Back on the wagon!

                I can't believe it's been three weeks since I last blogged...I feel like I fell off my diet and I'm trying to get back on track. It's not that I haven't thought about blogging.  I just couldn't put the right words together.  I guess all I can do is forge ahead from here...

This little guy makes going to Walmart a little more fun!

              Anyone who has met Logan knows that he's just about the happiest kid alive (one of the blessings of his syndrome), but lately his smiles seem just a little bit wider, his laugh a little bit louder, and his hugs a little bit tighter.  It is so incredibly wonderful to see him feeling so well and healthy.  Even though we've had our share of summer doctors' appointments, most of them are just me trying to be proactive (eye doctor, speech, OT, etc. )

Working hard in his new ankle braces (with a huge smile on his face)!

            I'm really excited about the progress we're making towards getting Logan more resources to help him.  I just wasn't feeling like physical therapy visits once a week were enough.  He's 18 months old now...we need to pick it up! So...on Monday, we received Logan's new orthotics.  They are called SMOs and fit behind the foot and right over the ankle.  When you see them, they look so tiny...you wonder how could that piece of plastic could really help him!  But at PT yesterday, you could see how it made his knees turn more inward and it gave him so much more stability doing different exercises (it also helps to have some friction from his shoes).  We are gradually going to increase the amount of time he wears them.  The doctor said to start with 20-30 minutes/3-4 times a day.  Thank goodness for velcro!

            On Tuesday, we went Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Sandy Plains rehab) to have an cccupational therapy evaluation.  It was basically playtime while the therapist observed how he manipulated objects with his hands.  He still does a lot of banging and hitting at objects.  He can pick toys up, but not using a pincer grasp.  One of the activities on the "test" was to try to get him to pick up beans with his fingers (like a dry kidney bean).  He obviously could not do it, but the therapist KEPT insisting that he try.  She must have tried to get him to pick up the damn bean on five different occasions.  Logan was getting frustrated and I was getting annoyed...but other than that, things went well : )

            

 This morning, we had a speech evaluation at CHOA.  I am probably most excited to get this therapy underway.  Logan is defnitely learning to express himself more, whether it's spitting/spraying when he doesn't like something or pushing your arm away to say he's finished eating.  This test was kind of the same as OT in the sense that I had to answer a lot of the questions based on his actions at home.  Some of the items he did while the speech therapist was sitting there...like babbling, making/breaking eye contact with people and objects throughout the room.  The woman was quite animated and had a loud voice which scared Logan a little bit at first.  He was very clingy and wanted me to hold him most of the time.  I told her it must be the scrubs...he's skeptical of anyone in scrubs!!!

So...more therapy sessions will definitely fill our afternoons this Fall, but I am excited to get the ball rolling.  He's ready to learn new things!  There is much more recap from the last three weeks..like a fun visit from Cousin Jack and Cousin Eddie, but for now, this will have to do...remember, I'm just getting back on the wagon.