Monday we had our first evaluation from the physical therapist. I will say it actually went pretty good. Ms. Marcia gave us some exercises to work on to help Camden start noticing his feet. He doesn't really know they are there yet, so we play with his feet and try to get him to grab his feet as well. It's something we can do while doing diaper changes so it's not really like "work". We are also focusing on getting him to roll both directions. He is rolling front to back still, but has not rolled back to front. So, that is something that we will work toward. His head control is definitely getting better, but he still bobbles it from time to time. In the beginning the one thing that was drilled into my brain was "tummy time...tummy time...tummy time". I will admit that we probably have not done as much tummy time as we should, but we are getting better. Most days I just find snuggling much more fun! She said she was pretty impressed with his tone and thought he was doing great. She thinks being a preemie helps him because preemies tend to have higher tone than typical babies. I guess the higher tone in certain areas helps to balance the low tone. This is pretty evident in his arms and legs, but the low tone does show in his neck and core. PT will come out once a month which doesn't seem like a lot, but she said that our SST will work on these same exercises too when she comes. Still waiting to hear from OT. Grrrrrrr...
This is a chart I found online that shows the range in which kiddos with Ds hit their milestones.
Monday afternoon we had a repeat swallow study. I'm happy to report that Camden has been cleared for thin liquids!!! Yay!!! I was pretty surprised by this, and I think that the SLP was too. He was so funny during the study because he would not stop smiling. There were about 5 people in the room and I guess he liked all the attention. When I would put the bottle in his mouth he wouldn't eat because he was grinning ear to ear. I wish I would have had a video camera. It was cute, but I really wanted to get it over with quickly so there wasn't a lot of exposure to the radiation. We eventually got what we needed and his smiles left everyone in a good mood.
It's amazing how much he has grown from the last one. He didn't even fit in the seat the first time and we had to roll up blankets to put behind him and beside him to keep him upright. This time he fit perfectly. My little baby boy is getting so big!
Even Camden was excited that he passed!
I'm not sure if these were for Carter to play with, but he sure did have a grand ol time building a fort out of them. I actually think they were little seats for the waiting area.
Thursday we went to Rylie's scholarship ceremony. He is a senior in high school and will be attending college this fall. Various places around Mineral Wells award scholarships of different amounts to students of their choice that filled out applications. He was awarded 3 scholarships and we couldn't be more proud! It's hard to believe my stepson will be 18 in a couple of days! Carter was super excited to spend time with his big bubba (even though he talked and laughed during much of the ceremony).
Friday we met my mom at Chuck E. Cheese so Carter could play some games. He loves that place! I was also so excited to get some Camden smiles on camera! Every time I pull out the camera he stops smiling. I got some good ones though. I apologize to all of you who saw this picture on facebook, but I love it!
All in all it was a great week and I anticipate more great weeks to come! Now that we are heading into spring/summer (though I don't think Texas weather got the memo) there will be tons of fun to be had!We do have a busy couple of months ahead filled with doctor's appointments and therapy, but I have come to accept that it is part of our new "normal".
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Oh, he is too cute!!
ReplyDeleteThose Ds milestones charts have such a wide range in all areas don't they! Just goes to show you can never compare two kids with Ds. Each child is so different.
One thing our PT did to help Russell find his feet was put a little bell on his ankle, so every time he moved it would jingle a bit.
Oh, and you're my 100th follower!!! Yaay! I feel you deserve some sort of an award!! lol
Oh thanks for reminding me about the bells on the feet! Our PT suggested that too and I totally forgot. I'm definitely trying not to compare or get discouraged on the milestone thing. I have a feeling that will get harder as he gets older.
DeleteYay for number 100! Loved the haircut post by the way! :)