Dance as Though No One is Watching You

This summer, while Emma was attending Extended School Year (ESY), she started some private physical therapy (PT) to supplement the therapy she was getting at school. We started this because the therapy she would be getting at ESY was different than what she was getting during the school year in her Functional Life Skills (FLS) classroom, and I wanted to be sure that she continued to make strides in her progress if at all possible.

With her summer therapy ending this week, I had to share some of the things she did the last couple sessions that we caught on video. She is still getting stronger everyday, but now she is getting better at standing. Today, she even "fought" to stand up to keep watching some of her favorite Pixar short films. But my favorite was where she started to wiggle her booty to the beat of a Sesame Street song while standing. Granted, by the time I got my phone out to catch it, she had slowed down, but here is a little bit of it. I keep hoping the wiggle in her legs will turn into stopping, and then stepping!

Watching the video together after we got home, I started thinking. I loved seeing her dancing and expressing her joy through movement. I think it means so much to me because she has had to work so hard to overcome her developmental delays on her gross motor skills. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from an amazing lady.

"Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never been hurt before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though heaven is on earth."
- Audrey Hepburn

I know as she continues to work hard, getting closer to her first steps, I will continue to sing as many songs as many times as she wants, and dance as ridiculously as needed so she continues to feel the freedom to dance as though no one (but Mommy) is watching.