Belly Art

There has been so much going on these last couple week, I need to start documenting it!  James' attendant started working with him, going to school and therapy a few times a week and helping out at home.  It has been wonderful.  It is so nice to know that he is getting therapy even when I can't work with him.  We have been working really hard to get him up and down the stairs on his own and having another person to help me through that has been so helpful.  We have been working on this skill for a month, making him climb or slide down at least half the stairs if not the whole set.  He is doing well, but can't get up on his own.  It is hard form him to get enough strength without his orthotics, but wearing the orthotics limits his range of motion and makes it harder.  He likes to fight us and today he fought me so hard that he actually fell asleep on the stairs.

It is just one of those skills we are going to have to work on the hard way.  When the baby comes in a month I won't be able to carry all 25 pounds of him along with the new little one.

We have also been brainstorming new activities that James would find exciting.  We got him a fun coloring mat that works with a special water pen - no mess!  He hasn't gotten the concept of drawing on paper yet.  However, he had a fun time drawing on himself:

Hopefully more soon!

With love.

Making Breakfast

Even though school was cancelled yesterday James' educational therapist was able to come to the house for a session.  It has been awhile since we've seen her and it was very beneficial!  She pointed out that James is bored with his toys because, occupationally he is still working on the skills associated with the toys, but mentally he is farther ahead.  So, for him to have a longer attention span he needs more imaginative play.  So, this morning, he made me breakfast:

Next time we may try "cooking" with something in the pot (like applesauce) for him to taste.

With love.

Communication

James is learning so much and my favorite thing to see is his communication progress.  He picks up signs so quickly.  In the last week or so he learned "dad", "car", and "thank you" (and how to use his hand to blow kisses, thank you awesome school teachers for giving my son another flirting tactic :D).  I need to make it a point to teach him a new sign each day.  He is also making new noises, babbling like crazy, and solidifying his words.  He always said "hi" well, but it is now much more distinct and he also added "hello" ("hawoah") to his greetings.  Today I read him "Go, Dog. Go." and when we finished he handed it back to me and said something that sounded like "again".  So I read it again.  He handed it back to me and said "again." So we read it a third time.  I think he is realizing he is rewarded when he communicates.  That, however, has become a problem with eating.  He uses his "eat" sign and then refuses to eat.  We are in the process of breaking that habit.  We realized that we have to transition him from "yay, that was new" to "now you know how to use it, use it the right way."  I think we are getting better at it.  It is also difficult when he uses the sign for "please" so well (and adorably).

Signing "dad".

One of the best ways to teach James new words is to affirm him when a sound resembles a word.  For example, I went upstairs tonight while Mark was cooking dinner and James shouted something at me that sounded like "come back."  So, I responded "Come back?  I will be back in a minute."  It seems to really help him connect his sounds with actual phrases.  That is how we affirmed "hello."

We are off to start another week.  I hope to have more for you soon.

With love.

January Chaos

I thought life would slow down after the new year, but 2014 is off with a jolt!  This is week 3 of outpatient PT and week 1 of daily school!  James is pooped!  We were so lucky to find the school James attended in the fall.  The founder sat down with us this month and helped develop a good plan of action for James.  He is now with kids his own age and learning great new skills (we hope!).  He doesn't like when we leave, but settles in very quickly.  When he tried to follow me out the door today his teacher helped by having all the kids in circle time sing "Wheels on the Bus", James' favorite song.  I love how wonderful everyone at the school is to James.

Back to school, yay!

James is working hard at therapy.  He is more motivated to work on his fine motor skills than before started.  We are working hard on his pincher grasp, but raking those cheerios is just so much easier!  He also has a hard time focusing on what his hands are doing.

James is getting so strong!  However, it is hard to convince him to put weight through his arms.  Hopefully, we can encourage him to keep up his gymnastics!

We are bundled up inside to avoid the cold! 

We hope your days are sunny!

With love.

Lots of Work

There has been a ton going on lately!  We received approval for an attendant for James.  We are in the process of finding a full-time attendant, but my sister has been helping us until she goes back to school. It has been such a big help in keeping consistent with his therapy.  Now we have someone to keep James going while I do normal house chores (or while I am exhausted from the third trimester).  

We also added two and a half hours of therapy each week.  The big addition is occupational therapy which James desperately needs, but wasn't approved through early intervention.  James is frustrated because his fine motor development has fallen behind his mental development.  When he can't complete a fine motor task he throws the toys, hits, or throws a fit.  His OT sessions should help decrease this frustration.

We are trying to come up with all sorts of ways to strengthen James' muscles.  He is doing much better in the stander with the help of his orthotics (and the distraction of our new TV).  We are also working hard on kneeling, stair crawling, and arm strength.  He can be really strong when he wants to be, especially if he doesn't want to do something.

His new favorite toy is his ride-on car.  He learned how to push himself backward and he loves it!  It is good exercise for his legs!

James is also headed back to school in a week!

With love.

Happy New Year!

We hope this will be the year where James feeds himself and learns to walk.  He is making some great progress.  We have been working hard on fine motor skills so he can put food in his mouth.  He hasn't quite learned to isolate his fingers or grasp with a pincer, but he is getting close.  He is also getting excited about food he can hold and lick like lollipops, carrot sticks, and french fries.  That is a huge improvement from throwing any food offered him and not letting any solid foods near his mouth.

He just recently received his orthotics to aid with standing.  His standing has improved now that he is such a good sitter (he has learned to use the muscles in his trunk), but the orthotics give his ankles and knees the support he needs.  His standing used to be crooked and he leaned into his support but now, with the orthotics, he is standing straight and using less support.

Former crooked standing.

He has also learned how to be stubborn which has presented a challenge for therapy.

Boycotting crawling upstairs.  You can barely see the orthotics on his feet.

He is also really good at saying "NO" and giving us his stubborn face.

Although, he is just good at faces in general.

Pirate face.

With love.

A Hawaiian Christmas

It has been a crazy few months, hence the silence here.  Here is a snapshot of Christmas and hopefully I will have another post soon.  James received a farm puzzle to help with isolating his fingers, a tunnel to motivate his crawling (I have never seen him crawl so fast and enthusiastically.  I am so happy he loves it!), a music kit for singing time, and a swing to help with his vestibular motion (he has a major love/hate relationship with swings, but it is good for him!).

He is actually really happy here!
 

We talked about having a Hawaiian Christmas a few months ago when we saw the racks of Hawaiian shirts at Salvation Army.  When Mark found out he had to work on Christmas we decided it was the perfect way to "get in the spirit" when he got home.  We changed into out tropical clothes to decorate the tree, open presents, and have our Christmas feast.  I think our family picture gives away that Pilegaard baby #2 is on the way.

With love.