One Step Forward ...Two Steps Back

It's been a while since I updated and there's a lot to catch up on.  First off, all the progress Asher made walking came to a screeching halt the first time he realized that he could fall and that falling wasn't going to feel too good.  He became so nervous about falling that he would scream as soon as I took my hands off him and bend his knees to sit down.  Teaching an older child to walk is apparently nothing like when a 11 or 12 month old starts walking and has no fear.  Asher is aware that he can fall and he's fearful of it.  It's also harder for him to catch himself when he starts to fall because his muscles are so tight.  His therapist and I have just been taking it slow and only doing what he's comfortable with.  She has assured me that this is just a phase and that Asher will work through it.  It's just so hard to see him taking a step backwards.

I finally got the baby kneez and they have been awesome so far.  My only complaint is that because of the almost sweater knit material they're made of everything gets stuck on the fabric.  The only place this has been a problem is when he's crawling around on the grass.  On the positive side they do seem to stay in place and they're actually pretty cute.

Asher has been talking up a storm lately and he's even been doing some three and four word combinations.  He's speech therapist told me today how amazed she is at his progress.  The main thing we need to work on now is his articulation.  He isn't putting ending on some of his words so they seem to run together.  He also seems to be struggling with his long "o" sound.

I feel so fortunate that Asher is continually progressing and I have to say that even though his therapists and I put in a lot of work to help him get there he really is the star.  He works so hard and has such determination.  I have such a soft spot for not only the other parents out there going through this journey but especially for these sweet innocent children that don't know any other way of life.

Baby Steps...

Asher had an awesome day in therapy!  He stood all by himself for about three minutes and took nine steps all by himself.  He only went a couple of feet but it was so exciting to see and such a big achievement!  He was also able to squat down a couple of times and stand back up without falling.  His therapist and I were both so excited and I couldn't wait to call Mark and tell him all about it.  He hated that he missed it and that we didn't get it on video but we are going to see if we can record Asher in action this evening.  That is the thing with therapy and cerebral palsy in general.  Some days are really great and Asher is just in a groove and other times he may be having an off day.  I know we're all like that but it is definitely amplified in toddlers and especially in toddlers with cp.  Some days he is just so tight and I can't understand why.  His spacticity can get worse from a fever, the weather, or even if he's just tired or fussy.   I know Asher still has a long way to go but he is doing really well.

Mark ordered some knee pads yesterday ( http://www.babykneez.ca/) to see if it will help Asher's little knees from getting so red and calloused from crawling around all day.  It isn't really a problem inside but we have noticed that his little knees are getting sore from crawling outside and with it being shorts weather we thought it may help.  They're coming from Canada so it may take a while for them to get there but we did some research and they seem to be the best option out there for this purpose.  I'll write how it goes after we use them for a little while.

We also went strawberry picking this weekend and Asher did really well.  I was worried how it would go but I guess I worried for nothing.  It has been a little challenging lately taking Asher out because he hates being in the stroller or cart but we don't feel comfortable letting him crawl around just anywhere.  He had plenty of room to crawl in the rows of strawberries and had a ball squishing them in his hands and making a complete mess.  He was covered in pink goo in no time flat.  He also went in the moon bounce at the farm.  I was worried he would be scared with all the other kids bouncing around him but he was laughing hysterically.  He thought it was the best thing ever.  I had Parker go in and stay right with Asher so he didn't get jumped on and I have to say that I feel so lucky that Asher has such a great big brother to look out for him.  Parker picked Asher up and jumped him all around the moon bounce.  It was really cute to see my two boys bouncing and laughing together. 

family pic in the strawberry field

Parker and Asher in the moon bounce

Parker's finger is looking better now if I could just get him to do all his finger/hand exercises.  The orthopedic hand specialist said that it looks like Parker cut a tendon in his finger that has healed nicely but the subsequent scar tissue has built up around his knuckle making it unable for Parker to bend his finger and causing the finger to look crooked.  He is supposed to do special finger/hand exercises three times a day and follow up with specialist. We met with a special hand therapist who showed him what exercised to do.  I think if he is diligent and does his therapy it will be better before long.