Pulling herself up

This past month we’ve been working on Coraline pulling herself up on things. Her physiotherapist said put toys up on the sofa so she has to pull herself up onto her knees to see them, as it’s all about motivation.

She also said for Kevin or me to sit with one leg out on the floor, and progress to two legs out together, with a toy on the other side for Coraline to climb over the legs to get to it. It all involves motor planning and co-ordination of muscles for Coraline, building muscle strength and muscle memory. A characteristic of Down’s Syndrome is low muscle tone which is why we work with her physiotherapist to build strength gradually. It’s important to go gradually too and we go on the advice of her physiotherapist. I remember her saying Coraline has a lot of flexibility in her joints so her ankles and knees would feel wobbly in terms of trying to pull up or stand.

We have seen huge progress in this the past month, with Coraline climbing right over our legs and pulling herself up a lot. She can even crawl up a step on her own now. It’s good to capture what she’s up to now at 22 months. 

We’ve also been putting cushions all over the floor as she loves to lift them about. The pull, push and lifting of her arms is working her muscles too. 

I am really looking forward to seeing what her physiotherapist thinks tomorrow when we see her for her monthly visit. Coraline really seems to be on the move! #downsyndromeawareness