Lila has made (and continues to make) so much progress – 2015 is off to an amazing start for all of us!

She repeated her name for Bill several times this morning, and when she knew it was time for daycare – she ran around to grab the items she knew she wanted to take with her to daycare!!!

This weekend she would bring Bill’s hat to me for me to put on. When I did, she would giggle and say “dadadada!”.

Her increasing awareness is nothing short of astounding to me.

We recently transitioned her PECS cards from lying on the coffee table to being attached with magnets to a white board. She transitioned seamlessly, and both her primary therapist and I agree that a month ago that wouldn’t have been the case. Lila sets the pace, and she lets us know when she’s ready to move forward.

Bath time recently got much worse during a break in the routine, and was ruined for close to 3 weeks before I could get her back in the tub (with me), for approx. 30 seconds without a meltdown.  We’re back on track for the moment – she will let me know when she is ready to move forward.

The more we immerse ourselves in her world, her interests, and mimic her – the more willing she is to meet us halfway. And that’s the way it should be – of course I want Lila to be able to function to the best of her ability in this world, but I never want her to feel that she is “not enough”. She is more than enough just by being her beautiful little self. I want to make sure we continue to foster her natural inclinations and gifts so that they don’t get lost in the fray.

I typically mention the moments where Lila has turned a corner and learned something new, showed a new skill. The truth is – there are so many moments where I am the one who is learning from her. She has been my greatest teacher.

This weekend we had one of those moments that I will share with you:

We were playing on the floor with some toys. She grabbed a pink string of pom-pom garland. She touched it and smiled at it, then handed it to me. I thanked her, and put it around my neck. I told her how pretty and soft it was – then I placed it around her neck.

I reached for my camera to take a picture. She looked me in the eyes, took the camera from me, and threw it behind her. She then took the pom-pom garland and handed it to me again. I could FEEL it radiating from her – “THIS is what we’re doing Mama, THIS is what’s important”.

I almost cried. Enjoy the moment – thank you for this week’s lesson, Lila Bliss ♥