Ella is making steady progress now although nothing very specific. She just seems more alert and has more “to say” and is more intent on what she wants. For example, yesterday I tried giving her the sippy cup after she enjoyed sipping water from my glass. The problem was that she didn’t want to drink from the sippy cup but rather turn it every which way to see how the water flows inside. It starting dripping all over the place (this is a modified sippy cup) but she wasn’t willing to give it up. Also, now that she knows the hand sign for “more” works, she uses it all the time and it is so hard to refuse her because….well, we are so happy she is communicating that way and also, she is so cute when she does it. Ella now has AFO’s (ankle-foot-orthodics) which are really pains. They are hard plastic braces that go almost up to her knees. She has to have high socks or tights on underneath. Her PT says she needs those to keep legs aligned so that there is not any pressure in the wrong places. Her PT and OT have picked up on some suspected signs of bruising on her feet and ankles from bearing weight in the wrong way without them. Hopefully these will give her added stability over time and will be less cumbersome as she grows into them.