9 Month Checkup and Speech Evaluation

This week I took Colton for his 9 month checkup. In the waiting room, I filled out the ASQ that they have you do at every checkup appointment. Well...Colton pretty much failed it. But guess what? I wasn't sad about it...I actually chuckled. I didn't let it bother me. I CAN'T let it bother me. Colton is not a typical baby. He is not doing what most 9 month old babies are doing...and that's ok!!! Colton is moving at his own pace...all babies move at their own pace. He probably functions more like a 6 or 7 month old. But the good news is...Colton is healthy and happy! And he's BIG! Here are his stats...



These are the stats for a TYPICAL baby. Colton is pretty much in the 70th percentile for both height and weight. On the Down Syndrome scale, he's even higher than 70th percentile...like almost off the charts. The doctor laughed. She was very happy with his growth...and I'm glad to see that his height and weight are proportional. He's slowly starting to get longer which is making him look less chubby. But there's still plenty of chub to go around.



Colton gets so excited about the noises the paper makes on the table. He likes to wiggle around and pretend he's gonna fly away. This is his Superman pose.



I was excited he wasn't going to have to get any shots....until they asked about his Flu Shot. So...we did get a Flu Shot. He cried pretty good, but calmed down after a couple of minutes. All of these pictures are pre-flu shot. Unfortunately, he has to go back in a month for another dose since it's his first one.



Moving on to his Speech Evaluation. Last week, he was evaluated at Access for Language and Feeding. His Feeding Evaluation was first. The Speech Therapist fed him different foods to see how he could manage them. We did green beans (Level 1 baby food) and then thickened it with oatmeal. She liked the way he was eating the food off of the spoon, but he was having a little trouble with the thick textures because they would leave residue on his tongue. We gave him some Puffs and sometimes he'd lose them in his cheeks. A typical baby would move their tongue to find the food in their cheek, but Colton just lost it completely. We had to go fish it out to show him that he still had food in his mouth. Sometimes, he'd push the puff back out with his tongue thrusting. With DS, they usually move their tongues in and out, not side to side (tongue lateralization)...so that's something he needs help with. The therapist said that he's probably 2 months behind where he should be with eating. Most of that is my fault. I'm that mom that is paranoid about kids choking, so I don't experiment a lot. I kind of stick to things that I know they can't choke on. I did the same thing with Weston. With Colton, I've been even more paranoid because I don't want him learning bad tongue habits that are going to cause more Speech issues in the future. Also, he has a very sensitive gag reflex, so he tends to gag on the tiniest things (like a puff broken into thirds). So, most of the delays he has are because of lack of exposure. The Speech Therapist told me that she could help me. He would automatically qualify just because of his aspirating issues, but he is also a little behind where he should be. I told her that I really WANTED her help! I'm not a professional and I'm really dreading the change from bottles to real food. I've got the bottles down pat and switching means a whole new learning curve for me. I know I have to do it, but I'm anxious. I've tried to use a straw sippy cup with Colton a few times because that's what they recommend, and it's easier said than done. I put the straw in his mouth and he just doesn't know what to do with it. A typical baby would close their lips on it and suck, but he just doesn't. I really could use her help with that, too. That's the first thing she wants to work with him on. He needs to be able to suck out of a cup for when we switch to milk. Straws are better because they work all of the muscles in the face and we want to preserve the tone he has in his face. A regular sippy cup requires you to throw your head back and open the airway, which isn't great for a child who aspirates.

So...Colton is going to qualify for Feeding Therapy. He will go 2 times a week for 30 minute sessions. It will be directly after his Physical Therapy, so that's perfect for me! I'm very happy to have help as we make the transition from bottles to food!

Colton also had a Language Evaluation last week. It was basically a lot of questions for me to answer about Colton's communication. For example, does Colton make any consonant sounds? Does he understand what "NO" means? Does Colton babble? When you say Daddy's home, does Colton look around for Daddy? Does Colton look for you if you talk to him from the kitchen? Does Colton play peek-a-boo? Will Colton wave to you if you wave to him? Etc... Colton scored an 85. He is right on the border between Average and Below-Average. Babies don't qualify unless they are below a 77. So...Colton will not qualify for Language at this time. Language is actually a strength for him. He will give us a high five, he is starting to wave, and he likes to babble (making consonant sounds Ma and Ba). I've posted a video on my Instagram that shows him "talking." It's so cute. It makes me so proud that he's trying to communicate. Colton will be reevaluated in the next 6 months to see if he qualifies at that time. But until then, I'll keep practicing at home. She gave me lots of great ideas for encouraging communication, including games that teach conversational skills (I shake the rattle, you shake the rattle).

Our sweet baby Colton is doing really well. He's getting stronger. He's obviously happy. We are thankful for his health and growth. He's a blessing to our family. He's 9 months of AWESOME!

Mommy's Unexpected Hospital Stay

Well, the last 36 hours have been rough for me. Here's the story about how I ended up in the hospital...

On August 22, I got a positive pregnancy test. This came as a huge SHOCK for Hunter and me. We weren't trying to get pregnant. We hadn't planned on trying for another 5 or 6 months. Colton was only 7 months old, which would mean he'd only be 15-16 months old when baby #3 arrived. We were a little anxious and excited and surprised! We both decided that there was no need to worry. God is in control and He knows what's best for our family. So...we went on with life and kept it a secret. We made it to our 8 week appointment. At our ultrasound, we saw a heartbeat. Our doctor told us that if we made it to the 8 week mark and saw a heartbeat, we only had a 3% risk of miscarriage. We decided that we'd wait until 10 weeks to have blood drawn for genetic testing and gender reveal. We were getting excited, but still didn't feel ready to share our news with the world.

On Tuesday, September 27th at 9.5 weeks pregnant, I started spotting. The nurse called me that morning and told me that my labs showed I had a UTI. I asked her if spotting was normal with a UTI and she told me that sometimes can happen. I thought nothing of it. Unfortunately that evening, I got a horrible headache that left me nauseous and unable to eat dinner. My spotting started to get worse and I decided to just go to bed. I slept for a few hours...but when I woke up around 10:30 pm, I knew that I was having a miscarriage. My doctor was on call that evening, so I spoke with her and she told me that if I started to feel dizzy or light-headed, or if I was bleeding really heavily, I needed to go to the ER. Around 1:30 am, I told Hunter that we needed to go to the hospital. His parents came to stay with the boys and we arrived at the hospital around 2 am. I was put in a room immediately. They wanted a urine sample and sent me to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I began feeling extremely light-headed and I yelled to Hunter that I needed help. Minutes later, I passed out and I woke up as they were transferring me from a wheelchair to my bed. I was so confused. My blood pressure was 70/30. My blood count went from a 10.5 to an 8.5 (12 is normal). One great thing was that my doctor was a friend from high school and college, Dr. Burroughs. It was nice to see a familiar face. I knew he'd take great care of me. He said that I was losing so much blood and I might need a blood transfusion, but they weren't going to do that just yet. I went for an ultrasound and had to have several exams. They called my OB and she asked them to give me Cytotek, which is similar to Pitocin. It would help control my bleeding. She told them that she wanted me admitted to the hospital and she'd take over from there. I was moved to a room on the 3rd floor. In that room, things went from bad to worse. The Cytotek was not helping, so they decided to give me more. The nurses left for a few minutes and during that time, I began to have a hot flash and get light-headed. I knew I was going to pass out again, so I pushed the Nurse button and told them "I'm going to pass out...HELP, HELP!" I passed out and woke up to 8 nurses around me. They had called in the Rapid Recovery Nurse, nurses from Labor and Delivery, a Respiratory Nurse, etc... (I scared the living daylights out of them). It's very scary to wake up to all of those faces staring at you. My blood pressure was 63/39. My blood count was a 7. They immediately brought in blood and started a new IV line. I received one unit of blood. My doctor came in and said that the Cytotek was not helping me and we needed to do an emergency D & C. She warned me that the lining of my uterus was soft and there was a risk she could puncture a hole in it, which might result in a total hysterectomy. I told her that I just wanted her to do whatever she needed to do to make this stop. I was so pale from all of the blood loss. I was down in the OR 30 minutes later. The procedure was quick and easy with no complications. My doctor is fabulous! As they were putting me to sleep, she was holding my hand and rubbing my arm and telling me, "It's okay, Carrie, I'm right here with you." She's been with me through all 4 of my miscarriages and she performed both of my D & C's. She's also the one that told me Colton had DS. I am so thankful for her. We have a special bond. I'm so thankful God led me to her 6 years ago.

In no time, I woke up in recovery. They made me stay in recovery until I received another unit of blood. They wanted my blood pressure to come up to the 90's. After 3 hours, I had four readings in the 90's, so they let me move back to my room on the third floor. I finally was able to see Hunter again and contact family and friends. They wanted me to stay overnight to make sure my BP and blood counts were getting back to normal. I have low blood pressure all of the time, but it's usually 110/55. They were happy with it being closer to 95/50. My blood count got to a 9.9. My D & C was exactly what I needed. After my surgery and blood transfusion, things go SO much better. Color returned in my face and I was able to walk around the room. I knew I was getting better because the nurses were coming in less frequently. I sent Hunter home to stay with our boys, and I had an evening to myself to rest. It was really strange to be in the hospital alone. I've only been in the hospital after having a baby, so I was used to a little more noise...and people. Today, September 29th, I was discharged at 11 am. I am now home with my boys. I'm still a little weak and have to take it easy for a few weeks, but I'm doing great. I've never been more excited to see my boys. Hunter walked in with Colton and I began talking...I've never seen his head whip around so fast to look for me.



I'm not sharing this story because I want people to feel sorry for me. Please don't feel sorry for me. I have not been emotional about this experience. To be honest, I didn't cry in the hospital at all. I've been down this road before and I'm at peace with God's decision. This baby was not meant to be. We are not meant to have a third child. When I found out I was pregnant, I prayed for a healthy, typical baby. God did not answer my prayers, and that's ok. I think of the song..."Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers." Hunter and I both said that if this pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, we were done having children. This is a sign from God. We have closure. We have decided to stop planning and start living. We are so very thankful for the two little boys that God gave us. It's a miracle, with my past, that they both made it and they're both so healthy. My body as been through enough in the past 6 years. I am done...and I'm completely okay with that. I am not the same person I was 6 years ago...I'm better. I'm stronger. I've learned how tough I am. My faith has grown ten-fold. This entire pregnancy, I kept saying over and over...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:6

I am okay, emotionally. Physically, I need some time to heal. But I'm excited to close this chapter of our lives and move on. I'm ready to enjoy my boys and watch them grow. Thank you God for my two little boys. We are a perfect family of 4!

Welcome to Holland

A friend shared this poem with me shortly after Colton was born. I remember reading it in the hospital with tears streaming down my face. What a beautiful poem. Life doesn't always play out the way we think it's going to play out...but that doesn't mean it won't be a fabulous journey. I get to experience Italy with Weston and Holland with Colton. My heart is full, and I thank God every day for my two most precious gifts.

Repeat Swallow Study at 8 Months

Yesterday, we went to Children's Hospital for our repeat Swallow Study. Colton isn't allowed to eat 3 hours before our appointment, so I had to wake him up from his nap to feed him earlier than normal. Poor baby! When we got to the Radiology Department, I was glad to see that we had the same Speech Pathologist as last time. His name was Drew. I think he remembered me...but not Colton. Colton's gotten rather large since our last visit at 2 months old. Hehe.

First, we went to a room to discuss Colton's current feeding schedule. I told him that we began introducing baby food once a day and he's been doing really well with it, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't aspirating on it. I told him that we thicken his bottles to Stiff Honey and I explained my current concoction of formula, rice cereal, and Thick It 2. He said that everything looks like it's working so far because he's obviously gaining weight and he hasn't had any respiratory illnesses which would be a result of aspirating.

Next, we went back to the X-Ray room. We strapped Colton in his highchair next to the machine. He was very cooperative and interested in what we were doing.



The X-Ray is on the right side and it shows his profile as he drinks a bottle. You can see the liquid entering his mouth and going down his throat because it has Barium in it. If he aspirates, you can see it go into the airway and we stop feeding him, immediately.



We started out using the Nuk bottle I brought from home. This is the bottle they recommended at our first Swallow Study because it has a flat-based nipple which is good for a low tone tongue. His tongue doesn't have to cup the nipple as much as a regular round nipple. They gave him Nectar thick formula. This is pretty thin, so he had trouble keeping up with the swallowing and did aspirate on it. So then we moved to Honey thick formula. He actually did pretty well on the Honey, compared to last time. He did swallow a good amount of it, but occasionally, he'd have a deep penetration (it would get into the yellow zone, which means it was headed to the airway, but he didn't always aspirate). After a little while of sucking, he finally did have an aspiration. However, he coughed when he aspirated. This is a good thing because at his last Swallow Study, he had silent aspirations....which can be very scary. This time, he noticed something wasn't right, so he coughed. His cough did not completely clear the airway, but he tried. We then tried Honey again with a different bottle and nipple (the MAM brand). This nipple also has a flat-based nipple, but it's not as big of a nipple so it's better for transitioning to a straw sippy cup. He did aspirate a little on the Honey thick, so we decided to stop the study. Drew said that he wasn't comfortable switching him to Honey just yet because he was having some deep penetrations and a few aspirations. I told him that this was completely fine with me. We've been doing Stiff Honey for awhile now and we are all used to it. He's doing well, he's not sick, he's gaining weight. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So...we will stay at Stiff Honey.

We also discussed what this means when he turns 1 and leaves the bottle. We will have to thicken all of his liquids to Stiff Honey. Luckily, at age 1, we can change thickening products. He is currently using Thick-It 2, which does upset his tummy without the rice cereal. So, at 1, we can switch to Simply Thick (you have to be over the age of 1 to use this product). Simply Thick is a gel packet that you squeeze into liquids and shake/stir. The good thing about Simply Thick is that it's easier to carry around with you because it's in these little individual packets. Thick-It 2 is a big tub of Splenda looking powder.





Also, Simply Thick stays the same consistency throughout the day. You can mix it into apple juice in the morning and it will stay the same thickness all day long. With Thick-It 2, it continues to thicken until you have a nasty paste in the bottom of your bottle/cup. I can't make bottles too early or they will get way too thick to eat and I have to dilute it with water. My PCP can send a prescription for the Simply Thick to a nearby Nutrition Store and they will mail the product to my house, monthly. It's so nice and easy for me! We actually were getting too much Thick-It 2, so I had to call them and ask them to stop for a few months so that we could use what we had, first. It's been so easy! Hallelujah!

During the study, we also fed Colton some applesauce with Barium in it. He swallowed the applesauce just fine. He did not aspirate on it, so I was really happy to see that. Drew said that some of the baby foods are thinner than others, so if I'm concerned it's too thin, I can always add some Thick-It 2 to the food and stir. It might slightly alter the taste, but not too much.

We will go back for another study in 10-12 months. We are hoping by then, Colton won't have to thicken to Stiff Honey anymore. He will eventually outgrow this aspirating thing, but sometimes it just takes time. I told Drew that I'm still paranoid about starting solids with him. I was with Weston, too, because I HATE choking babies. It freaks me out! But with Colton, I'm especially anxious because I don't want him learning bad eating habits that can cause more speech problems in the future. Drew said that maybe I can have him reevaluated for Speech Therapy now that he's getting ready to start solid foods. I'm gonna ask about that next week at Access. Children with DS can have issues with tongue lateralization, which can make eating solids more difficult. Plus, he doesn't have any teeth yet. Drew said that a lot of kids with DS will put a solid on their tongue and swallow it whole because they don't know what to do with it. Another learning curve for us, but we will figure it out. We always do!

God, thank you for a baby that is eating well, gaining weight, and not suffering from any respiratory illnesses!

8 Months!

Colton (aka "Pudge") is officially 8 months old! We went to the ENT a few weeks ago and he weighed in at a whopping 21 pounds. I looked his stats up on the DS chart and he was in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. He is still such a BIG boy! He's so big, he's starting to grow out of his 9 month pajamas! Oops! Time for some new jams!



We still have not mastered the art of sitting up, but we still continue to practice. Part of the problem is just Colton. He doesn't like to sit up. Every time we try, he throws his body back and arches. I don't think he likes his tummy scrunched up....or maybe it's tight on his hamstrings??? Who knows...but I really wish he'd sit up! I think he'd find that it's much more enjoyable. Our PT suggested we get him a chair that has a high back to practice, but that is also short enough for his feet to reach the ground. You can see him sitting in the yellow chair above. I'm not holding onto him and he can sit for a good while before he falls over. But don't leave him there alone...that could be dangerous!
Speaking of dangerous, he loves to flip out of this chair. Don't let that smile fool you...



He loves to play in his Baby Einstein jumper and has started to jump lately...hooray!!!



He also can finally grab his feet! To some, that may seem like an easy skill, but for Colton, it's been hard. Due to his low tone, his abs weren't strong enough for him to get his legs off of the floor. But he has no trouble with that now. They still can't quite reach his mouth, but I'm okay with that.



Colton enjoys watching Baby Einstein. His big brother likes to watch it with him, too. They are so cute together.



Colton absolutely LOVES Weston. It's so sweet! The other day, Weston was telling me a story about Ninja Turtles and he was being very animated. I look over and Colton is watching Weston with the biggest grin on his face...then he started laughing out loud. Weston, of course, loved that he made brother laugh, so he kept doing it over and over. It just melted my heart. I wish I could've gotten it on video.

Colton is doing a great job with eating. I'm only feeding him baby food 1x each day until we have our Swallow Study on September 15th. I'm hoping that he won't have to have his formula thickened to Stiff Honey anymore, but if he does, it's not the end of the world. I just want to make sure he's not aspirating. I know that it can take a few years before they outgrow the aspirating stuff...but it would be nice if we only had to thicken to Honey or Nectar.



Colton is still a very happy baby. He eats well and sleeps well. He likes to play with his toys and roll around on the floor. Sometimes, he gets stuck and can't quite figure out what to do...



We are loving our "Pudge!" He's getting so big and so strong. He continues to go to PT 2x each week. We are hoping that he will begin sitting up soon and pulling up into the crawling position....but that crawling brings all kinds of trouble. I don't know that I'm ready for that just yet.

I found this poem the other day and I thought I'd share it. I think it's so sweet. Colton is such a blessing to our family. Life just wouldn't be the same without him. We love our chubby, happy, strong 8 month old!

Two

Two. That was our number. We both agreed a long time ago that we wanted two kids. We liked the idea that we wouldn't be outnumbered. That we'd have a good even number. Two and done. So, while I was pregnant with Colton, I treated my pregnancy as if it were my last. I was fully prepared to end that chapter of our lives. Then, Mr. Colton entered this world with the greatest surprise imaginable. Our hospital experience with Colton was not the joyous event that you picture after giving birth to a baby. It was sad. It was hard. It was scary. 2 days after Colton was born, Hunter says to me, "I think we should have a third." What? Mr. I'm only having 2 kids now suddenly has a change of heart?? And...you want to talk about this NOW? We haven't even left the hospital and I have a 2 day old and I'm still trying to recover from delivering a BABY! I was completely shocked. I told him that we'd talk about it later, but for now, let's focus on the baby I just gave birth to...

Over the past 6 months, we've talked about having a third child. We have three main reasons for wanting a third child...

1. Weston could use another sibling in the future so that he doesn't have to take care of his parents and his brother all by himself. Colton will be in his 50's when we are in our 80's. We probably won't be able to take care of him like we need to at that time in our lives. We don't want all of the responsibility to fall onto Weston's shoulders. Another sibling would help him share in the decision-making and care-taking process.

2. It would be nice for Colton to have bookends...an older and younger sibling to watch out for him. A bigger brother to look up to and strive to be like and a little sibling to push him, who will still be around when Weston moves out one day. Colton already adores his big brother. I can only imagine how much joy another brother/sister would bring him.

3. Closure for us. Although we absolutely love our Colton and wouldn't trade him for the world, his entrance into this world was heartbreaking. The last memories we have of giving birth to a baby are sad memories. I'd love to end on a high note. Please don't take that the wrong way...we LOVE LOVE LOVE Colton...but with his birth came some of the lowest moments of our lives. We've totally bounced back, but we can't redo those first days in the hospital. They are forever tattooed on our hearts.

It's not easy just to say, "Let's have a third child!" With it comes anxiety. I'm very anxious to try again. I've had 3 miscarriages in the past, and I also have a higher chance of having another child with DS. Sure, it's only 1%, but that's a higher chance than before I had Colton (which was 1/700 or so depending on what website you read). A lot of people tell me, "I don't know of a family that has 2 children with DS." Well....I happen to know 2 families that do. So...it can happen. But really, with any pregnancy, you never know whether or not your child will be born with any kind of chromosomal or health issue. A 3rd child could have something completely different. You just never know. And it's scary to think about. If he/she has DS, we've obviously been down that road and know what to do...and Colton would have a sibling just like him.

Already thinking about having a third child seems a little crazy, especially after all of the time I put into therapy with Colton, but next August, Colton will start going to school full-time. With all of the therapy services he will need, we feel that it is in his best interest to be at school. Early intervention is key...and as much as I'm not gonna be ready to let my baby go...I know that I need to. So, with Weston and Colton in school, I'll have more time to care for a third child.

Lately, I've just prayed about it. With Colton, I prayed for a "healthy" baby...and that's exactly what God gave me. But now...I've added another word. I pray for a "healthy, typical" baby. I don't know what the future holds for our family. Will we have 2 kids or 3 kids? Only time will tell. Weston tells me that "when brother gets a little bit bigger, I want you to have a girl baby." It makes me laugh because MY plans are not always HIS plans.

So...I just have to Let Go and Let God. I can't worry about things that are out of my control. But I can pray. And I'd like to ask for your prayers, too. Maybe sometime in the future, God will bless us with another beautiful baby...a beautiful, healthy, "typical" baby.

Two. That was our number. But maybe, just maybe, it will be three.

Life at 7 months

Mr. Colton is being followed by the Genetics Clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital. They saw him shortly after he was born and wanted to see him again 6 months later. We went for our appointment last week. It's basically like any other well check, except he didn't get any shots. Our regular Pediatrician sees him, as well, so I always wondered why we had to be followed by Genetics, too. I think part of it may be for research, but most of it is to make sure we are doing everything for Colton that we should be doing. The Nurse Practitioner just asked me lots of questions about Colton (eating, sleeping, thyroid, swallow study, heart, therapy, etc...). She wanted me to make sure that at his 1 year check-up we have his thyroid checked again, along with his blood count. Children with DS are at a higher risk of having Leukemia...so we'll need to check his red and white blood cell counts just to make sure everything looks ok. She also wanted us to get an appointment with an ENT. Colton doesn't have any issues with ear infections, but because of his swallowing issues, she'd like for us to at least meet with an ENT so that we are being followed by one in case any problems arise in the future. We will meet with an ENT on August 19th. Colton will also have a repeat swallow study done on September 15th to see if he still needs his bottles thickened to stiff honey. Also, he's started eating Stage 1 baby food once a day, so we want to make sure he's not aspirating on that. Our Pediatrician told us that he most likely will be okay eating baby food because I can go at a slower pace while feeding him, as opposed to the quick "suck, swallow, suck, swallow" of a bottle. He will have time to swallow between bites. So far, he's doing great with baby food. He's had squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, and pears. He seems to like them all, but I think he likes apples the most! I kind of thought spoon feeding him would be a nightmare because of tongue thrusting issues, but really, it hasn't been bad at all. I just put the spoon in his mouth and wait for him to suck the food off of the spoon. A speech therapist told me to avoid swiping the spoon on his top lip to get the food into his mouth. The slower, the better. So, we just take our time and let him eat as much or as little as he wants to.

At the appointment, Colton weighed in at a whopping 20 pounds and is in the 90th percentile for weight on the DS scale. He was in the 75-90th percentile for height, too. He's a BIG baby...DS or not! Here are some pics at his check-up:








My mom is so sweet and made flashcards for Colton to use. My therapist suggested we start with 5 and show them to Colton daily. She also suggested using actual pictures of things from our house so that Colton recognizes them. The funny thing is...Weston loves them, too! He likes to look at all 20 of them. Hey, it's good sight word practice so Colton is happy to share.



She also suggested that we use Cause & Effect toys with Colton. I went to Babies R Us and looked for some toys that would be developmentally appropriate for Colton. It's crazy how shopping for baby toys has completely changed. With Weston, I just bought what looked fun...but with Colton, I look to see which toys would be the most beneficial for his development. This toy is a great toy because he can push the button and the door pops open. It startles him every single time, but it's really good for him. He can't quite do it alone, but I help him and I know he'll be able to do it soon. And of course...Weston loves to play with it, too!



I also look at furniture around my house differently. What can I use to help Colton learn to sit? I found this little thing in Weston's room that was actually Hunter's from when he was a little boy. I don't really know it's original purpose, but for Colton, it's a desk to help him learn to sit.



He loves to arch back, so I have to put soft things behind him to fall on. We want him to fall so that he learns that arching back has consequences. He doesn't like to sit there very long, but some time is better than no time.

Colton has officially found his hands! 2 weeks ago, he just started staring at his hands and turning them front to back. It's funny to watch. That's a 4 month skill, but that's ok! He knows he has hands now, so we want him to realize that he can use those hands for lots of things. He has decided that he wants to join the Men's Gymnastics team to compete on the rings...



To you, grabbing those rings may not seem like much, but to us...PROGRESS!!!!!! Colton is doing really well with reaching his arms up to midline to grab at things. Hooray! I can actually lay him down on his playmat and he'll swat at toys and grab them for a long time. He will also roll and wiggle around a little. He got himself stuck the other day, but it didn't seem to bother him. It makes me so happy to see him moving and exploring on his own. I used to put him down and he'd roll to his stomach and get stuck and just scream. Now he will actually play independently so that Mama can get things done.



So...we are still working on rolling and sitting and reaching for toys. He has trouble rolling continuously because his hips get in the way. His therapist put these shorts on him that keep his legs together...we laughed at how tight they were. He's got quite some thighs.



He's also working on getting into the crawling position. It's gonna take some core strength for him to be able to sit and hold his crawling position...lots of sit-ups in our future. Hehe. I asked our therapist about some realistic goals as far as crawling and walking go. She said, "Crawl by 1, walk by 2." Sounds good to me...we got this!

Colton is doing so well. I'm just so proud of him. Little things he does make my day. We've worked hard for each little milestone. I know that he will continue to amaze me.

Colton, you are my hero and I am your biggest fan.