So we have been completely stressing ourselves out over how to continue to get Grant Man his ABM. With Ryan losing his day job in the beginning of December it's been so hard making it work.
When we went on January 2nd for Grant's Developmental Pediatric appointment, Dr. Hoffman gave us some great news! Not only about Grant :) but he also told us that he met the new neurologist at CMH and his wife does Feldenkrais (which is what ABM was based on). He gave me her contact info.
I was very anxious to talk to her but me being the procrastinator that I am I kept putting it off and was going to wait until after we got back from seeing Chad which was supposed to be last Thursday and Friday. Well Tuesday Ryan and I made the decision to cancel ABM this month until he has a job and we could afford it. I was completely down. I have very few days of feeling that way but that was one of them. So Wednesday I decided to push my procrastination to the side and make the call. I am SO incredibly thankful that I did!!!
Ms. Ruth Shapiro came out to see Grant Man today and I am so excited about it! She really seemed to like Grant and it only took Grant about 5 minutes to warm up to her. She had him all over the living room rolling and crawling and sitting! He had a blast. She showed us several exercises to do with him in between her sessions. She talked her way through each thing she did not only with us but with Grant. She made sure Grant knew we are going to crawl (or walk), we are rolling, she would name each body part and tap him so that he could feel each part. She was wonderful with him. And she loves to make house visits so she is willing to come to us a majority of the time. But the good news is that even if we have to go to her it's about a 30 min drive :) And she only wants to see him once a week! I know this is going to be SO great for Grant and I am so excited to start this next step in his journey!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Complete Disgust!!
Watching TV tonight at my parents my uncle came across a 60 Minutes program about a child with CP. Of course intrigued by anything having to do with CP I became glued to the TV. But what I watched had me livid!! Before I go on take a look at the article about it (warning it's lengthy!)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57354695/stem-cell-fraud-a-60-minutes-investigation/
It's times like these that I wish we could do like Matthew and I pretend and "Blue-sca-do" right into the TV! (if you've watched Blue's Clues you know what I'm talking about) I would love to punch so claimed "Dr. Ecklund" in his creepy face!! And to hear that this is not the first case of this happening just makes matter worse. How can people take advantage of others like that! Take advantage of parents wanting to do anything, ANYTHING in their power to help "cure" their child of whatever diseases he "claimed" to cure. Just pay $5,000 and you will get stem cells that will cure CP. What did they get? Dead and disintegrated stem cells that would do far more harm than good. UGH!!!!!!
Please note...by writing this post I'm not by any means belittling or taking away from stem cell research! In fact I truly believe that stem cells can help fix people with disabilities. I have a friend who is trying to raise money for her son to be in a stem cell research study and I am so excited for her and her son, Paz! I hope they can get in and I hope that it does amazing things for him!! (If you would like to take a look at Paz's journey and help him reach his goal please visit his website http://pazfelix.com/)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57354695/stem-cell-fraud-a-60-minutes-investigation/
It's times like these that I wish we could do like Matthew and I pretend and "Blue-sca-do" right into the TV! (if you've watched Blue's Clues you know what I'm talking about) I would love to punch so claimed "Dr. Ecklund" in his creepy face!! And to hear that this is not the first case of this happening just makes matter worse. How can people take advantage of others like that! Take advantage of parents wanting to do anything, ANYTHING in their power to help "cure" their child of whatever diseases he "claimed" to cure. Just pay $5,000 and you will get stem cells that will cure CP. What did they get? Dead and disintegrated stem cells that would do far more harm than good. UGH!!!!!!
Please note...by writing this post I'm not by any means belittling or taking away from stem cell research! In fact I truly believe that stem cells can help fix people with disabilities. I have a friend who is trying to raise money for her son to be in a stem cell research study and I am so excited for her and her son, Paz! I hope they can get in and I hope that it does amazing things for him!! (If you would like to take a look at Paz's journey and help him reach his goal please visit his website http://pazfelix.com/)
Finally...After 3 Months!!
We finally got Grant's Kid Kart!! :) We/He LOVES it! It's red and black and the carry all underneath and the umbrella on top has red, white and black racing stripes! It's got the stroller part and the hi/low base for in the house. Grant is in heaven!! Well here just see for yourself...
SEE! The smile on his face says it all! It was so beautiful the day we got it we immediately took him for a walk! He had this smile on his face the whole time!!
SEE! The smile on his face says it all! It was so beautiful the day we got it we immediately took him for a walk! He had this smile on his face the whole time!!
Go Speed Racer Go!
You should see this little boy go in his gait trainer!! Finally got smart and took it over to Ma and Pa's on New Year's Eve. They have hardwood floors throughout their house so what better place to take it! Well we put Grant Man in it and...just watch for yourself :)
http://youtu.be/8rskGypGw2E
This is just a small portion of what this little man did. He walked from in the kitchen to the computer room where Dad and Matthew were playing PlayStation then went down the hall to the living room then back down the hall into the computer room then back to the living room. I don't know how he wasn't wore out but he managed to make it to midnight! We rang in the New Year banging our pots and pans with Ma, Pa, Dad, Matthew, Me, Grant, Austin, Brandon, Adam, Kyle, Alora and Kayden! Whew!! Matthew passed out about 5 minutes after midnight!! I know I'm a little late but Happy New Year!
http://youtu.be/8rskGypGw2E
This is just a small portion of what this little man did. He walked from in the kitchen to the computer room where Dad and Matthew were playing PlayStation then went down the hall to the living room then back down the hall into the computer room then back to the living room. I don't know how he wasn't wore out but he managed to make it to midnight! We rang in the New Year banging our pots and pans with Ma, Pa, Dad, Matthew, Me, Grant, Austin, Brandon, Adam, Kyle, Alora and Kayden! Whew!! Matthew passed out about 5 minutes after midnight!! I know I'm a little late but Happy New Year!
Oops I Did It Again!
Okay cheesy I know but I did do it again. I took entirely WAY too long to update! :( Shame on me! So much has been going on since my last update...so much that I will just have to make a long store short and try to update you on as much as I can! Here goes:
Grant has had 2 trips to St. Louis for ABM. His November lessons were the first back since the end of August. I was a little nervous about how he would do since it had been so long. The first and second session went amazing! It was like he hadn't missed a beat. When we went back for sessions 3 and 4 the next day it was like a light bulb went off for Grant and he realized "Wait a second while I am in here doing all the work Matthew and Dad are out there having fun." He started getting extremely fussy so I suggested bringing Matthew in the room. Him and dad came in and Grant was all smiles! I guess he figured if he can't go have fun then we all have to stay in the room :) We left STL very happy with how it had gone!
Beginning of December we got Grant's new handsplints! His "Joe Cool's"! He loves them. They are so much easier for him to play with toys and they help tremendously. His hand is wide open when he's wearing them!
The middle of December we got Grant fitted for leg braces! I was leary about how this would go too but I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. If this had been a couple months ago Grant would've cried as soon as the guy who fitted him looked Grant's way. But he didn't! He smiled?! Yes that's right...he SMILED!! He was perfectly fine until the guy started touching him then he was all screams until the second the guy stopped then he was all smiles again! We should get the leg braces in 3-4 weeks so we are anxious and excited to see how they will turn out!
Middle of December Grant Man also had another trip to STL! This trip went just as good if not better than in November! Chad said both times were his best ones yet! Grant worked on sitting, going from sitting to laying, rolling over, and crawling!
Christmas was great!! Couldn't have asked for a better Christmas!!! Spent it with family and the boys got so much but not too much. Grant was in heaven and was ready to rip open every gift :)
As far as what Grant has been doing...the question is what hasn't he been doing? He has been sitting for anywhere from 1-3 minutes on his own. He does amazing at scooting (but he has to be naked). He can drink from a straw!!! He rolled from back to tummy (just once but he has been trying so hard to do it again). He has been talking and babbling up a storm! He says so many words!! I think that almost gets us up to date!! :)
I pledge that with the new year will bring new updates at least once a week if not more!! No more going 1-2 months without hearing anything about my amazing Grant Man!
Grant has had 2 trips to St. Louis for ABM. His November lessons were the first back since the end of August. I was a little nervous about how he would do since it had been so long. The first and second session went amazing! It was like he hadn't missed a beat. When we went back for sessions 3 and 4 the next day it was like a light bulb went off for Grant and he realized "Wait a second while I am in here doing all the work Matthew and Dad are out there having fun." He started getting extremely fussy so I suggested bringing Matthew in the room. Him and dad came in and Grant was all smiles! I guess he figured if he can't go have fun then we all have to stay in the room :) We left STL very happy with how it had gone!
Beginning of December we got Grant's new handsplints! His "Joe Cool's"! He loves them. They are so much easier for him to play with toys and they help tremendously. His hand is wide open when he's wearing them!
The middle of December we got Grant fitted for leg braces! I was leary about how this would go too but I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. If this had been a couple months ago Grant would've cried as soon as the guy who fitted him looked Grant's way. But he didn't! He smiled?! Yes that's right...he SMILED!! He was perfectly fine until the guy started touching him then he was all screams until the second the guy stopped then he was all smiles again! We should get the leg braces in 3-4 weeks so we are anxious and excited to see how they will turn out!
Middle of December Grant Man also had another trip to STL! This trip went just as good if not better than in November! Chad said both times were his best ones yet! Grant worked on sitting, going from sitting to laying, rolling over, and crawling!
Christmas was great!! Couldn't have asked for a better Christmas!!! Spent it with family and the boys got so much but not too much. Grant was in heaven and was ready to rip open every gift :)
As far as what Grant has been doing...the question is what hasn't he been doing? He has been sitting for anywhere from 1-3 minutes on his own. He does amazing at scooting (but he has to be naked). He can drink from a straw!!! He rolled from back to tummy (just once but he has been trying so hard to do it again). He has been talking and babbling up a storm! He says so many words!! I think that almost gets us up to date!! :)
I pledge that with the new year will bring new updates at least once a week if not more!! No more going 1-2 months without hearing anything about my amazing Grant Man!
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Miracle That Is...
...my Grant Man!
I am overwhelmed with emotion as I sit on my couch and look around my living room. In the disheveled room I look around and see all Matthew's toys (a football, some blocks, the t-ball T and some cars) and I look around and see Grant's toys (his piggy bank, baseball glove, lightening McQueen and milk jug). As much as I love seeing a clean house I love seeing the toys sitting around because I know it was a day well spent :)
When I look in the corner however I see all Grant's "special" toys (his gait trainer, kid kart, tumble form, and crawler) and realize how incredibly lucky I am to have these items in my living room. If someone would've told me 5 years ago that I would be sitting here looking at this with an amazing little 3 year old upstairs sleeping and an amazing little 19 month old upstairs sleeping I would have said absolutely. But had someone said that little 19 month old would have Cerebral Palsy and at 19 months would not be able to drink out of his own sippy, grab a puff and eat it, sit, crawl, stand on his own, walk, etc I would have said "Yea right" My life was perfect! And my life would always be perfect...it's funny how quickly your idea of perfect can change!
Perfect now is spending a day with my boys! Seeing Matthew working on writing letters and sitting behind Grant as he plays with toys. But perfect is about so much more than that!! Perfect is when Grant grabs a toy on his own or stands flat footed for a few seconds or now amazingly sits on his own for several minutes!
It's crazy to me how much people take for granted. And I was once one of those people! Did I rejoice when Matthew reached milestones, absolutely! But did I truly appreciate the fact that he reached those? Not like I do now! Every little thing Grant does just shows how truly amazing God is. Grant is the most determined little boy I've ever met. He doesn't let anything hold him back. That is so inspiring. I hope as he gets older he can touch other people's lives like he has mine! I love that little man more than anything!! And I'm pretty darn fond of his older brother :)
I am overwhelmed with emotion as I sit on my couch and look around my living room. In the disheveled room I look around and see all Matthew's toys (a football, some blocks, the t-ball T and some cars) and I look around and see Grant's toys (his piggy bank, baseball glove, lightening McQueen and milk jug). As much as I love seeing a clean house I love seeing the toys sitting around because I know it was a day well spent :)
When I look in the corner however I see all Grant's "special" toys (his gait trainer, kid kart, tumble form, and crawler) and realize how incredibly lucky I am to have these items in my living room. If someone would've told me 5 years ago that I would be sitting here looking at this with an amazing little 3 year old upstairs sleeping and an amazing little 19 month old upstairs sleeping I would have said absolutely. But had someone said that little 19 month old would have Cerebral Palsy and at 19 months would not be able to drink out of his own sippy, grab a puff and eat it, sit, crawl, stand on his own, walk, etc I would have said "Yea right" My life was perfect! And my life would always be perfect...it's funny how quickly your idea of perfect can change!
Perfect now is spending a day with my boys! Seeing Matthew working on writing letters and sitting behind Grant as he plays with toys. But perfect is about so much more than that!! Perfect is when Grant grabs a toy on his own or stands flat footed for a few seconds or now amazingly sits on his own for several minutes!
It's crazy to me how much people take for granted. And I was once one of those people! Did I rejoice when Matthew reached milestones, absolutely! But did I truly appreciate the fact that he reached those? Not like I do now! Every little thing Grant does just shows how truly amazing God is. Grant is the most determined little boy I've ever met. He doesn't let anything hold him back. That is so inspiring. I hope as he gets older he can touch other people's lives like he has mine! I love that little man more than anything!! And I'm pretty darn fond of his older brother :)
Not again!
Again my apologies life got insanely crazy! Lots to update on!! :)
We have had so much going on since my last update in September! That ABM session went great unfortunately we haven't been able to go back since then. First of all our month of September was insane! We not only had the Taking Strides to Make a Stand Walk but we had Matthew's 3rd Birthday, the Royal's Game Buck O'Neil seats, Matthew's birthday party and a couple other birthday parties. In the mix of all that we found a townhome and moved in :) Because of having to pay the deposit and rent and everything we are still trying to play catch up and hence haven't been able to get Grant's therapy in St. Louis :( But we will be going back this month and I'm so excited.
So has it affected Grant Man not doing ABM. Not negatively that's for sure! My little man is showing huge gains. He is standing flat footed more often then not, he is still eating great (unfortunately lost 4.5 oz in a month but that's what Croup, the flu and a cold all in three weeks will do to you), he is helping hold his cup (even getting it to his lips), drinking from a straw, doing great at opening his hands and he is biting off foods from sandwiches, pizza, anything he can bite off. He had a meeting with his service coordinator to go over goals and set new ones. Grant sat there listening very closely because one goal was that he start trying to hold his sippy cup and do it himself...check that off :) And another goal was that he will be sitting on his own. According to the wording of the goal that will happen when he is sitting 2-3 times a day for 5 min and reaching for/playing with toys unassisted...well guess what by April we will be checking that off the list, too! He has been sitting for 3-5 minutes a couple times a day over the last couple days! I can't tell you how incredibly proud I am of him!!
So that's what's been happening to us in the last couple of months. I promise I will get better at updating!! Happy Monday and I hope you all have a great Tuesday :)
We have had so much going on since my last update in September! That ABM session went great unfortunately we haven't been able to go back since then. First of all our month of September was insane! We not only had the Taking Strides to Make a Stand Walk but we had Matthew's 3rd Birthday, the Royal's Game Buck O'Neil seats, Matthew's birthday party and a couple other birthday parties. In the mix of all that we found a townhome and moved in :) Because of having to pay the deposit and rent and everything we are still trying to play catch up and hence haven't been able to get Grant's therapy in St. Louis :( But we will be going back this month and I'm so excited.
So has it affected Grant Man not doing ABM. Not negatively that's for sure! My little man is showing huge gains. He is standing flat footed more often then not, he is still eating great (unfortunately lost 4.5 oz in a month but that's what Croup, the flu and a cold all in three weeks will do to you), he is helping hold his cup (even getting it to his lips), drinking from a straw, doing great at opening his hands and he is biting off foods from sandwiches, pizza, anything he can bite off. He had a meeting with his service coordinator to go over goals and set new ones. Grant sat there listening very closely because one goal was that he start trying to hold his sippy cup and do it himself...check that off :) And another goal was that he will be sitting on his own. According to the wording of the goal that will happen when he is sitting 2-3 times a day for 5 min and reaching for/playing with toys unassisted...well guess what by April we will be checking that off the list, too! He has been sitting for 3-5 minutes a couple times a day over the last couple days! I can't tell you how incredibly proud I am of him!!
So that's what's been happening to us in the last couple of months. I promise I will get better at updating!! Happy Monday and I hope you all have a great Tuesday :)
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