Why my daughter holding a marker made my day!

Today my daughter held a marker in her hand.  So what’s the big deal?  SHE HELD A MARKER IN HER HAND! She held it…I didn’t hold it for her, she did it on her own! She grasped her finger and thumb around the base of the marker and didn’t drop it, she held it.

This is a HUGE deal!

When Olivia’s brain suffered damage at birth, healthy pathways were destroyed. Her brain didn’t function normal after that. Therefore, the simple everyday tasks we take for granted, like holding and grasping a marker were thought to be impossible.

Until today….

Countless hours and years were spent  putting a marker in her hand, folding her index finger and thumb around it, gently applying pressure, and repeating. Each time her grasp wouldn’t hold and the marker would fall. But that was ok, because each time we repeated the task, her brain was receiving the information and developing new pathways to store this information.

Today, her brain remembered and she held the marker.

These moments…when something clicks…are miraculous moments!

Olivia is four years old and for the first time, held a marker. This is why I look at this accomplishment and tell myself,  “today she held a marker, tomorrow she might write her name”. Tomorrow might be a day, a month, or ten years from now, but she has achieved that first step. Today my daughter held a marker and that is the best!