Another big step...

Just came back from a trip to Holland. A little vacation packed with activities.
Flying to the birthdayparty of grandma on friday, birthdayparty of a great friend in a castle on saturday, visiting other great friends & kids on sunday... recovering on monday and tuesday, back wednesday..
We have never been in Holland with the kids this time of the year. Stavanger was cold and white with lots of snow and ice. (Not normal for Stavanger. Should be rainy and grey) Holland was rainy and grey with patches of snow.... Like Stavanger should have been..
Anyway.... for children being used to Holland in the summer, there was a little shock..
But, chocolate, sausages, chocolate-drinks etc make up for a lot.. and they had a great time.
Reconnecting with their friends and family. Being the center of attention...

Normally we see changes in Lotte due to being on holiday and around Dutch language only, compared to speaking and hearing Dutch AND Norwegioan all day.
This time we noticed a change that had developed during her absence in Norway... She grew - mentally, socially.

There are 3 girls right next door of the house in Holland. One was 2, one 4 and one 6.
Previously she would play with the 4-year old most of the time. For Lotte, communicating with the 6-year old was difficult and at times frustrating. Also for the other child I'm sure.
Playing with the 4-year old was much easier, and therefore the favorite friend.
But, Lotte got a bit older, the 6-year old became 7, and now they understand each other.
BINGO.. instand friends....

The parents of the girl noticed that Lotte speech is more understandable now. They also noticed that their daughter is adjusting to communicate better with Lotte. Shorter sentences for example..
So, in half a year, these girls grew enough to become great friends. Inseperable. Beautiful to watch.

The visits to Holland of course bring these developments to the surface. One has an image of the situation 1/2 year ago, and easily spots the changes. But the basis for these developments lies in Lotte's school situation. The second year mainstram, making friends, learning to adjust, learning to interpret situations all makes for good communication.

Lotte started with 2 years delay, due to her deafness, and started catching up 5 years ago.

She's not there yet.. But she is adjusting wonderfully and for us who see her every day, and in the same situation, it can be difficult to notice the changes.
Only when the situation changes, one can spot the differences. We can see them when we see her in a new situation, others can see them because they haven't seen Lotte for a while.

So, make sure to create those new situations, and enjoy the progress...