LIFE AS WE KNOW IT: January 2012

I HAVE BEEN SLACKING LATELY WITH MY BLOG, BUT LIFE IS JUST TOO BUSY SOMETIMES.

SINCE MY LAST BLOG ETHAN HAS IMPROVED SO MUCH AND IS CRAWLING ALL OVER THE PLACE. IT IS AMAZING TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. SINCE HE HAS STARTED CRAWLING, HIS SPEECH IS GETTING BETTER ( HE IS MORE VOCAL AND MAKING A WIDER RANGE OF NOSIE) AND HIS EATING HAS GOTTEN BETTER. HE IS REALLY GETTING THE HANG OF EATING MORE SOLIDS AND TRYING NEW FOODS. FROM DAY ONE OUR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST ALWAYS TOLD US EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED AND WE ARE NOW SEEING IT FIRST HAND.

WE ARE STILL DOING HIS 3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF THERAPY, AND I THINK HE IS PROGRESSING IN ALL OF THEM. LETS CATCH UP.

SPEECH- STILL NO MORE WORDS, BUT LIKE I MENTIONED ABOVE MORE NOSIE. HE ALSO HAS LEARNED A FEW MORE SIGNS. SPEECH IS ONE THAT WE KNOW WILL NOT COME EASY AND COULD TAKE A WHILE BEFORE ANYMORE WORDS COME. SO RIGHT NOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK HARD ON HIS SIGNS AND CONTINUE TO BE IMPRESSED WITH HOW SMART ETH IS. HE CATCHES ON SO QUICKLY IT'S AMAZING.

WE TOOK HIM TO GO GET HIS HAIR CUT THE OTHER DAY AND THE LADY LET ETH PLAY WITH HER COMB, WHEN SHE TOOK IT AWAY HE STARTED SIGNING " MORE PLEASE" THE LADY COULDN'T BELEIVE IT, SHE WAS VERY IMPRESSED AND SO WAS I. I KNOW HE CAN DO IT BUT NOT OFTEN DOES HE DO IT TO PEOPLE HE DOESN'T KNOW. THEN WE WERE LEAVING AND ETHAN SIGNED " THANK YOU". IT IS SO NICE TO SEE EVEN THOUGH HE CAN'T SAY IT HE CAN STILL COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE.

OCCUPATIONAL - ETH IS IMPROVING TREMENDOUSLY WHEN IT COMES TO EATING. FOR A WHILE THERE I WAS NERVOUS THAT WE WOULD BE FEEDING HIM BABY FOOD FOREVER, BUT ONCE HE GOT THE CONCEPT HE HAS ONCE AGAIN PROVEN ME WRONG. ETH LOVES TRYING NEW FOODS, AND WE HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING HE DOESN'T LIKE YET. IT IS ALSO SO MUCH EASIER FOR US TO JUST FEED HIM A LITTLE OF WHAT WE ARE EATING INSTEAD OF MAKING HIM HIS OWN MEAL.

PHYSICAL- HE IS CRAWLING AROUND ALL OVER THE PLACE ( THAT IS SOFT) HE IS STILL NOT A FAN OF CRAWLING ON THE HARDWOOD FLOORS, BUT I DON'T REALLY BLAME HIM. WE ARE NOW WORKING ON STANDING. DURING THERAPY WE PUT HIS LITTLE ANKLE BRACES AND SHOES ON AND PRACTICE STANDING HOLDING ON TO THE TABLE OR COUCH. HE LOVES TO PRACTICE STANDING, AND USUALLY CRIES WHEN WE ARE DONE. THE GOOD NEWS IS HE IS INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW TO STAND ON HIS OWN AND TRIES REALLY HARD, THE BAD NEWS IS HE HAS ZERO BALANCE. IT IS GOING TO TAKE HIM SOME TIME TO GET A HANG OF THIS NEW CHALLENGE, BUT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE ETHAN WILL DO IT ON HIS OWN TIME.

IT HAS FINALLY HIT ME THAT I NEED TO START TAKING BETTER CARE OF MYSELF TO HELP ETHAN. NOW THAT HE EATS WITH US A LOT MORE, WE NEED TO EAT A LOT HEALTHIER. I AM TRYING TO COOK MORE AT HOME, AND AM TRYING TO ADD SOME NEW HEALTHY SNACKS TO THE HOUSE. FOR ANYONE WHO KNOWS US KNOWS THAT THIS WILL BE EXTREMLY HARD FOR KEVIN AND I, WE EAT MORE JUNK FOOD THAN ANYONE I KNOW, LUCKY FOR US WE HAVE THE CUTEST LITTLE MOTIVATOR .

SPEAKING OF MOVTIVATION MY SISTER TALKED ME INTO DOING A YOGA CLASS SUNDAY. NEVER DOING YOGA BEFORE I HAD NO IDEA HOW HARD THE CLASS WOULD BE. IT DOESN'T HELP THAT I AM IN THE WORST SHAPE OF MY LIFE, BUT I STILL DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE HARD FOR ME. I WAS SO WRONG. DURING THE CLASS THE INSTRUCTOR TOLD US TO THINK OF ONE PERSON THAT NEEDS GOOD ENERGY AND OF COURSE ETHAN WAS MINE. THROUGH OUT THE CLASS DURING THE HARDEST TIMES THAT I WANTED TO QUIT, I KEPT THINKING ABOUT HOW HARD ETH HAS TO WORK EVERYDAY JUST TO DO THE LITTLE THINGS WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, AND I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT HOW HARD HE GETS PUSHED AT PHYSICAL THERAPY AND THAT WE NEVER LET HIM QUIT. TO ME THAT WAS ALL THE MOTIVATION I NEEDED TO PUSH THROUGH THAT CLASS NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I WANTED TO QUIT. ETHAN HAS GIVEN ME STRENGTH WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING. NOW EVERYTIME I WORKOUT AND I THINK OF THOSE THERAPY SESSIONS WHEN ETHAN CRIED AND CRIED BECAUSE HE WAS PUSHING HIMSELF SO HARD, IT HELPS ME PUSH THROUGH MY OWN STRUGGLES.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, HERE ARE SOME CUTE LITTLE PICTURES