The Boy Makes Me Nervous

This week Joshua has started going down the front steps without holding onto the rail. Oh, it makes me so nervous because I am afraid he is going to take a tumble. It all started on my parents' front steps on Tuesday when I took Rebekah to her swim lesson. Joshua did take a tumble there, but surprisingly, he didn't cry.

Wednesday afternoon I took the kids outside, and as I walked in the front door to lay the mail on the entry table I turned back around to find Joshua almost all the way down the steps in the dead middle not holding onto the rail. My heart skipped a beat...or a few beats.


When he gets to the bottom step he really tries to jump, but he hasn't figured out jumping yet. He usually bends his knees then bounces up and steps off. He has watched Rebekah jump off the last step (she'd jump down all the steps if I let her!) so much he tries to imitate her.



Update on Rebekah's swimming: Rebekah is putting her whole face in the water some now and is becoming more comfortable with it. If I understood Ms. Sandy correctly, Rebekah could keep herself above water now, so that's vast improvement to when we started. She is kicking really well. I meant to grab my video camera and walked out the door without it yesterday, but I'll definitely get some video her last day to show how well she is swimming by the end of a two-week sesson.

Joshua is Walking!!!

After so many months of working with him through physical therapy and exercises at home, my prayers are being answered! Joshua started taking some steps last night and continued today. Knowing the struggles and insecurities that he has had makes this moment even more special. I'm so proud of my little guy!!! And you can tell in the video that he is proud of himself too.



Praise be to God that Joshua is finally taking those steps and learning to walk independently!

Joshua's Gross Motor Update

After taking a break from marked improvement in his gross motor development Joshua is making some significant progress again. He is taking a couple steps here and there from table to chair or to reach something he wants. Yesterday after watching Rebekah push her doll stroller around the house Joshua wanted to play with it too. I weighted the front of it with a heavy book so that it wouldn't tip over on him. Joshua had so much fun pushing the stroller around! When he wants to do so he is also walking while holding our hands. He won't let go of one hand to walk, but he used to let his legs go when we would hold his hands so that we had to pick him up, but now he will hold our hands and walk.

Today Joshua had physical therapy and showed Amanda what he could do. He also stood to play with bubbles then took several steps in a number of directions to reach for the bubbles. I have a feeling it won't be long before he's walking. Amanda is backing off PT to monthly now, and our next visit may be our last, depending on how well Joshua is doing by then.

Stepping Up In This World

Joshua took his first step!!! He was standing in our master bathroom and wasn't holding onto anything. He has been able to stand without support since June 20, but he just didn't feel confident. When he did do it he usually did not realize it, and once he noticed that he wasn't holding anything he would lose his balance. When he does stand without support he is doing things like pulling items out of my drawer with both hands alternating grabbing an object and tossing it on the floor.

Friday afternoon Joshua stood for several seconds in our bathroom without support. The next thing I knew he took a tiny step backward! Later that evening Darrin was working with him and Joshua took a step torward him! We tried to get some on video, but he wouldn't do any more. I have a feeling that once he gets the confidence to start walking he will take off running. He has the physical abilities to do it; he just lacks the confidence...and a little bit of balance that is improving quickly.

Minor Milestones

Joshua's naps are changing. He has been transitioned from two naps to one, and it generally falls right in the middle of the day. This makes PT days hard because he gets only about 30 minutes of a nap after lunch in the car on the way to PT, and once he gets frustrated it is hard to get him back to playing and working again. His limit is about 45 minutes of PT and then we have to stop.

Rebekah just started summer preschool yesterday, so we moved Joshua's PT to Tuesday mornings after I drop Rebekah off at preschool. This is working so much better! Joshua is still pretty fresh, so when he does get frustrated he will come back to playing and working again.

At one point he wanted to comfort nurse, so Mrs. Amanda took him out of the room for a little walk in the hall. She got him calmed down by taking him into the OT (Occupational Therapy) room with a large mirror. I stayed out of the room while Amanda worked with him. He did really great for her while I stayed out of sight, but fussed when he saw me, so I kept my distance and watched when he couldn't see me. I returned for the last few minutes of his session so she could show me what he can do and what to work on this week. Joshua took a couple steps while she held his waist! Also, she had him play with bubbles and got him to hold onto a bench with one hand and completely turn his body to reach for the bubbles behind him. I have been so amazed at all the little milestones and steps that a child must reach between the major milestones. I never knew there was so much involved until Joshua started PT, but with each minor milestone I celebrate. And on top of that, he spent nearly a whole hour in PT. I'm so proud of Joshua's progress! Now I just need to get his little push/ride-on car out of the basement again.