Therapy Update

Therapy has been going so fabulous, I thought I would share some of our exciting achievements:

• I mentioned that I was thinking of sending Justin into the therapy room without me. I was planning to start with PT, since Justin has known Miss Penny for the longest. But my timetable was changed when I couldn't leave Travis with my friend for Speech last Monday. I decided to try and see how long he would last, and then if Justin needed us, Travis and I would go in with him. Well, Justin did GREAT! He lasted the whole time and we didn't hear any cries from him. Travis and I were armed with a stack of books, and Travis did great too. He likes playing with all of the toys that are used for therapy and I wasn't sure I could convince him to read instead of play. Wednesday and OT went great and I started reading a longer book so I wouldn't have to carry a huge book bag in addition to my purse and a diaper bag. (Travis always picks thick, hardcover books to take with him, do yours do the same??) And Thursday and PT- another winner! A full week with no problems. I guess Justin feel at home at therapy, just like Travis and I do.
• Travis loves therapy too. When he has news to share, or a new song, or a drawing, he wants to share it with Justin's therapists and Miss Melissa too. He just goes back into the offices like he belongs there. They don't mind!
• Justin is doing great with finger isolation. He can "honk" our noses (although not his own?) and his fingers are curling back to help use the pointer like they should. He has pushed some buttons on a firetruck at therapy without any help.
• Justin is also working at putting some chunky beads on a wooden dowel rod (maybe about a quarter inch diameter). The beads are about as big as the circle made with a thumb and index finger. Miss Caroline holds his upper arm (between his shoulder and elbow) to give him support, and then he can get it on himself! Just holding his arm gives him the extra "input" he needs to complete the task. So we are working on shoulder strength. Crawling is helping that tremendously.
• And today at therapy Justin stood next to a trunk holding on with just one hand! He has been getting better by the bathtub, either on the inside or out. Sometimes we will just go in there to play because he likes throwing things "in" whatever we can find. And then he likes to see where they go, which causes him to try to pull himself up. It works so well!
• His crawling is getting so good. We have had a few of those, "Where is Justin?" moments, which are actually exciting! He crawls through a tunnel for therapy, and at first I was at one side and Miss Penny at the other, and we had to coax him through. Now he did it three times all by himself today!