Trampoline!

I finally got around to setting up the trampoline that Garrett got for Christmas. We decided not to spend the extra money for one with handles because we thought he would hurt himself. But right now, I'm almost wishing that this one had a handle. Garrett doesn't have the core strength to stay balanced while he jumps. He's all over the place. I can stand there and hold his hands, but then he wants me to pull him and make him jump. I want him to do it on his own, so this might take a little while to get used to.

Garebear, The Mashed Potato Eater

It wasn't just a fluke! Garrett will happily eat mashed potatoes now.





*note: The spoon is just for show. I always put utensils with his food just in case, but he never uses them.

Look what my boy can do!

I've had these on my camera for the past month, but I just had to share.





I'm so proud of Garrett!

It takes a lot of concentration for him to put the blocks together. He gets easily frustrated if he can't figure out how to turn the block at just the right angle so he still needs some help. This is something else that we're still working on.

For Christmas, Garrett got some toys that he's used in therapy over the past six months. We'll be playing with those from now on, too.

What a difference a month can make.

Garrett did not do well with this move. He was at a few different houses on the day that the movers came. By the time we got him home, he went straight to bed. When he woke up, I changed his diaper and then let him loose to run around. He walked around the living room and dining room and noticed that everything was gone.

He flipped.


Luckily, we had kept his little chair that he eats in. I sat him down and put his tray on and all was right with the world for a little bit.

It took him a few days to get settled into the new house. Once our household goods were delivered he did much better. He has his own room here, which is a great improvement for him.



Since we've been in the new house, Garrett has made a great discovery. He can take me by the hand and guide me to something that he wants. This is much better than dealing with a twenty minute screaming fit and having to guess. We're still working on it, because he doesn't point or gesture, he just takes you to the general area of what he wants. It's not perfect, but we'll take it!

He has not started his early intervention therapy yet. We're waiting on referrals and couldn't get in to see his new developmental pediatrician until January. We have met his new primary care manager and he is awesome. He put in for our specialty referral and asked about Garrett's improvement with speech and OT. When I mentioned the dietary intervention, he listened. He didn't look at me like I was crazy, so he gets a thumbs up from me.

Great progress!

Garrett began following simple directions this week. He still doesn't respond to his name 100% of the time, but that one's gonna take some time. He will bring me an item and he'll sit down in his chair when asked.

I took him to the Ophthalmologist on Wednesday. These appointments are challenging for a kid that doesn't like his head touched. It took two of us to hold him still, but they were able to get what they needed pretty quickly. He is farsighted, but within a normal range for his age. No glasses for now, but they said he should be tested in 18 months.

Garrett's speech pathologist brought us some visual helpers yesterday. We've used them successfully for snack time and are working to build his understanding. I'm hoping that we can eventually use these helpers so that he can understand more routines.

Garrett is cutting molars and just wasn't up for his occupational therapy session today. He played with some Mega Blocks for a few minutes and then spent the rest of the time snacking and watching Bronson build a big tower.

This was our last week with these providers. We've loved working with both of these ladies. I'm hoping that our providers in Virginia will be just as wonderful. We've been spoiled here.

Garrett loves muffins!

I've been making muffins for the past two weeks or so, just to hide fruits and veggies for Garrett. We've tried a few different combinations, just replacing the oil with baby food purees. I've also chopped up some apples into some of them.

It's working. He'll eat any muffin I throw in front of him, with the exception of pumpkin. Which is just fine, I'll keep my pumpkin puree for myself. :)

STOP THE PRESSES!

This may be a totally lame thing to get excited about. Typical parents of typical children don't usually get excited about little things like this. But I am no typical parent.

Garrett ate mashed potatoes with his dinner tonight. He has avoided anything with that texture for over a year. I always put them on his plate anyway and am not surprised when he doesn't even touch them.

Not so today! He dug in with his fingers, wiped his hands off on the tray and then licked his thumb. I thought for sure that he would spit it out and make a huge deal of it like he normally does. Nope. He just kept going back to load up his fingers.

So what did this mommy do? I changed my facebook status and twittered about it.

STOP THE PRESSES! Garrett just ate mashed potatoes! Take that, Oral Motor Sensory Issues!