Mason's Follow-up Appointment

      In December he went to a new pediatric neurologist. We liked her better than the first because we felt she listened to us and didn't just ask some questions from a questionnaire  She asked us questions based on what we said and how we answered her questions.
      We were told then to keep up the visits from Miss Kelly and they (doc's office) would set up a PT evaluation. Mason continued to have Miss Kelly come and work with him.
       Mason went for a follow up appointment today and I asked about the PT evaluation. Turns out there was a misunderstanding on our part, we were supposed to set it up so I will be taking care of that later today. He has to go for another follow up in March.

Miss Kelly's Latest Visit

     Today Miss Kelly came to do therapy with Mason. He was finishing up lunch when she arrived. When he saw her he began to laugh and smile, then play with his food rather than eat it. So with lunch over, we all sat down on the floor as Miss Kelly began to work with Mason. As she went through his exercises with him, he would laugh and smile at her.
      Then she decided to work with his left hand by trying to trap his right hand in his shirt (notice I said TRY to work with his left hand). She sat Mason facing outward on her lap and pulled his arm into the shirt so that is was touching his belly. She began tying the right sleeve into a knot (so that he couldn't put it back in). As she was trying to tie the knot, Mason decided that he could get his right arm out of the shirt another way. He raised his arm up through the neck hole, exposing his arm and shoulder with the sleeve dangling underneath. Smart boy! So I went to get him another shirt to try.
     As Miss Kelly was trying to get it on him and the knot tied in the sleeve again he began to fuss, wiggle, and complain (and to try to escape that shirt too). She decided that wasn't going to work, so she untied the knot so that Mason could put his right arm in the sleeve. After she got his shirt on, he turned towards her with a stern look on his face. He then said a bunch of garbled sounds that included some screams and screeches, we couldn't tell what he said but he certainly sounded as if he were cussing her out in baby talk, lol.
     The session continued with Mason laughing and giggling throughout.

Mason's 2nd Christmas

     Even though this was Mason's second Christmas (technically) it felt more like his first Christmas. For his first Christmas he was about 2.5 weeks old and slept through most of it (except for eating, of course ;). We went to church on Christmas Eve with Nana and then spent the night with MiSue and Grandpa.
     On Christmas morning, Mason seemed to enjoy opening his presents with help from me, at first, but then he seemed to be confused by getting to open all these new toys and no one would let him play with them :(. Then came the rocking horse AND we put him on it....he just smiled and smiled. He really seemed to like it. He got to play with the other toys later too ;). After eating a big, yummy breakfast we went home.
      We stayed home long enough for Mason to have some lunch and get a nap in before heading to my brother-in-law and sister-in-laws' house for more presents and dinner. On the way over Mason decided his nap wasn't quite finished (either that or the morning wore him out, lol) so he napped more and we woke him up to take him inside. After a few minutes of sitting in my lap, he got down on the floor. He hung out with his cousins and other family members. After opening presents and eating a delicious dinner, we returned home. By then it was bedtime and a busy, fun Christmas had come to an end. I got Mason ready for bed and he was out in less than 5 minutes.

Milestone Update

  Mason continues to work with Miss Kelly. We have seen a dramatic improvement in his ability to sit up ;)! When he began therapy in the beginning of October, he couldn't stay sitting up for even a few seconds. Now he can sit up about 25-30 minutes AND knows how to get out of the sitting position. The little stinker does it in such a cute way! He leans forward, lowering his head to the ground and rolls out of it (I will try to get a recording of it to post ;).
    Another big change I have seen in him is the ability to sit in a shopping cart and high chair at a restaurant. His trunk muscles have strengthened and he has a better sense of balance now which make sitting in shopping carts and restaurant high chairs possible. He can't sit in either for more than about 20 min, BUT that is 20 min more than he used to be able to.
   His left hand continues to be lagging behind. He wears his splint most of the day and seems to use the hand more now. I think the splint has encouraged use of the left hand and is getting him in the habit of using it. Even when the splint is off, he uses the hand more because of habit.
  He still has a LONG road ahead of him, but I am glad to see he is making such progress in just the 3 months he's had therapy.

                                     As promised....I caught him rolling out of the sitting position ;).

Mason's Birthday Party

     First, I want to start out with thanking everyone who attended the party. It meant a lot to me :). Next I want to send a special shout out to my friend Marie, thank you for all of your help! The prep went more smoothly with your help. Thanks again! Now on to the actual party :).
     The party went really well! I'm so thankful considering all the issues that came up at the last minute! We arrived at my parents' house a little early to decorate, cook the chili, and ice the cupcakes. We got everything done early (again thanks Marie and mom). The guests arrived and everyone got caught up with each other. Even Gage and Mason seemed to be talking to each other! Mason opened his presents with a lot of help from me. We all ate dinner, then sung 'Happy Birthday' to Mason and had cupcakes.
      Mason seemed to enjoy smashing his. He made such a mess! That's ok, he had fun! That's what I cared about ;)!
     At the end of the night, Mason fell asleep on the floor. He partied until he dropped! He wasn't the only one exhausted. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party.
     I can't believe his first birthday has already come and gone :'(. I miss my little newborn but look forward to seeing him develop into a roaming, exploring, toddler. Mason, daddy and me love you very much!

Mason's 1st Birthday

     I got to spend the most of the whole day with just Mason and me. I LOVED not having to share him with anyone! It was great! The day started off with Mason waking up early. So I got him up and got him ready for the day. The original plan was to fix him homemade waffles for breakfast, that was until he woke up early. So he got scrambled eggs and toast instead. Didn't seem to bother him a bit! He gobbled them down and we went about our day.
     When Doug got him we helped him open his presents (pics to come later ;).We had decided that we would take him out to eat for a birthday dinner (to start a tradition that we hope to continue each year). The only question we had to answer was, 'Where do you take a 1 year old for dinner?'. I mean it's not like hecan tell you or request his favorite restaurant. To complicate things further, Mason is a great eater (problematic I know, lol ;). So we racked our brains and decided that somewhere that served either broccoli, avocado, or mac & cheese would be a good place to take him (based on observation he seems to enjoy these foods the most). We also wanted a restaurant close to home, so that eliminated Cracker Barrel (great mac & cheese) and left only Chili's and a Chinese restaurant. We decided on the Chinese restaurant because we knew it would be less crowded on a Friday night. Mason and me split chicken with mixed veggies. He got to have some broccoli along with all of my mushrooms (eww! fungus!).
     After dinner we went home and I gave him a cupcake for dessert. He seemed not sure what to do with a whole cupcake at first, but then figured it out ;). He seemed to really enjoy it (I think the pictures speak for themselves).  Tomorrow the party.....

The Sign Language Experiment Conitinues

   I have been trying to teach Mason to learn some simple signs to help him communicate with us. I decided to limit it to 5 signs to keep things simple as possible. The signs I decided I wanted to teach him are 'eat', 'milk', 'more', 'please' and 'thank you'. I started teaching him about about 6-7 months, because I figured earlier is better. I also knew at that age not to expect much, but I have kept on trying. At first all he did was to look at me like I was crazy and he'd laugh. I still kept trying though. To this day he still looks at me like I am crazy and laughs. I have also added one more sign, 'finished'  (all done). I still keep trying ;). I don't know what the issue is. I thought he would have picked up one or two of the signs.....but nope :(. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?? Maybe I'm expecting too much (but I don't think so, other children I've known can sign several signs by his age)???? Maybe he's stubborn and he'll do it when he's darn good and ready??? Personally, I think it's the last question :P. He's done everything else on his own, sweet time.
    Any ideas on things to try will be appreciated ;). Thanks!