She can sit!!!!!

Today I was talking on the phone with my Mom and Leightyn started squeeling and laughing I turned to find her sitting up. She has in the past 2 weeks been able to sit for a minute or two at a time before crashing over but only when she was placed in the sitting position. I started saying YAY and Good Job and clapping to let her know it was exciting while holding back tears. I watched her then move several times in the next hour from her tummy to sitting and back down. It is so hard because although I see this as a great accomplishment her therapists see this as a bad habit that must be broken right away. Let me explain, in their minds there is a right and wrong way of doing almost every milestone sitting, crawling, walking, eating, drinking etc. Leightyn had just taught herself the "wrong" way to get into a sitting position. She was pulling her legs one to each side until she was in the splits and then using her hands and arms to push up to a sitting position from there. Now I know bad habits are hard to break, but how could I not be excited when she so obviously was? This is a constant battle I have with myself. I always try to ask "If Leightyn did not have down syndrome would I care if......." For example if....... she crawled by using both feet and both arms at the same time rather then right left right left arm leg arm leg or if she gets into the sitting position by doing a middle split first would anyone even care if she didn't have DS? If my answer is no and honestly it often is I just let things be and don't worry about it! I know there are many things I do that I have adapted to work for me and people could care less, all they know is I can do it, the "how" is insignificant. Here are some examples: I rest writing utensils on my 4th finger when I write, I do a mix of pick and peck and keeping hands over the keys when I type (I think there is a name for that but I blanking), and I snap by rubbing my 1st and 3rd fingers together over my folded down 2nd finger (easier to explain by showing you in person). Those are just 3 off of the top of my head. NO one has ever even attempted to get me to it the "right" way because it doesn't make a difference. Okay maybe my high school computer teacher tried to get me to do the typing thing correctly but gave up after a week of my complaining and proving over and over I was faster my way lol! I could care less the exact technique Leightyn uses, only that she has learned a new skill! That is not at all to say that I do not respect and listen to her therapists and their advice but I take it and use it when and how I see fit and best for Leightyn. I will not encourage her to continue getting into a sitting position this way and I will continue working with her on moving over one hip/leg or the other to get up and down the "right" way, but I will also not discourage her because to me the important thing is she can sit on her own regardless of the steps she takes to get there! I am so glad to have this place to announce my joy over Leightyn learning a bad habit lol! Especially since the people I talk to most about her developmental milestones are her therapists and I can assure you they will be no where near as enthused as I am about this one!!