I am sorry for my long absence from an update. These two Thayer boys of mine keep me pretty busy! Computer time is limited and when I have down time, between housework and bedtime,... my blog has taken a major back seat!
So much has been happening in King Roa's life! As we speak, as I blog, Gunnar is sleeping in his swing and Roa is playing with a new app on his ipad in his blanket fort.
Oh, the ipad....how we LOVE you!! I can't even begin to tell you how life changing it has been. Apple had NO IDEA that we special needs families would grow to truly rely on it. Roa has such freedom with his ipad. Freedom to operate things with his hands that don't always cooperate through traditional play. I joke with Bryan that we need to make sure we add 3-dimensional play into Roa's life each day! Don't worry, he gets plenty of that too. But with the ipad in tow, I can tend to Gunnar, make dinner, go to the bathroom,.. and Roa stays busy and entertained. AND he is learning, SO much! By simply touching the dog and it barks in Peek-a-boo Barn, Roa imitates the sound. By hitting the ipad fast or slow with his little fist with Cosmic Top, Roa learns about speed and how moving his body in different ways can make the top spin.
Yes, we love the ipad in all it's glory.
Roa visited Shriner's Hospital in Minneapolis last Monday. It was a L O N G day, but a great experience. Roa was seen by everyone under the sun. OT, PT, nurse, doctor, physicians assistant, orthasist. We were there for 4 1/2 hours!! But, we got a new stander, a new bathseat, and two pairs of braces are on the way. Shriners is a wonderful organization that helps kids with physical disabilities with very limited cost to the parents, if any! Everyone was so nice there and the Thayer boys were a hit! Gunnar was scooped up by nurse Kathy, and trucked off for show and tell in the nurses station. He giggled and impressed everyone. Roa was his usual entertaining self, laughing and playing keep away from Daddy. Both boys were rockstars during the long process.
The therapists from the school district have begun to do testing with Roa for school coming this fall. I can't believe Rojo is heading to school! Roa is doing pretty well with the testing process itself. Momma has to sit on her hands not to help him. It is difficult to watch him struggle through the motor tasks. He tries with all his little might to put that puzzle piece in or reach the right block. Luckily his therapists know him well and give him as much credit in scoring as they can.
Roa is imitating alot of sounds. That has been very exciting for us! He is consistently making an imitation when we give the visual cue of touching our lip. I am praying we will have a few basic needs terms mastered before school in the fall so that Roa's desires don't get lost in his screaming!! When King Roa doesn't get his way, we hear some yelling, to say the least. We are working on the communication piece at every chance!
Roa is really tired of gait trainer time indoors. I'm gonna wring that little groundhog's neck if he is wrong and spring isn't just weeks away! It is time to head outdoors.
Other brief updates- Roa is rolling down an incline mat at Courage with INDEPENDENCE! Yeah!!
He is attempting arm and leg movements coordinating for crawling.
Roa sucessfully answered object function questions during the testing session (what do we wear, what do we drink with) by picking the correct object. My boy is so smart! :)
We have started sitting on the pottychair to practice going potty. Wish us luck with that!
Gotta run! Prince Gunnar beckons!
Final note~ March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month! Pass on my blog or other CP links to friends and family to spread the facts and open up the eyes of others about disabilities.
God made us all different, but gave some of us extra graces meant to help others. Reach out and help someone different from yourself today!
No comments:
Post a Comment