Presents

The advantage of having a large extended family is that you get presents from everyone. My parents had to get rid of/store my "baby" toys to make room for all my new toys from Christmas, and there still may be more to come! My dad didn't stop there, he got rid of/stored numerous items throughout the house. I believe this is what is called spring cleaning, only it's winter (although that's questionable in FL) and he's not done yet. I guess after all his traveling for work, the first week home makes him want to reorganize everything. More room for me!

As far as my new skills go, I give kisses all the time; say "hi there" to callers on the phone; climb (or attempt to) up your leg; I am starting to hold my own bottle (with daily practice); starting to tilt my sippy cup (non-straw kind) to drink from it; and the biggest news of the week - I sleep in my own toddler bed (not with my parents)! I didn't even fuss the first night in it. What a guy.

Gait Trainer - Denied

Happy holidays my fellow readers! Guess what? We just received a copy of a letter from United Healthcare stating that they are denying the claim for my gait trainer. I think I need an attorney. This sounds like it's going to be a big mess. Meanwhile, I will continue to dream of running after the dog and just sit in one spot. Why? Because I can't move without my gait trainer. The battle continues...

Sitting

It's official - I can sit! Not the conventional way, but it works. I start out on my tummy, get my knees under me, push up on my hands, an ta da - I'm sitting! I've done it outside of my house now to welcome the applause of my many fans. I even did it with my braces on.

On another note, I throw tantrums, throw myself backwards and cry all the time. Screaming is the ultimate! There's never a dull moment with me.

SMO's

I got my braces yesterday. They are called Supra Malleolar Orthotics (SMO's). They fit just above my ankle. They're made of molded hard plastic with foam on the inside. My shoes don't fit anymore.

We went shoe shopping and it was a task to find a wide enough shoe. We picked up something at Stride Rite, but not before being denied trying on shoes at Dillards. The salesman, however polite he was, was afraid that I would be wearing the wrong shoes and therefore did not bring any out for me to try on. It wasn't his decision to make and I got new shoes anyway, just somewhere else. Their loss.

Now when I stand, my ankles don't turn in anymore. I feel confident, yet I'm still getting used to them. It's like I'm wearing two pairs of shoes at the same time. Do I need more feet?

Mrs. Greta (PT) expects these will work wonders for me and hopes that I will one day downgrade to a discreet shoe insert.

New Word: Hat

Thanks to my speech therapist, Amy, (and Mr. Potato Head), I now know what a hat is, where to put it and how to say it. It does not work well with other items (food, utensils, coasters, crackers), but I try to place them on my head as well. The sticky ones work best.

Today at hippotherapy, I impressed everyone by not crying when my helmet was put on. I patted it and repeated, "hat" to make sure everyone was on the same page. They complimented me for sitting on the horse so nice and straight, and for carrying my babbling conversation while riding. My horse, Sunny, resembled a rainbow zebra today because she had been drawn on with sidewalk chalk by some kids yesterday. I like the new look and apparently she didn't mind it so much herself.