Birthdays
I'm not just talking about yearly birthdays, I'm talking about little monthly birthdays! Ty is 19 months old today, so this is the 19th time that we have had the opportunity to celebrate Ty's life, and all of his little achievements. I know it seems silly to acknowledge the passing of another 30 days, but I have yet to let the 10th of the month go by without lots of hugs, kisses, and pictures of my boy. It's a montly reminder of the constant gift I have in being his mother, and how far he has come, despite the obstacles that try to slow him down on occasion.
Every month since he was born, I have posted a snapshot of Ty's progress at that point in time, so it only seems right that I do the same today!
Being 18 months old has been a huge turning point for Ty's development. Every day he has done something new, that we can hardly keep up with all of the progress he is making! At our PT appointment in early September, we all were frustrated. Ty still was not crawling on his hands and knees, and was leaning against surfaces to stand, instead of engaging his abdominals and working for it. He also refused to bend his knees, so any steps that we could get out of him were stiff-legged "Frankenstein steps". We ended the appointment on a discouraged note, and I started to worry...like I always do right before he busts out with a new skill! Three days later, Ty began cruising furniture like it was no big deal. A couple of days after that, he was walking long distances holding our hands, taking beautiful, smooth steps while bending his knees. And to top it off, he succeeded in walking while holding on to a push toy...all by himself. It was like he had taken every exercise, piece of advice, and motivation that we had given him, stored it up until he felt confident, and just burst out with all of these skills at once when he was good and ready. That's how he does it though. Now, he pulls up to stand everywhere, walks across the living room with his shopping cart, and stands by himself really well (for 10-20 seconds anyway). We are just waiting for that first step! During PT today, we thought he might do it, but sat instead. It will be one heck of a moment when it happens though!!!
Generally, as I've been told by every therapist and development resource I have referenced, kids focus on one developmental area at a time. Last month, Ty's language made a huge leap, and he gained many new spoken words and signs. Since walking has entered the picture, language has taken a back seat for a bit. That hasn't stopped him from adding a few to his vocabulary, though! New words this month include blocks ("bocks"), up, nice ("bice"...though he draws out the "i" so it sounds like biiiiiiiiiiiiice). One of my favorite aspects of this development, is that he can now request what he wants. He tells me when he is hungry, or when he wants water. Or if he's bored, he'll request a particular toy (usually a book!) when I ask him what he wants. Communication is an amazing thing!
A few other firsts have happened this month, too. Ty got his very first black eye this week, generously given to him by his little friend Jack (by accident of course!). He looks like such a tough guy! On Friday night, he attended his first Friday night high school football game, which he loved. He wore his huge smile throughout the whole game, danced to the music of the marching band, and clapped when the crowd got going. Since his uncle is one of the assistant coaches, it's a good thing Ty appreciates a little football!
18 months has been quite the adventure. I can only imagine what the next 30 days has in store for him! Happy 19 months, Ty-Ty!
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