About Aubrey

 Good things are going on in Aubrey's little world these days.  A lot of little things that add up to big time happiness for us all.  She is right in the middle of a huge learning phase.  We have learned over the years that Aubrey seems to progress in spurts.  She will go for a really long time and not really make any progress in any area of development, and totally fight us and anyone else that is trying to teach her things.  Then, all of a sudden, BAM.  She decides she is ready, and she starts doing a bunch of new things all at once.  This little girl is definitely on her own schedule.  But even her teachers and therapists at school have commented on how hard she is working right now.  It's a very encouraging time!

First:  Aubrey knows the entire alphabet, and can identify all the letters when asked.  She points to letters everywhere.  On signs, in books, on food labels, magazines, clothing, etc.  She is really interested in letters, and she really wants us to know that she knows them.

Second:  Aubrey's horse back riding lessons have been amazing lately.  She is working so hard at communicating with her helpers, and with her horse.  She has totally mastered signing "stop" and "go".  Her balance is amazing, she adjusts herself on the horse without being asked, and she completes every task she is asked to do without any complaint.  They have even started letting her trot every once in a while, and even though her low muscle tone makes her somewhat floppy...she holds on tight to her reigns and handles it very well.

Third:  In the last 2 weeks Aubrey has started babbling.  You guys, I don't think you even realize what a huge deal this is.  Aubrey has NEVER babbled.  Not even as a baby.  Sure, she makes expressive oooh and aaah sounds, and there was a period of time when we could coax a rare "ba ba" out of her...but consistent babbling with consonants?  Never.  Never!  And then one day a few weeks ago she woke up and was like "da da da dee dee dooo dooo da da deee deee" ALL DAY LONG.  And I was like "WHAT?  When did you start doing that?"  And now every day, all day long (literally from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed at night" she walks around the house going "doo da dee da doo dee dee da".  And I know...I KNOW she is talking to me.  She looks me in the eye and she makes these sounds and I know she is telling me things.  She will point at something, then look up and me and babble, and then wait for me to tell her about what she is pointing at.  She babbles at the t.v.  She babbles at Stella.  She babbles to Matt when he walks in the door after work.  She babbles while I read her books or sing her songs at bedtime.  It is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.  And it gives us so much hope!  Hope that someday those babbles will turn into a "Mommy" and a "Daddy".  I pray that she keeps going.  That she never stops.  And I swear, that as long as she is trying to communicate with us, I will never tell her to be quiet or to hush.  I will let her interrupt every conversation I have for the rest of my life if it means I can hear what she needs to tell me.  We have gone for 4 1/2 years with a silent (sometimes whining) child.  We have dealt with the fear that she may never speak.  And now we can hear her voice in ways that we never have before.  And we cannot wait to see where she can go from here.

One thing is for sure.  Aubrey can never be underestimated.  She is capable of so much more than we know!  And when she is ready, she will blossom and bloom, and the sweetness of her spirit and the light in her soul will be expressed in ways that we only ever hoped for.  Just wait and see.