We Got a Walker!

Well, he is full out walking now. He is so happy with his new freedom. We have fallen many times and have put a goose-egg on the 'ol noggin 3 times...in the same place! I was a little freaked at first because it kept hitting in the same place, but the therapist said, it probably will keep happening in the same place. He has a bit of a restriction in his back and neck that is related to all the months of lying around on his back. She is working through that, but he is weak...and it make his suceptable to falling. The sitter has hard wood floors, hence the bumps on the head. He got his first bloody nose on Thursday! He fell flat on his face on the hard floors....kind of glad I wasnt' there for that one. But, it hasn't stopped him, he is on the move and happy!

He is starting to smile more for the camera...that is if you can catch him and get him to stand still long enough to take the picture. We are still seeing the therapist each week. She is working on the restriction, and trying to teach him to climb. (Thanks for that one!) He is trying to crawl a little bit, but the restriction really keeps him from wanting to. The sad part is, once he falls down, it is hard for him to get up. He can finally put himself into a sitting position from a laying position...but he has be to next to something to pull up to stand, he can't get off the floor without help. So she is working on that too. She has ordered some inserts for his shoes, we will get them on Monday. She said that he is putting all his weight on the outside of his feet, and these will help shift the weight. So, it should help with the balance. He actually is used to the routine of going to therapy and actually likes Ms. Donita. He has fun with her. We really have been pleased with the work she has done with him.

He really has changed so much in the 5 months that we have had him. It is amazing to think back to being in Vietnam, and he couldn't even sit up very well on his own. We had to prop him up with pillows! (see to the left) He was not mobile at ALL! Even his smile has changed so much. For one, he has 8 teeth, but he now has a twinkle in his eye that wasn't there before. He really seems like a happy little boy and really has adjusted very well. He is not as afraid to be out of my sight now. He doesnt' cry when I drop him off at the sitters each morning. He really enjoys her kids and has a good time. He recognizes the kids when he sees them out and about. He saw her older son at a football game last weekend and started smiling and making faces. He even went and sat with him for a little while.

The football game was so much fun. He was laughing, clapping, dancing to the music. He loved to stomp his feet on the bleachers...because of the loud sound it made. When the crowd would cheer and clap, he would clap his hands and say "yay". He really hasn't increased his vocabulary much, he still says the same words...ball, bye, mom, elmo, yay. He babbles a lot, points to everything and wants you to say what it is. He can point to his body parts (head, belly, ears, sometimes the nose) He understands all directions you give him....like where are your socks and he finds them....or lets change your diaper and he heads to his room. I really think the lack of a big vocabulary is because he is just stubborn and doesn't want to say words!

We are going to visit Nana and Papa next week. They are very excited about the visit. They haven't seen him in over a month. So, we will see how the long road time goes again. Hopefully, he will sleep. I think we are going to purchase a DVD player for the road trips. Last time, I borrowed a friends and it did save us! Of course...ELMO is what we watched. We have several Elmo's World DVDs....thanks to a friend that gave them to us. We have our final Post Placement visit next weekend. And then we will start with the re-finalization. We hope to have that complete in December. Well, it is off to prepare for the BIG game. It is time I teach my son that even though he lives in Oklahoma, he is still a Texas fan!!!! Go UT! Hook em Horns!