I love Melissa’s new website compliments of Karen Arnold. She said Melissa was a big girl now and needed a big girl website. Thank you Karen!

I am hoping to get new pictures up soon of Melissa. She is really changing and getting the big kid look to her. She even got to be a flower girl in her big sister’s wedding. She rode down the aisle in her chair and was pushed by the ring bearer, her big brother, Josiah who was very honored to push her.

We had her at the doctors the other day and she weighs 22lbs 14ozs and is 35 ½ in long. The funny thing is that I was talking with a friend who has carried Melissa many times and we both agreed that she feels like she weighs about 30+ lbs. I told my friend that she probably only weighs 22lbs since she always feels way heavier then she really is. My neighbor guessed Melissa at 37 lbs while holding her. There are days that Melissa feels like a lightweight and other days you go to pick her up and she feel like she has lead in her butt. We use the CP growth chart and at least she is on the chart unlike the “normal” chart. I know her weight is a little of a concern to the doctor but I’m not concerned at all anymore. Melissa has muscle on her, she has a healthy glow about her, she is very healthy, alert, and eats like a horse. I say all those things mean that she is getting what she needs. Even though she is not on track developmentally she is always in a constant state of chance and improvement. Besides the doctors basically told me that because she wasn’t developing before the infantile spasms she would most likely be mentally retarded. Well, Melissa is far from mentally retarded. The girl is so very smart it is only her body that won’t work for her. She knows what she wants and finds ways to let us know. Besides, Lindsey and Josiah are lightweights too so I think part of Melissa’s small body is genetics.

She rolled over to her right today! She has been rolling to her left side continually for about 4 months now but never rolls to her right until today! She actually rolled all the way to her tummy when rolling to her left us usually just rolls to her side to get off her back. She stayed on her tummy for over three minutes before complaining. She hates to be on her tummy so I was very impressed. In fact, it was as if she was trying to figure out how she rolled that way.

She is cocking her neck around to study and observe people more and more. She is using “yes” and “no” more and more often when being asked a question. We still don’t know if she is really answering us, but it does seem to be appropriate for the question about 75% of the time.