Wow, where has the time gone?!
 
OK, to update:
 
Veronica's neurology appointment was last week.  It took a few hours, and the neurologist concluded that she wanted Veronica to have an MRI done.  It's been scheduled for August 17 - bye bye Vegas trip that week - and Veronica will have to be sedated for it, as she will have to stay still for around an hour while the imaging is done.  I don't care how safe they say this is, the thought still terrifies me. 
 
What led to this scheduling was the fact that Veronica would not pull herself up from a squatting to a standing position.  What's amazing is that she did so that very night, in her crib, holding onto the railings. She's now pulling herself up on just about everything - or at least, she's attempting to, as our sofa and our bed don't offer her enough support, and the coffee table seems to be the wrong height for her to get a good grip. 
 
This, of course, greatly relieves me.  Oh hell, who am I kidding - I'm ecstatic!  If you hold her hands, she'll "walk" around the living room.  She's even "cruised" once, while holding onto the sofa - she took one step so she could reach far enough to poke me in the belly button and make me laugh.
 
This is also welcome because we just received a copy of her official physical therapy evaluation in the mail this week, and it's heartbreaking.  I'll just sum up:  She's in the 8th percentile for movement at her age.  That's it.  Eighth.  Even now, with all the strides she's made, I know she's not much better. 
 
To add to all this, the neurologist still wants to do the MRI, as Veronica is still behind in her development.  The concern is possible swelling or abnormality in her lower spinal cord, which would affect nerve signals to her legs.  (It would also explain some of her problems with constipation.)  I don't see the concern still, so I'm wondering if I should veto the doctor's orders.  On one hand, this is a trained neurologist speaking, on the other hand, I'm her mom.  I'll most likely go along with the MRI, but it still doesn't keep me from worrying about it.
 
We are doing our best.  She's wearing her Hip Helper pants today.  We help her stand and walk as much as possible.  The exercise ball, however, had to be deflated; while the therapist can use one to get her balance to improve, the ball here at the house terrified her.  She didn't even want to be around it once it was deflated.  Veronica's only fear is a clear green plastic ball.  I'm sorry, that's weird...
 
Her new verbal skill - which she's already starting to move away from - is saying "Thank you" every time you hand her something.  It's too adorable.  But now she's back to babbling, although today the babble sounded a lot like "look at me!" when she was in the other room.
 
She still has no teeth, nor any coming through.  I fear she will never have them.  Other kids her age are getting entire mouthfuls.  People think Veronica is so adorable when we go places, but I think it's because they think she's precocious for her age; without the teeth and the mobility, and in addition to her small size, I think they think she's younger than she actually is. 
 
I love my little girl with all my heart, but I can't say that I don't wish sometimes to have her running all around the house, biting with her little baby teeth while I hold her down to brush them.  A lot of people want their children to be extraordinary.  I'd settle for normal.
 

Happy Independence Day, and the realization that it's been a while. We've been busy, and we've also been realizing a little more about what's wrong with Veronica.

She has what is called hypotonia, which is a genetic, neurological condition that causes low muscle tone and extreme flexibility. It's also a catch-all phrase for low muscle tone in general, which can be caused by a myriad of conditions. I believe she's of the former category rather than the latter. This isn't a formal diagnosis - I believe this is what our neurology appointment with her on Wednesday will determine - but we're thinking this is her to a tee.

I've joined an online group for parents of hypotonic children, which is a good thing. I'm getting support that I didn't have before. People try to be helpful but they really don't understand if they're not dealing with it themselves. And sometimes people aren't helpful. It's been implied by a few that Veronica's condition is a direct result of faulty parenting on both my and Jason's part. That's not helpful at all, especially given that I've mentally beaten myself up about her not being able to stand, convinced I'd done something wrong.

Veronica is now in regular therapy, and we're already seeing improvement. However, she still has a long way to go. She's going to be very far behind her peers as far as standing and walking are concerned, at the very least. But it's OK. I love my little girl. She is wonderful, she is sweet, funny and friendly. I'm still convinced she's really smart too - it's not too important, as long as she's happy, but it helps. I couldn't ask for a better child - hypotonia or not.