22 Months and Counting...

Seriously, didn't I just post his 21 month update recently?!  This boy is growing up much faster than I can keep up with! 

I made him wear the birthday crown this morning...he wasn't too thrilled, but he was so darn cute!!!

So Ty-guy is 22 months today.  He is teetering on the cusp of walking...more so than ever before.  He flies around the house pushing his push toy, and can navigate even the tightest of corners.  He's steady, balanced, and stable.  Just the other night, he was standing in the middle of the room, and Eric held a ball out to him.  Ty walked toward the ball as Eric moved backward, even taking zig-zag turns to follow him.  It was the farthest he had ever walked independently, and he didn't even realize he was doing it (as soon as he saw the couch, he lunged to it to hold on!)  We've also caught him literally holding his shopping cart off of the ground as he walked with it, so clearly it's not a huge support for him!  It's only a matter of Ty gaining confidence and realizing that he can do it without that darn handle!  That could mean two days until the lightbulbs go off, or two months...I can never tell when Ty's about to make a breakthrough!  It's an exciting time though, and it's so much fun (and so very exhausting) watching him explore the cabinets, drawers, and tabletops that he could never reach before!

Walking in his "grandpa pants"...those short legs make those pant legs too long for walking...it's the only logical solution! :-)

New interests this month include ipad apps, which he uses with ease!  His favorite is called "Paint Sparkles", and is as much fun for grown-ups as it is for kids!  As he draws on the screen, the lines light up like fireworks, and play music.  Since when has drawing been so much fun?!  He's also really taken to an app called "Little Reader" by Brillkids.  It's an early reading program that is essentially electronic flashcards that go across the screen, along with animated pictures and videos of the words that are being shown.  I've done the same flashcard program with Ty on paper, but this is just SO much more engaging!  It's a great app...and free!!!

In two weeks, Ty will have his third (yes, three before the age of two, yikes!) surgery to replace his ear tubes.  In addition, his ENT will most likely be taking out his oversized adenoids to help promote eustacian tube drainage, since they are not doing a great job on their own.  Lastly, he will be having an in-depth hearing test called an ABR (auditory brain response), which I requested, since his behavioral hearing test results have always been wishy-washy (I mean really...given a choice, a one year old is going to play with the toy in front of him, instead of turn his head to locate the whisper off to his right...it's just not a totally accurate test!).  I honestly think his hearing is normal (or close to it) when he does not have middle ear fluid, but this test will give positive in-depth results one way or another.  With all of those procedures, I'm anticipating a 1.5 - 2 hour surgery time, which I'm slightly nervous about, since all of the others lasted no more than 20 minutes.  I know he's in great hands though, and hopefully he will be much more comfortable without all of that ear pressure all day long!

Well, that about sums up our big 22 month boy!  A few pictures to leave you with...

Crawling and Climbing and Walking, Oh My!

The past two weeks have been HUGE for Ty!  After months, and months, and months (6 to be exact), of army crawling, he finally decided to crawl on his hands and knees.  He didn't even go through an awkward, mechanical crawling phase either, like many new crawlers do; Ty just popped up and went.  From a physical therapy standpoint, it's a major turning point in his development. Not crawling in the traditional sense led to weak abdominals, weak quadriceps and hamstrings, and weak hip flexors.  It was obvious in his timid, wobbly steps he was taking.  We spent months doing exercies that he hated to build up all of those weak areas, and had accepted the fact that he just was not going to 4-point crawl.  In just a week of crawling, I see a tremendous difference in his strength and stability.  From a parent standpoint, it's an incredible feeling watching your child achieve something that you know was hard, and see the smile on his face knowing that he did something amazing.  So without any further build-up, here's a little video of our crawler, on the first day he "took off"...

And so, along with the crawling, Ty's climbing and mobility have increased dramatically.  He could always pull up to stand well, but now he pulls up anywhere, in the blink of an eye!  I have caught him many times pulling up and then letting go, as if he is getting ready to just start walking.  And he has figured out how to lauch himself into the bathtub, which adds just a little bit of stress to my days!  It's a good thing he's still the size of an older infant, so I don't need to worry about him exiting his crib in the middle of the night yet.  I don't think so anyway...

As if the crawling and climbing weren't enough, Ty has become a master at walking with his push-cart.  Though he has been able to walk with a push toy for several months, he was not very interested in doing so at all.  Many times he would get scared and sit, instead of trying to move forward, and would refuse to push it if I was not close by.  So with his new-found crawling skills, Ty decided to try out the cart while pushing it on his knees (another fabulous exercise!).  In a couple of days, he realized it was not a scary toy, and he could actually travel around the house using it!  I could see his wheels turning! 

So yesterday, as we were playing, Ty popped up from his kneel-walking position, and just took off!  Not only was he able to walk around the entire house pushing the cart, but he could turn corners, navigate around furniture, and even cross the wood threshold between the wood floor and carpeting.  At one point, I watched him walk down the hallway, make a 180 degree turn, and walk back to the living room.  Ty has discovered the joy of being on two feet, and I'm pretty sure he's not turning back!  This morning, he spent a good 20 minutes walking around the house, investigating different rooms.  I watched as he went into the guest bedroom and parked his cart next to the couch, so he could play with a baby monitor.  When he was finished, he grabbed the cart, and took off to his bedroom to find his books.  He knows exactly where he's going, and what he's looking for!  It still baffles me how quickly he can go from not even being close to doing a skill, to mastering it the very next day.  I'm always kind of wondering what he'll do next!

So here's my little walking-wonder on his push cart (please excuse the pink handle and wheels...it's a loan from his PT!).  This was the first day he decided to walk with it...you can only imagine what he has figured out to do since then!

So as you can see, walking is just around the corner.  He is still taking up to 5 independent steps at a time (I actually watched him pivot and take a few turning steps yesterday), which are balanced and controlled...he can take a few steps and still remain standing when he's done!  This week he will be getting new braces for his feet (he has had them since July, but has outgrown his first pair), which I think will be the turning point.  With his left ankle turning inwards slightly, it throws him off balance a bit.  Having extra support on his ankles will most definitely give him the confidence and stability that he needs.  But as with everything else, it will be in Ty's own time!  It certainly is a fun waiting game though, and honestly, I'm just enjoying watching all of these new skills and his independence develop right now.  After a loonnngggg gross motor plateau, he is due for these great improvements!  Stay tuned! :)     

20 Months!

Wow, my baby is 20 MONTHS OLD!  I always looked at the "baby 20's" as being the "big kids"...the ones who could do all the fun stuff, got into trouble, and had raging personalities.  I guess my Ty-guy gets to join that club today! 

19 months has been a fun one.  This was the month when Ty took his first steps!  It was such a proud moment, and one that we had been looking forward to for quite a while.  Since, then, I've often been asked, "So, is Ty walking all over the place now?"  Sorry to disappoint, but we are definitely not there yet!  To put it in perspective, in a matter of 1 month, Ty learned to walk with his hands held, walk with a push toy, cruise along the couch, stand independently, and take those first independent steps...in ONE MONTH!  That's a whole lot of "new" for a little guy!  At this point, his record has been 4 consecutive independent steps - but they're good steps.  They're not the "flying with my feet under me until I fall" steps; he can take one, maintain his balance, take another, maintain his balance, and another, and another, until he is done and decides to lunge or sit.  Basically, he has all of the necessary skills, but none of the necessary confidence.  But in reality, who can learn a life-changing new skill, master it, and feel confident to use it consistently in a matter of a month?  Definitely not me!  So in the meantime, Ty pulls to stand anywhere he can find (his new favorite, and my new least favorite is pulling up on the knobs of his dresser), and lets go often to practice taking some steps.  It's a process...much like everything else he has learned to do...but I have total and complete confidence that he will get there in his own time!

Those fabulous first steps...in case you missed it! :)

My other favorite change this month has been Ty's ability to absorb language - both spoken and signed - like a sponge.  I can throw a word at him, and he can repeat it back to me using the sounds that he knows.  It's truly amazing.  The same is true for sign language.  He now looks to my hand when I say a word, knowing that some hand gesture is associated with that word.  More often than not, he will attempt to mimic the gesture too, which just blows me away.  My absolute favorite has been the interest he has had in the alphabet.  One of his musical toys has a button that plays the "ABC's", which I often sign along with.  Recently, I've noticed Ty's hand bending and waving in the air along with the song, just like I do.  He definitely does not associate a particular hand motion with a letter yet, but I just love watching him try!  Ty is one curious little guy!

Signing "apple"...cutest sign ever...but when he calls it an "appa", now that's even cuter!!

When we are not working on walking and talking (which I feel like we do often...unintentionally!), our days are just laid-back, and plain old fun.  If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now - I LOVE being home with Ty every day!  It was a decision I will not regret.  I love being in tune with his schedule each day, I love noticing the new things he is doing, and I love being the one who he sees when he wakes up from his nap.  He's already growing up so quickly...he'll be in preschool in a little over a year!...I can't imagine missing another minute of his "baby stage".

Five o'clock blackberry shadow...what else do you do with leftover blackberry juice?!

Our little dancing fool

His interests this month include:  exploring nostrils, reading books (when has he not liked books?!), standing, opening his dresser drawers and pulling out clothes...while standing...and then pinching fingers, dancing, cars, animal pictures, and stacking blocks (or shapes, or whatever else he can find to build a tower with).
His dis-interests this month include:  naps (that has not been a fun battle), oatmeal, diaper changes, less-frequent baths (due to his alligator-like winter skin), and medicine (for his ongoing ear infections).  If these don't describe a typical almost-two-year-old, I don't know what does!  He's such a blast to be around every day, though!

With that, I'll leave you with some pictures of our big boy!



Favorite toy of the month - new play hut! (Thanks, Eric and Evelyn!!!)



And discovering the faces that can be made against mesh...

Happy 20 months, Ty Ty!!!!

What I Love About Being a DS Mom #16a

Today gets two posts because.....TY TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS TODAY!!!!!!!

We might be the proudest parents in the entire world right now!!!!!!  And he didn't just do it once...he did it over, and over, and over!  At one point he took a step, turned, and looked like he was attempting to "run" to get his radio...this boy is going to take off, and soon! 

What I Love About Being a DS Mom # 10

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!        

    

What I Love About Being a DS Mom #7

Milestones: Pushing the Pause Button

When you are a new mom, you focus on and look for the big milestones...rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, talking.  Once one is achieved your child is already working on the next one.  It's a fast-paced journey with large celebrations every so often.

Raising a child with Down Syndrome, you get to push the pause button.  The spaces from one milestone to the next are drawn out and you have the luxury of enjoying each one just a little longer.  You have the opportunity to take thousands of pictures and videos of each milestone, and really appreciate the effort that goes into mastering each one. 

One of my favorite milestones that Ty reached was rolling.  At just 4 weeks and 1 day old, my little peanut of a boy pushed up on his arms, raised his head, and rolled from his belly to his back.  I remember the look of shock on his face as he suddenly found himself staring up at the ceiling.  I could not have been more proud.  This milestone was particularly significant for me, because it was the first time that I understood the immense potential that my son had.  Up to that point I had read numerous books and articles about Down Syndrome, and felt somewhat overwhelmed at the challenges that my little guy would possibly face.  I hated the thought of him having to work harder than most to achieve something as simple as rolling over.  Watching him do this with such ease...which quickly became his favorite activity...I realized that my baby was his own person and couldn't be defined by a book or statistic.  So, as small as this milestone was in the scheme of things, it was a huge one for me as a parent.



There he goes!

Rolling is pretty exhausting!

 Sitting was the milestone that taught me patience, determination, and persistance.  Before Ty came along, I had no clue how many muscle groups were involved in sitting, or how they all had to work together to keep a body upright.  As we took on the challenge of tackling sitting, I was forced to slow down, and pay attention to the tiny signs of progress that Ty made.  Did you know that the body gains control from top to bottom?  I didn't.  First, I began to notice that he could hold his head much steadier, then he could hold his head, neck and shoulders steady if you supported the middle of his trunk.  Month by month, we were able to offer support lower and lower, until he was able to prop himself up with his arms.  To an outsider, it likely seemed that Ty was not making any progress.  I'm sure that all people saw was a 7 month boy who still could not sit independently; but to us, we saw and celebrated every ounce of control that Ty gained.  I'll never forget the day that he finally did it.  We had taken him to have professional photographs taken for Christmas, and he was oh-so-handsome in his green sweater vest, khaki pants, and brown loafers.  When the photographer asked us to sit him on a spot on the floor, I winced on the inside knowing he couldn't do it.  For whatever reason though, we just plopped him there and held our breath...and it happened...every muscle miracously worked together and he SAT.  It was the first time I got to experience the intense pride of a parent who had watched her child persist at something that was not easy for him, and finally reach his goal.

One of our first pictures of our little guy sitting...that Boppy prevented many falls over those months!

Since then, we have had many, many more proud moments, and little steps toward larger goals.  But, these are the two milestones that taught me about one of the joys of raising a child with Down Syndrome.  I notice every little thing he does, and celebrate each one with as much excitement and energy as I will for every large milestone he reaches in his future. 

18 Months...Halfway to 2!!!

Well, we are halfway past 1, and halfway to 2!  Ty is very much the toddler that his age suggests these days...he is adventurous, messy, talkative, and even has the toddler attitude down.  It's a blast! :-)  Here is the little guy on the morning of his 18 month half-birthday, eating his new favorite food strawberries (or "bees" as he calls them!)

We were thinking of how far Ty has come since he turned 1.  At his first birthday he could not yet crawl, talk, or feed himself.  He has changed SO much in that short amount of time.  While he is still doing his crawling method (which he is incredibly fast at doing!), he can now climb on things, pull up to stand, stand independently for short periods of time (until he realizes that he's not holding on, and then he sits very quickly!), and walk holding on to hands pretty good distances!  We are working SO hard to get him walking in PT and in our spare time, and our goal is by the age of 2 (the typical age for kids with DS to walk).  Thinking how much he has done in the past 6 months, I'm pretty hopeful that he'll achieve this one goal in the next 6!

His speech has just taken off so fast in the last month, that we are just amazed!  He has always been vocal, but it seems like the lightbulbs have gone off recently!  He is up to 15 words (most recognizable, some more easily understood in context), 8 signs (some he says with the word), and 2 animal sounds (dog and sheep).    A lot of new words he uses frequently, so we read a lot of books ("boo"), and have to say no to bath time ("bat") every time we pass the bathroom!  It's so great being able to communicate with him though, and for him to be able to tell us what he needs or wants.  He's got the cutest voice, too!

To celebrate his half-birthday, we spent the day with a new Down syndrome playgroup called "Saturday Explorers".  A friend and I organized this group, since there are very few resources for kids with DS in our state, and Saturday was our first get-together.  We went on an apple picking adventure in our town, and had a beautiful day for it!  We met a lot of great people, and are looking forward to our monthly get-togethers!  Ty had fun meeting his new friends, but quickly lost interest once we started picking apples!  He grabbed one and held it, but was not impressed!  He fell asleep soon after! :)  

Happy September!

16 Months and Counting!!!

Our little man turned 16 months old a few days ago!  Time is flying!  It's been quite an eventful summer at home so far for Ty!  At the start of summer, we found out that his PT, who we love, had been laid off from the early intervention program (for budgetary reasons).  Her new plan was to become a private physical therapist, though she wouldn't be up and running until the end of July.  We were in need of a therapy break, so we decided to wait until she went back to work and follow her privately instead.  Turns out, NOT focusing on certain skills is exactly what Ty needed to make progress! 

First, I found out that what I thought was a delay in self-feeding, was actually picky eating!  Not only can Ty feed himself most of his meals with his hands (as long as he likes the foods!), he can feed himself with a spoon too!  It's an incredibly messy production at mealtime, but he does great with it.  I've learned to hide vegetables in a variety of places, and sneak in "healthy extras" on a graham cracker or with fruit.  It's been a fun discovery process!

Next, is the biggest accompslishment of all...HANDS AND KNEES!  As I've mentioned several times before, Ty has always HATED being on his hands and knees.  He has been army crawling well for 4 months now, and loves to stand, but hated going on his hands and knees.  Some kids do skip that kind of crawling and go straight to walking though, so that's what we kind of assumed he'd do.  We knew the muscle strength and coordination needed to balance on hands and knees was so important though, so we hoped he'd do it someday!  Well, sure enough, without the pressure of PT exercises, Ty actually allowed us to place him on his hands and knees, and he'd hang out there for a few minutes!  Two days ago, he pushed himself up to that position, and yesterday he started doing it on command...if we say, "Push up, Ty!" he pushes up to hands and knees like he's been doing it for months!  I even heard him screaming at 3am last night, and went in his room to find him pushing up on his hands and knees in his sleep!  Little stinker!  And today, the third day of all this progress, he actually moved his leg forward in that position...it's only a matter of time before he takes off!

In addition to all of that excitement, he also got his first pair of "Sure Steps" yesterday.  They are lightweight, flexible ankle braces that were designed for children with Down syndrome who have low muscle tone.  It helps stabalize their ankles to stand and walk properly, but does it in a natural way because they're so flexible.  He wears them while he's playing, and we definitely see more stability when he's standing.  We'll see how they turn out!

Lastly, Ty got his second set of ear tubes on Thursday.  The procedure itself went fine, though he had a little trouble with the anesthesia this time.  Once it wore off it was fine, but it really affected his respiratory system for several hours.  That was a long day!!!  We've already seen signs that he can hear better though, which is awesome.  He's added the word "ball" to his vocabulary, which he screamed out at our playgroup today as he pointed to a small red ball that he spotted across the room!  He definitely has that athletic influence from his daddy! :)  We're hearing other attempts at words here & there too, which is a great sign that the surgery was worth it!

Well, that's about it for this month!  Ty may develop on his own timeline, but once he gets on a roll, there's no stopping him!!! :)  Have a great weekend!