I haven't updated in awhile...maybe because I added another boy to the family 3 short months ago? Life with 3 boys is BUSY! We are slowly getting into a new routine, but some days are just plain hard! Everyone asks me how Colton is doing with having a little brother. The answer is...Colton is doing just fine! He actually seems kind of indifferent about it. He doesn't pay much attention to him. Every once in awhile he will tell Asher to "Stop!" crying. Or he will go get a pacifier and take it to Asher and try to give it to him. But other than that, Colton just does his own thing. He's never mean to the baby and he never tries to hurt him. He might get a little jealous at times, but only when he's tired and he wants me to hold him. Things are going pretty well!
I just thought I would give an update on where Colton is developmentally, just 3 months shy of being a big 3 year old!
Physical Therapy
Colton is a walking machine right now. He is all over the place, which I love. Colton is working on walking up stairs, but that's really hard for him because it requires him to be able to shift his weight from one foot to the other. He is very cautious when it comes to stairs and uneven surfaces. He always stops and holds his hand out or moans for help. He can crawl up them, but he hasn't mastered going down them. Just going from the house to the garage is hard for him because it's a small step down...he's always very cautious and tries to hold the wall to help steady himself. He doesn't always make the transition well and falls. Sometimes he gets scared so he will sit and scoot or crawl into the garage. We are working on it! He is also working on jumping. Bending his legs and jumping up and down is hard for him. He loves to be on the trampoline, but he doesn't technically jump. He can bounce a little but usually sits down and lets Weston bounce him. He is also working on climbing. We've been to two birthday parties recently where I have had to go in the bounce house or in the maze to help him because he's not able to climb up the slide by himself. He gets frustrated because most of the other kids can, so Mama to the rescue. I can't stand for my baby not to be able to join in on the fun! I know it won't be long before he's doing it all by himself. Colton also needs help with running. He can walk pretty fast but I wouldn't say he can run just yet. His PT is working on building more leg and butt muscles so that he can better balance on one foot and support more of his body weight. But he's doing really well! I can't believe that he went from not being able to get his legs and arms off of the floor as a baby to a walking toddler. So thankful for the 2 PT's that have poured so much energy into him over the last 2.5 years! It was definitely worth the wait!
Occupational Therapy
Colton is working on using utensils when he eats. He is getting so much better with using a spoon and a fork. He sometimes has trouble scooping the food, but he's good about bringing it to his mouth. He uses a curved spoon that makes it easier for him. He doesn't always want to feed himself, so sometimes I just have to walk away from him, but he can do it. It might be messy, but he can do it! I sometimes have to put a finger under his elbow to cue him to lift the spoon or scoop with the spoon. Colton is also working on self help skills like brushing his teeth and hair, taking on and off his glasses, taking on and off his clothes, etc... He can't quite dress and undress himself, yet, but he will help if you start the process. Colton's OT is working on his pincer grasp (index finger and thumb). Colton's hands are kind of mushy (for lack of a better word), so he can't really do much with his fingers. For example, he can't hold up 2 fingers very well to show me he's 2. He just doesn't have the finger strength to do that yet. Some sign language is hard for him if it requires the fingers (example, the "I love you" sign). Colton is good about doing chunky puzzles and putting coins into a piggy bank. His fine motor skills are improving and I'm so proud of him. Colton used to like to throw puzzle pieces instead of put them where they go, but he's stopped doing that. He has a very good attention span and concentrates really hard. I know he's probably doing more things in OT...but I can't think of anything else at the moment!
Feeding Therapy
Colton is definitely showing improvement in his feeding skills. We actually had a swallow study done last month and we found that Colton is swallowing better since he had his tonsils and adenoids removed. He did not aspirate on any liquids they gave him. We were thickening Colton's drinks to "Stiff Honey" (which is really thick), but we are now allowed to thicken them to "Honey" for the next month and then we will slowly wean him down to "Nectar" (which is the last step before drinking regular liquids). Colton hasn't had anything thin to drink since he was 2 months old, so we have to slowly wean him because he's not used to it. I'm so excited that he's showing improvement!
Colton's biggest issue right now is chewing. Colton doesn't chew food. He smashes it on the roof of his mouth or swallows it whole. Colton does have good safety skills because he will spit something out if it's too big to swallow, so that's awesome. He almost never gags or chokes on food anymore. Colton LOVES to eat and will eat almost anything I feed him. I just have to cut things up small. He likes spaghetti, lasagna, roast, carrots, mashed potatoes, applesauce, eggs, yogurt, bananas, beans, turkey, nutrigrain bars, pumpkin bread, meatloaf, etc.... Our problem is not him liking the food, it's him chewing the food and feeding himself. His therapist is amazing and I can see him progressing, slowly but surely. I did give him part of a grilled cheese sandwich the other night and he picked it up, took a bite, and was able to swallow it. Hallelujah! Colton still doesn't have all of his teeth yet...the dentist thinks he's missing 2 teeth on top (next to the two front teeth). He's just now getting his canines on top, even though he already has the molars. But that's common for kids with Ds. So maybe more teeth will encourage him to chew? Let's hope so because Mama's ready to give that kids some goldfish and not worry about him.
The picture above shows Colton drinking from a big boy cup! Colton will always drink from a straw cup because straws help to build/maintain muscle tone in the face/mouth. His therapist puts a "straw block" in his straw so that he has to use his lips to suck as opposed to his tongue. She doesn't want him to wrap his tongue around the straw to drink. We are supposed to use our lips to drink from a straw. The straw block makes it harder for him to drink, but it's good for him. He does really well with it. I would say that right now, feeding is our biggest challenge. It's so frustrating for me...packing his lunch is hard, being patient during mealtimes is hard, getting him to cooperate, at times, is hard, letting him get messy is hard.....Whew! I'm ready for him to become an independent eater. Especially now that little brother is here. I just have to continue to be PATIENT and continue to work with him at home.
Speech
Colton is in a Language Intensive Class this year. His Speech Therapist services all of the kids in his class. She comes in the room to do whole group lessons, regularly. The things that she sends home to work on with him are awesome! He lights up when we practice. Here are a few things:
Things I can do all by myself
Learning body parts
Motions to the Wheels on the Bus
Learning how to clean up
They also use a lot of songs to encourage speech. Colton absolutely loves music. He "sings" along to songs as we ride in the car. Every once in awhile, I'll hear him say a word in the song at the right time and it makes my heart soar. Colton is doing really well with speech. He knows a lot of sign language, but he also says a lot of words.
A few words he says regularly are:
Up, Down, Ball, More, Eat, Juice, Show (as in tv show), Stop, Dog, Animal Noises (Woof Woof, Baaaaa, Roar, Moo, Oink Oink), Green, Red, Blue, Yellow (in his own way), Me, Bath, Go, Bye Bye, Alright, Ok, yes, no, utoh, beep beep, baby, book, open, Amen...
He also really tries to mimic words I say to him even though he might not say them clearly. But he's trying really hard. Sometimes he likes to moan for things he wants, but I have to make him stop and ask me with words. I'm so proud of him! He really amazes me that he even talks at all because a lot of kids with Ds are nonverbal. His therapists are AMAZING!
Overall, Colton is doing really well! His school is fabulous! He loves to go to school and rarely ever cries when I leave him. He has gotten a happy face every single day since he started Mid-August. Colton is such a happy and fun child. He makes us laugh and smile every single day. Watching him learn and develop is my favorite! He has come so far in the past 2.5 years and it's because I have so many people helping me every single day. So thankful for my village. Colton is a lucky little boy!
