Determination

Saturday I got a little glimpse of Maddie's determination. 

We've been working on independent spoon feeding for quite some time now

(about a year and a half to be exact!)

I've realized she does much better if I just leave the table and let her be.  

So, when she asked for applesauce, I knew this was a great opportunity to give her some space and let her do her thing.  

And guess what?! 

She ate the whole thing...with a spoon! YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I was busy in the kitchen but I saw from a distance her amazing progress.  

The only thing is...things tend to get really messy.  

Her Dad tried to clean her up.  

She wanted to do everything herself...

Oh, these pictures make me laugh. 

When you have a child with special needs, there's a tricky balance of pushing their limits to help them achieve all of their potential and supporting and accepting them for who they are. 

Kyle and I have decided we are going to raise Maddie just like any other child, and have all of the same expectations for her as a typical developing child. That decision was the easy part.

The hard part is knowing when to hold her hands and support her through experiences, and when to step back and let her figure things out on her own.

I think its time to put more faith in Maddie's determination.  It's a humbling lesson for a Momma to realize your baby doesn't need you to be there every step of the way.  In fact, they are actually better off when you take a step back.  Yeah, that's going to take some time to sink in.  

While that's sinking in, I will smile and revel in her most recent accomplishment...

Independent Spoon Feeding!!

And she literally did it all.  by.  her. self!!