love you!
Thanks for the update. Ditto what Steph said, Emma is so lucky to have you two as parents! It sounds like you are being proactive about everything and doing everything you can! I am glad things are so far looking up! We love you all!
Annie, I am glad things are going better. I just read your past three entries now and can't believe what sweet little Emma is going through. You and Craig are so strong. I will definitely be thinking and praying for you all especially Emma. Keep ua posted. Love you, Sarah
Glad to hear an update. You guys are awesome for jumping right on this and diving into the research. I'm going to remember all of this-because I think it can apply to all kids. I talk way too fast, and get impatient with Ava...so it's probably good in general. Thanks for the info, and the update. :)
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