Stepping progress

I like to stand now and sometimes even step towards my destination. Here I am this weekend at my Uncle Sergio and Aunt Gloria's house "stepping" into the pool. I am still working on supporting my own weight.

I was also at a different pool this weekend where I was encountered by a two year-old girl who liked me very much. I didn't mind her. She hugged me and kissed me and I allowed her affection between moments of splashing and swimming with my dad.

We borrowed an aluminum walker and set it up this past week. A few months ago when we initially got it, I was not tall enough to hold onto it. Now, however, I can hold onto the sides and take a few steps with some assistance. I even stepped and kicked a ball today! I like this walker because there is nothing in front of me. I could potentially reach objects in front of me with ease. That is, when I don't require two hands holding and am less wobbly. I might even like it better than my gait trainer. I haven't decided yet.

Weekend

I took some backwards steps in my walker. Does that count? I wasn't wearing any shoes or braces. I usually just sit in it, slump, stare and snack. That is until I see or hear something exciting (like a song, or Elmo). Then I stand up straight. I require motivation. Sometimes, when I get pushed forward I take some steps. I think I take more steps the old-fashioned way. That is where an adult holds me securely under my arms and we move forward. Sure, it may be backbreaking for them, but my hard work will be more appreciated when we're both tired at the end.

My parents finished a jigsaw puzzle that they had worked on for the past two weekends. After all their hard work and dedication, they gladly allowed me to disassemble it. I picked up an edge and it slowly fell apart. I tried to eat a few pieces, but my plan was derailed. All the pieces ended up back in the box.

I fall often. I fell off the big couch today and my little couch yesterday. I do not enjoy falling. I cry every time. I enjoy books, bubbles, balls and television the most. I am learning to break my falls better though.

I have been a fussy sleeper this past week. Is it growing pains? Am I cramping from over activity? All I know is it makes me tired early and I take longer naps. Hopefully this will soon pass and not get worse. We'll keep an eye out on my sleep patterns.

EEG

I had an EEG on Friday. It was in follow-up to my seizure last month. I had to be sleep deprived for this procedure. It was so hard staying awake in the car. My mom sat in the back and distracted me with flash cards while my dad drove to ACH in St. Pete.

We had a nice lunch outside in downtown St. Pete. I was given crayons, which I attempted to eat, and colored on and off the paper, on the chair as well. When we got to the neurologist's office, I didn't go down without a fight. The lady squirted my head with paste-like goo, stuck an electrode on it (non-wireless) and tape over it. There must have been 20 of them, all while I screamed and my dad held me wrapped in a blanket. Then my head was wrapped like a mummy. A few minutes later, I was safely being rocked to sleep. I passed out pretty fast and I didn't even notice the strobe light in front of my face.

I passed the test. Everything came back normal. I am not prone to seizures. To celebrate, I impressed the neurologist by crawling on all fours across the room. It was more like a scoot/crawl, but I stayed on my knees. She thinks I'm great.

Opthamologist

At my follow-up appointment today, Dr. Silverman immediately noticed strabismus in my right eye. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes. Since my entire right side is weaker, it affects my right eye, making it turn outward sometimes. We have been following my strabismus, but the doc never noticed it before, and when he did today, it indicated that it was getting worse. He suggested eye muscle surgery pending the outcome of another examination next month.

Weekly report

I have a Gymboree membership for the next few months. I attend a class on Saturdays for kids 16-22 months even though I am 24 months. Each week there's a theme. Lately, it has been "through". I went through the tunnel, etc. I need to work on my sharing skills because I often want to stay in the tunnel and encourage others not to come in. It was better for me to attend this class since younger kids are less coordinated. This makes it's easier for me to play with them. I could perhaps even learn something from observing them. So far, I am the only kid in the class who doesn't walk. I require assistance to participate in climbing, sliding, standing, etc. Nevertheless, I enjoy the class. Especially the singing and bubbles at the end.

The terms of my membership say I can also attend on weekdays for open play. I went on Tuesday and there was no one else there. It was like having a giant physical therapy room all to myself. Looks like we'll be taking it easy on weekdays and not go because I get too tired and didn't sleep well at night. It's almost like my body can't relax even though I'm sleeping. I had muscle spasms and was tired and cranky the next day.

My speech therapist, Amy, complimented me on having a long attention span, speaking more and speaking clearly. She said it was indeed rare seeing a kid my age focus as well and as long as I do. I pick things up quickly too. I must be a genius in the works. She said even in comparison with other physically challenged kids, I am exceptional. (Note to self: remember to include Ms. Amy in future awards speech.) I also said "thank you" for the first and at an appropriate time.

Now that I'm two, my mom gets kicked out of the OT and PT rooms. She is forced to watch from a jail-like double sided mirror. She can see in, but we can't see out. Apparently this is the age when all the parents get kicked out. Kids require one authority figure during session and often seek out their parent for consolation in order to avoid "working". I throw a fit every time I begin even though it doesn't last long.

In PT, it's down to business. There's no more messing around. Ms. Greta put me on the treadmill. As I hang from my parachute harness contraption, My feet, in braces, are placed on the treadmill and away we go. I take a few steps at the beginning and suddenly become fascinated with the movement below me. The feeling of my shoes dragging along the moving tread. I am not walking. I am zoned out. Ms. Greta picks my feet up and makes them move in a stepping motion. This is what I must eventually do myself.

Da

I was done eating dinner and mom was cleaning up, so I called out for dad. "Daaaa, daaa, daaa." When he arrived, I immediately said "bath" and "all done." Apparently a daily routine really works. I have now begun to make requests.

Library

Today is my day off from therapy. I decided to try something new and went to the library. There, Granny Goose played with puppets, explained cardboard display charts, sang songs and read us a story. There were lots of other kids there. I didn't pay too much attention to the story, unless it was a song, but rather dug through my mom's purse. It was more like a treasure hunt. I found a pen and lots of paper and proceeded to draw all over everything. I especially liked drawing on the library flyers and newsletter we picked up. They looked kinda plain and needed my touch or art.

Afterwards, we applied for and were approved for a library card. The youth library entrance welcomes it's visitors via fish tank. I counted the fish. No matter how many there really were, there were always ten to me. We rented some movies and returned home for a nap.