Miraculous Little Melody

The following was written by an Easter Seals Greater Houston client parent whose adorable little girl is participating in the Early Childhood Intervention Program.

Meet Melody! She is the baby of her family and the youngest of three girls. And she has each of us wrapped around each one of her precious, short, little fingers.

Melody has been a surprise from day one. It was a surprise to find out that we were expecting again at that time and even more of a surprise when we received a prenatal Down Syndrome diagnosis at 10 weeks of pregnancy. Again and again, during her development in the womb we came close to losing her, but each time she pulled through. God protected her. Knowing she would be born with multiple heart issues, we carefully planned her birth at a trusted hospital where her care team, whom we worked with during pregnancy, was ready and waiting for the big day. I was not expected to go past 36 weeks of pregnancy but again Melody surprised us and waited until just two hours past her due date to make a shockingly fast and extremely dramatic appearance in her Mama’s bathtub at two in the morning with only her mommy and Daddy present. No time to get to the hospital and we barely had 911 on the phone when she decided to join us in great haste. There she was, our beautiful little baby with tons of curly dark brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes. It was a terrifying experience but thrilling to finally meet her! Talk about surprising!! By our God’s grace she was born safely and pinked up and started breathing on her own right away. It took 45 minutes for an ambulance to reach us and in that time we just held her wrapped up in a towel, cried and prayed.

We had had lots of time to prepare since we had an early prenatal diagnosis and so while she was still in the NICU we made contact with Easter Seals Greater Houston’s Early Childhood Intervention and requested an evaluation for as soon as possible once she was discharged. Those days were so very exhausting with all of the feeding difficulties she had so I cannot remember the exact age that she was evaluated by these caring people with Easter Seals’ ECI program but I do know that it was swift and we started both physical and occupational therapy right away. Melody has been such a little warrior princess all along and it has been thrilling to watch her meet milestone after milestone, while we have faithfully worked​alongside our therapists. Even though for the first six months she had two holes in her heart (as well as two other heart issues) multiple illnesses, both a lip and tongue tie (which were both revised at around eight months old) and serious feeding struggles, Melody continues to surprise and wow us; like when she suddenly decided to start breastfeeding at eight and a half months old when her mama had given up the dream of getting to share that bond with her. She nursed for six weeks and then she was done but those were priceless times.

She is truly such an incredible gift from God! One we never even thought to ask for ourselves, but He graciously gave anyway, knowing that we needed her in our lives. She (and her doting big sisters) fills our every day with so much joy! Melody is currently just past fourteen months old and is sitting up beautifully, crawling as fast as lighting, pulling up on everything and showing some real interest in walking! She gives enormous hugs and kisses all day long, waves hello and goodbye, drinks through a straw like a champ, has learned how to fake laugh, blows the sweetest kisses, claps her darling, square shaped, little hands and says “Yay!”. She also says “Dada” all the time much to her father’s delight. She loves everyone and literally draws crowds wherever we go. Grocery shopping with her is a nightmare. Ha! Our family is so very thankful for the Easter Seals’ ECI program and look forward to each session we have with our wonderful therapist. Melody is going to do great things with her life and Easter Seals is making for some fantastic stepping stones.

Mrs. Davis, Early Childhood Intervention client parent, Easter Seals Greater Houston

 

Pretty Eyes, Chubby Thighs

Madalynn is an absolutely delightful little girl who gives a big smile to everyone she meets. Her mom, Amanda, is very pleased with Madalynn’s progress and wanted to share her story.

When she was just 10 weeks pregnant, Amanda found out her baby was going to be born with Down syndrome. Amanda researched on her own and tried to educate herself on the diagnosis. Amanda thought she was prepared, but when the diagnosis of Down syndrome was confirmed after Madalynn’s birth, she emotionally had to go through the acceptance process. She shared that the hospital staff at Texas Children’s Hospital was very helpful, educating her more about the diagnosis, and referring her to Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) of Easter Seals Greater Houston.

The assessment team came out quickly, and Madalynn began receiving ECI services at about 2 weeks old. The newborn needed OT (Occupational Therapy) due to feeding concerns. Though Amanda was worried about the feeding issues, Amanda’s biggest concern for her sweet daughter was “she was not really connected”.  Madalynn was quiet and not noticing people around her.  After receiving help from Easter Seals’ ECI, and following through with the therapist’s suggestions, Amanda was excited to see Madalynn begin to progress.  At 2 ½ – 3 months old, Madalynn started connecting with everyone around her. Today, seeing Madalynn at about 10 months old, her mom is amazed at what she can do.  Amanda admits that she initially had low expectations due to the diagnosis.  After seeing what Madalynn was capable of, her mom did not want to hold her back.  “I include her in our daily life no matter what it is, from the beach to the park, she is there playing with us.” Madalynn now sits well independently, gets from her back into a sitting position, uses her hands to play with various toys, is beginning to clap her hands, rolls and belly crawls to get toys she wants, gestures “up”, and babbles “baba”.  Feeding issues have been resolved (love those baby rolls!), and she is eating some table foods.  This quiet little baby, previously so “unconnected”, now “soaks it all in”, focuses on people, and demands their attention.

When asked about Easter Seals’ ECI, Amanda responded:  “I’ve learned so much from ECI.  I’ve learned tons!  With my other children, I didn’t pay attention to how they moved; they just did it.  ECI helped me realize how important the best ways to move are for her.  That’s why she’s come so far and doing what she is today.”

As she described Madalynn, Amanda stated:  “She’s gives you the biggest smile ever, just talking to her.  She just brings so much joy to others.  Everywhere we go, people stop to talk to her.  Just gives everyone joy.”  Her mom also shared the exciting news:  Madalynn’s picture will be featured in the 2018 Down Syndrome Calendar.

Amanda, Early Childhood Intervention Client Parent, Easter Seals Greater Houston