Now comes the wrestling matches with the insurance companies. We are trying to get Ella few pieces of equipment that she needs to work on her standing and mobility. Little by little she is starting to do things with her legs but there is a clear asymetry with the right leg being much stronger than the left. I think that neurologically Ella doesn’t understand yet that legs have some use. We’ve been told that that poses some problems developmentally because a child that doesn’t stand by about 18 months doesn’t develop proper hip sockets. So the child uses a “stander”. Tufts insurance doesn’t cover that automatically and we aren’t sure they cover it at all. Letters are needed from the PT, the doctor, a committee needs to review it, blah, blah, blah. Usually Early Intervention has a stander but they don’t have one right now either so time passes and Ella doesn’t have this equipment. The other thing we’ve been working on is the transition from the bottle to the cup and mashed food to solids. Ella is great at eating crackers, cookies, even bread but she throws all peices of vegetables, fruits, meat and milk products. Her pitcher’s arm is improving but not her chewing skills. She’s very stubborn. Usually when I approach her with her sippy cup she locks her lips and turns away (always rightward). She knows what she doesn’t want and she knows how to express it!