Aqua Therapy

Today we added another "first" to a long list of adventures we have had with Lucas and this time it was was aqua therapy. After waiting some time to get that added to the EI "plan" we were finally able to make it happen and boy did this class not disappoint! Lucas joined in with the rest of the class and made it seem as though he had been in the class for months and squealed non-stop with excitement while he splashed water all over my face and chased toys in the water.  I am so glad we were able to get enrolled as this little guy surely was a fish or some other aquatic mammal in a former life!

While we obviously have other types of therapy we already do aquatic therapy for children with special needs promotes motor, cognitive, and social development.  Water provides buoyancy and resistance that can improve circulation, strength and endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination, range of motion and muscle tone.  It also helps with helping children learn to crawl, roll and walk.
 

The little fishy before his aqua therapy class

The tired little fishy after his class.....zzzzzzzzz!

Getting back to reality

We have been on vacation visiting family in Florida so I have not been able to update our site in the last few days but I did manage to get a couple of photos to share as we get back to reality.  Lucas seemed to ease back into reality a lot easier than mom and dad did as you can see in the photos below.  He did a little bit of artwork and flashed that wonderful smile after waking up from a nap at daycare.  Photos to come from our trip to Florida soon!

Take care!

Finger painting masterpiece!

A happy Lucas after a good nap!

Happy Valentine's Day

I couldn't resist showing off the cutest little valentine crafts we received from our little man. They are just the cutest! Well anything with his cute little face on it is sure to be a huge hit in our house so this is no different.  I will have to ask the daycare teachers what they did that had Lucas grinning from ear to ear. Love this!

17 months already

Who knew 17 months could fly by so fast? Everyone always tells me to enjoy them while they are little because babies grow up so quickly...and they are right.  Somehow when I wasn't looking Lucas turned 17 months and it only seems like yesterday that I was holding my baby for the first time.  Look at you now baby boy looking so grown and handsome. 

Working on milestones

When you watch your children work on reaching milestone after milestone there are moments that touch you more intensely because you are reminded that this little person belongs to you and you are responsible for nurturing them the best way you know how.  Although our family life is as busy as the next I never get tired of watching Lucas in weekly therapy sessions working on new skills.  I live for the moments he claps for himself after a new accomplishment, smiles and laughs while therapy is masked as fun play and even whimpers as he forced to do something he doesn't really want to but is good or helpful for him.  All these moments, all these memories remind me that I am living in the present and not taking for granted one moment of this beautiful like we have with Lucas.  He keeps us grounded and is a constant reminder to make sure we celebrate all the small stuff as it is really the BIG stuff.

Here are some photos from our Developmental Therapy session where Lucas was working on placing animal puzzle pieces and making the animal sounds along with them.  Visual and audible recognition are some of the things that we are currently working on.

"Hey mom, why are you distracting me with all the photos?"

 You might think that eating is not really therapy or working toward milestones but for kiddos like Lucas working on the "pincer grasp" (pinching the tip of the thumb and pointer finger together) is a major skill accomplishment for fine motor skills.  In the photo below it allows Lucas to be able to pick up small pieces of food for self-feeding which at one time didn't come so easy. Next up - use of utensils but in the meantime he is happy he can feed himself cheerios! (and so are we!)

 

"Yum....about time they feed me!"

 
As if DT (Developmental Therapy) wasn't enough for one day we also have PT (Physical Therapy) on the same day so here are some photos of Lucas in action.  It was pretty nice to finally have dad there since he is usually working and cannot attend the sessions. I will say that he was very impressed with all Lucas has been up to!

Pushing up through the arms

"I am the kkkiiiiiinnnnngggg of the woooorrrrlllllddddd!!

I wanna get to Big Bird! If only they would help me get there faster!

Working on stepping sideways

"Hmmm, not fun they keep moving the toys from side to side so I have to move!"

"Finally! I get to make my way to Big Bird again!"

"Mom, am I done now? Please!!"

Family fun on a Saturday night

Lucas is a little under the weather so we decided that relaxing Saturday night would do us all some good. Here is what we did last night and you will see how proud Lucas was of himself.  Sick or not this kid just keeps on going. Gosh, I love this kid!