Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Who is this kid?!?

I feel like I am asking myself this question almost daily now. Our sweet Mr. Max has not just taken off, but is seriously soaring through developments that sometimes I don't seem to even recognize him anymore. It seems that since his little body isn't fighting to stay alive anymore or trying to cope with pain, it is now able to start moving forward, growing and developing.
He has had a major growth spurt these last 6 months and really started maturing. My best guess is that he is now finally around a 12-18 month old...yahoo!!! He will be 4 in only three short months...can you believe it? I'm also excited to announce that I just moved him up to 3T! This is the first time in his entire life that he has even come close to wearing a size in proportion to his age...eeek! Of course the 3T clothes pretty much swallow him (and I confess that his pants sometime fall off since he is "no bottom Max"), but this little guy has gotten so tall that 2T's just weren't fitting the bill anymore :).
I absolutely love that he is sitting up almost all day now and he has really strengthened up his core. He pulls to standing all the time (on furniture & people) and wants to walk oh so bad, but he can't seem to figure out how to get those little legs a moving.
Since he has finally made some significant gains in mobility, we have put Max in additional therapy outside of school therapy. At school he sees five different therapists (PT, OT, Speech, VI, VI Mobility) but he isn't quite getting as intense of therapy as he needs. Therefore, he is seeing a physical therapist once a week with the possibility of adding in aquatic therapy down the road. He is also seeing a feeding therapist once a week outside of school to work on his oral aversion.
Max seemed pretty excited and comfortable at the little gym he will be working out at :). I really like his  therapist and can hardly wait to see even more gains...
Max is wearing his AFO's (leg braces) for around 5 hours everyday and is really tolerating them well, but is definitely ready to get them off for nap time. The braces help provide support and strength which is a good thing. Max's PT and OT at school have been working with us to get everything he needs to start using a gait trainer to give Max the freedom he is itching for so bad! 
The therapists were able to secure a gait trainer at school for him so Daniel and I snuck up to school to meet with them and hopefully see him walk for the first time. As you can see, Max wasn't too thrilled with the idea. Of course we all know it takes awhile for little man to get adjusted to new experiences and situations, so I felt he really did a good job calming down. I noticed part of him being upset was that he kept wanting to move so bad, but didn't have enough strength to push off on the carpet.
I think once we get him on something slick like wood then there maybe no stopping him :)! Bad news is that Daniel and I found out we need to have a brace made that will cover his whole leg (just on the right thankfully). While his left side doesn't look too bad, his right leg is almost twisted when he moves it where his knee is pointing right and out while his foot is pointed left and out...so completely unnatural that I can't even make my own legs bend that way. You can even see the way the therapist is trying to hold his scrawny little leg straight for him. Therefore friends, we are going to have our very own Forest Gump in our midst...hehe! To go along with more intense therapy and braces, Max will also start having Botox injections in his legs within the next few months.
One characteristic of Max that amazes me is his love of music. Anytime he gets upset you can either turn up music real loud (the louder the better) or start singing, he almost instantly calms down. You can see his teacher above playing him toddler songs to get him to calm down while his therapist worked on adjusting the trainer. His therapists also play a lot of music for background noise to help soothe him while they give him a little push during therapy. I have to share one of his secrets though, his favorite song to dance to is...Taylor Swifts "Shake it Off"! No lie, when that song comes on the radio that boy starts jamming out like no other...its hilarious. His favorite song that we sing is "Wheels on the Bus" and he gets almost as excited with that song. Max still isn't really into TV much, but his heart is still captivated by his favorite mouse...
If I ever turn it on for him you will see him practically sprint to the living room and then become entranced. He absolutely adores hats and can care less what it looks like...
that's right, this kid is always stealing mine off my head! Max is also starting to act a little silly which is fun to see. He started making this silly face lately...
that Daniel and I can't seem to stop laughing at.  He is starting to be a little more stubborn like his big brother and not backing down when he doesn't get what he wants. He has also gotten very opinionated which I absolutely love...it means his brain is a clicking! His newest form of rebellion is running away...
He likes being a sneaky little booger and I can't help but let him have a little space to express himself (within safe boundaries of course). Max is still non-verbal but is doing an excellent job using cues to let us know what he wants...or he just grabs our hands and forcefully shows us what he wants :). He is waving bye-bye, blowing kisses, and even clapping!!! I still think my favorite thing about Max is the joy that he radiates. He is always so happy, especially when he is doing something he really enjoys like learning how to slide all by himself...
I'm still reaffirmed that putting him in school three days a week has been so good for this little guy and he is always giggling on the way there. I love how much they are challenging him and how he is conquering all our little goals we have set for him. Our whole family (grandparents, aunts, and all) can't help but be so proud and celebrate all the inchstones Max continues to meet!

1 comment:

  1. I love it when you write blogs about Max! I know we speak often, but we are usually so busy talking about trivial things that I don't always get my Max update. Sometimes Mom tells me stuff in passing & sometimes I read it on the blog for the first time, so I am glad you take the time to share his story :)

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