and we are OFF..almost!

OK, so silence is golden..or not...this post is overdue, but we have GREAT BIG news!!! Parker turned 10 months last Tuesday, and on Friday....he started to get up on all fours!!!! He is frequently found up on all fours rocking back and forth! Today he is up on all fours and trying to "scoot" himself forward..so fun to see, not the best pictures (or the best outfit for crawling), but you get the idea!!! of course this happened AFTER the eval at the Down syndrome clinic, the boy is smart..already knows how to manipulate the eval (or not perform when told)...and when he is tired he gives the "big eyes" look or a "swimming" smile!

So, last week brought the 9 month visit to the Ds clinic here in Houston. Nothing big to report. From there we were given instructions to have 1)thyroid tested (done every year in kids with Ds) 2) CBC white blood cell count (again precautionary and he won't need this again until much later unless we suspect something or he is sick and Dr orders it). 3) have hearing tested again (precautionary) 4) get initial eye exam. Wow, for a child doing so well, I had 4 more appointments and 2 new Drs added to the list. UGH! Oh well, we are praising God for a great report. Parker is doing well developmentally and he is meeting his milestones. The PT gave me three excellent exercises to encourage pulling up and help facilitate crawling (and they work!). She gave me two exercise to help from side or back to sitting position. Apparently this skill he's a bit behind on? Not sure I agree here, don't think my other kids could do this at 10months? We are getting a PT eval for Parker next month, I loved the exercises given and really felt excited to receive some "homework" which we don't get currently. Dr. said to use the PT order as we see fit, not a MUST, but we may sub out some OT for PT. Parker was happy to chat and squeal to the ST's delight and he gave lots of babbling. She gave us some good suggestions too, now we are working on two sounds (ba be, me ma, oh ah...), so if we sounds strange you will know where it comes from. Helps encourage that pre language ability!

So, at 10 months for my feeble memory..here is what Parker is up to..

-up on all 4's!!!!
-commando crawling (or slithering like a snake)

-pivots and rolls everywhere, turn your back and he's gone or on the opposite side of body you laid him on

-sitting well and gets down to crawl (although it isn't graceful and more like a face plant)

-knows his name and his siblings, responds to them and recognizes them

-eats real food (no teeth still), we are beginning table foods (broccoli, chicken, bananas, rice) and we really like them all

-working on open cup drinking, sippy cup, and straw drinking

-lots of sounds, and varies pitch, tone, and range

-find the hidden toy and plays peekaboo

-waves bye-bye/hi (hit or miss here)

-places things in and out of the toy box, is fond of putting his socks in the box :)

We have so much to be thankful for, but most of all we are thankful for Parker! His milestones are just that..his milestones!!! We are proud of his progress and we are learning that we don't have to compare ours to others! Surprisingly we are OK with it all!

Anticipating God's best!!

Lara