Our Little Miracle: Month #4

This was such a fun month. We took our FIRST family vacation to the BEACH!!! My great aunt & uncle have a timeshare in Sandestin, and since they were not going for the week, they asked us to use it instead. We loaded up the car and headed to the beach. Harper Kate absolutely LOVED it. We bought a small tent for Harper Kate and put it underneath our umbrella on the sand. We took her pillow, ipod and speakers and she was set up for success! She was so sweet letting mom and dad read, lay on the beach and relax and even spend a little time in the ocean. Harper Kate did NOT like the water. So she stayed under the shade enjoying life. We were able to eat out dinner at a couple of places, walk around Sandestin, relax at our favorite vacation spot and have a wonderful first family vacation! Thank you to Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Barry for allowing Harper Kate to have her first beach vacation at the exact condo where I had my first beach vacation.
Month #4 also marked Harper Kate's first meeting with her therapists!!! In early May we met with Karen (our physical therapist) that so generously volunteered to come to our house for the first few meetings. Karen came to our home and showed me a few exercises and good positions to keep Harper Kate in so that we could encourage play with her hands and feet. Karen set goals for Harper Kate and we set out meeting with her once a week for an hour. We also met with Amy (our occupational therapist). We saw her at Hands on Healing (the therapy clinic). The first time we went Amy played with Harper Kate to see what kinds of things she was able to do (which at that time wasn't much at all!). Once again, Amy set goals and found a time to begin seeing her once a week. I can't express what a god-send Karen and Amy have been. They have been faithful to work with her every week, encourage me with things I can do at home and because of them (and of course God's blessing on her) Harper Kate has made incredible progress!
Harper Kate weighed about 12 1/2 pounds and was about 25 inches long. She started smiling a lot more and since during this month she hit her first Father's Day, she decided to "coo" and talk to Daddy that day! There was no better gift he could have received than to hear his baby girl talk to him for practically the first time. Harper Kate also began bringing her hands to her mouth while playing on her side during this month. With just a little therapy, it was amazing to see the progress she was already starting to make! :)
Here are some pictures to enjoy from month #4.