Justin Update

Justin is making so much progress, it is exciting to see. He is learning so much and being so communicative that I am struggling to catch up sometimes! Here's some of the latest:

• He is pulling himself up to standing. I have shown you that. He needs something lower to lean over so he can get up. But every day he is using higher and higher things. He has even managed to pull up on the coffee table, which is way above him. He can get up on his knees and then stand from there. Really good for him!


• He can get up the stairs FAST so we are working on going down the stairs. We tell him to turn around and go down and he does that now very well, but he doesn't understand that he cannot sit backwards when he gets tired on the stairs. He falls backwards when he does this, obviously. He understand the concept so well that he tries to get off our bed going backwards and off the high mats in therapy. He cannot do this yet, but it's the precursor, so we are excited.


• In therapy they are working on side-stepping. That is the "cruising" holding on to furniture that we want to see. He will let Miss Penny move his feet, but he doesn't do it himself yet. They worked on reaching up to pull magnets off a metal file cabinet and he got all the ones on the one door, and he wanted to get the ones on the other door, so he let Miss Penny move his feet for him! Awesome!


• He is really very good at identifying what he wants. He wanted a drink during lunch in Bible class today and he reached out and took the glass and handed it to the person helping him to say, "Give me a drink!"


• He is eating so well by himself. He is using the fork and spoon regularly and chooses a variety of foods on his plate. Last night we had meat, rice and coleslaw and he rotated eating bites of each one, until his plate was clean. It helps to have pieces he can poke, or something stout enough to stay on the fork/spoon. We found that cream sauces are best because they hold those pesky peas in place!


• He is eating veggies much better, thank you! He eats raw broccoli and carrots (I cut big carrots into thin strips that he dips in ranch dressing, like big bro!) and he even nibbles on apples occasionally. And he eats most veggies cooked, except green beans. What's up with that? Neither boys likes green beans and they are one of Randy's favorite veggies!


• He imitates like crazy so we are getting him to make more sounds using that. He said "Ba" for ball and bubbles yesterday. Travis does his noises with his tongue and lips that throw spit and Justin loves it and plays right along. I let them do that by themselves. (You know, like some of the throat sounds and pretending like you are snoring, etc. They are not easy things to type out!)


• Justin is using toys very appropriately. He knows to put the telephone to his ear and to race cars on the floor. He can turn the pages of books and he pretends like he reads them. He brings books for me to read to him too. He can throw a ball far too! He pretends to cook with spoons and bowls (he stirs!) And he has learned what to do with the coolers after Meat Day!
  
  

Justin just crawled right over, grabbed the brush, and started scrubbing! He's seen Travis do it enough and he wanted some of the action!