And Furthermore

Crew is a masterfully balanced sitter these days, even without full support from his legs if they are, say, dangling. THAT means...

As long as they have sterilization wipes...

Crew has started riding in the front of the grocery cart like a big boy! He. absolutely. loves. it.

Now, I'm gonna find one of those grocery cart covers. Do I have it in me to be that mom? That germophobic mom? Yes, I think so.

OT Who?

We had a visit from Physical Therapist Julie today. After Crew's gross motor workout, we talked about the future and I asked some questions that had been brewing in my noggin'. Among the many questions I posed, I wanted to know what she may see now or in the future that would cause her to submit a request for an Occupational Therapist to work with Crew again.

Are you ready for the answer?

NOTHING.

What she meant by "nothing" is:

#1. He recently started feeding himself cheerios somewhat successfully with his little pincer grasp.

#2. He is working through his minor feeding/eating/chewing/swallowing issues without intervention, and

#3. The weakness on the left side of his body has completely disappeared.

No more occupational therapy in our future. I can cross that off my list and stop wondering about it. I just feel so giddy.

Now that's a milestone. And I didn't even know we hit it.

In other cool things that Crew can do: He picked up Tanner's hat off the floor and put it on his own head. And took it off. And put it back on. Big boy! There is no end to his cuteness. I called Justin to tell him all about it and Daddy is insisting that we prove it by having him perform on command tonight after work. Ha! Wish us luck.

Popsicle Peer Pressure

I was inspired by this video of a certain tiny girlfriend.

Our own attempt started off promising enough.

Yummy popsicle!The inspection...
I. Will. Eat. This. Whole. Thing.
Suddenly, things took a very sharp turn for the worse. It was cold! Can you say "Popsicle Headache?!!!!"

Mmmmm..... Pizza

Basket Boy

Our Basket Boy is making progress. He is willing and able to kneel beside the basket these days for sometimes up to 5 minutes at a time without toppling or flinging himself. He can also self-correct when he leans a little too far in any direction, including backwards. It's thrilling to see when he is able to catch himself just before he passes the point of no return. I get a little shiver inside. He still doesn't love the process, but he didn't love learning to sit either.

I didn't get any pictures of it, but he took both hands off the basket this morning at one point. He played with a toy in one hand while waving the other around. Progress, progress! I did, however, get a picture of something else pretty cool farther down this post...

Enjoy these first.
Do you see how he is sitting low on his knees in this picture? Do you see how his bum is touching his feet?
Ta-da!! Up and off his feet! We've been working to strengthen his core and his hip flexor muscles to get him to lift up on his own. It's yet another of the four thousand pieces to pre-crawling. Yay, Crew!

Major Milestone

Crew had a great meeting with PT Julie this afternoon. He showed off his basket skills and only threw a little tantrum when she forced him onto all fours. She brought along a speech therapist trainee to observe our session. She does that sometimes because I'm her favorite mommy with the most agreeable little critter. Blush... She always calls in advance to make sure it's OK to bring visitors -- and to ensure that I know to shower and locate a bra before our appointment.

The big success of the day, however, came at dinner time. Crew ate his first true meal with the family tonight in a surprise Rock Star Crew Move (R.S.C.M.) We bypassed smashed fruits and oatmeal, his usual fare. Instead, I fed him endless teeny bites of sundried tomato pasta! He loved it! And more importantly, he swallowed every bit without gagging, vomiting, choking or aspirating. (Ok, maybe a little gagging, but I'm not complaining.)

And that, my friends, is Big News around these parts.

Crew Cut

Get it? "Crew" cut? Come on. It's funny.

Little Beast needed a new 'do. I know, I know, he's rockin' the peyot, but still. This was the most enjoyable hair cut I have ever given. He was so happy, so patient. As my new favorite customer, he was perfectly content to play with the clipper attachments while I whacked away endlessly at his baby fines with scissors.
Awwww.... he's a big boy now! Daddy thinks he looks weird. Silly Daddy.