New Braces

After therapy yesterday, Davis had an appointment with his Orthotist to get fitted for new SMO's. I mentioned that his PT for Suit Therapy thought he'd benefit better from the Sure Steps, as they allow more ankle movement. She called his regular PT about it and they all agreed to try it. Minimizing the support he gets from these braces forces his muscles to work harder to compensate, but they all think they'll work great for him.

These are SMO's. They cover the entire length of the foot and fit snuggly around the ankle.

This is a Sure Step. They only cover about half of the bottom of the foot. They're open in the back to allow more ankle movement, but still provide the stable base he needs. He, of course, picked the skateboard design.

We're steadly seeing improvements from therapy. He's definitely standing taller and walking with his feet less scissored. His range is increasing, meaning the therapist can stretch him further and further each day.

Vision Board Update

Since the year is over halfway finished, I thought I'd give an update on the progress we've made with Davis' goals.

1. Stay healthy...I think he's only been sick once or twice this year and we've avoided medication both times.

2. Conductive Education...We're not going to Orlando for therapy this year since I'm pregnant, but the Suit Therapy we're doing in Lawrenceville is substituting wonderfully.

3. Potty trained...Grrrr...'nuff said.

4. Positivity and confidence...He still gets frustrated when he can't do something, but we're working hard to encourage him to 'keep trying'. Overall, he knows he's pretty bad ass.

5. Increase food variety...he's still really picky about what he'll eat, but he's willing to try new things. Still not many fruits and veggies in his diet, though.

6. Gain at least 5 pounds...So far, I think he's gained 1.

7. Learn daily life skills...he can undress himself, brush his own teeth, and he's become really great about cleaning up after meals, playtime, etc.

8. Run...Oh yeah! And he learned how to jump this week!!!

9. Increase verbal and receptive speech...This improves every day. He never stops talking. Still struggling with the 'l' and 'r' sounds.

10. Learn to ride his tricycle...Not really there yet.

11. Increase fine motor skills...He's improving, but still not age appropriately. This intensive OT is definitely helping, though.

Trip to the Museum

Justin went out of town with his dad and step-brother, so I took Davis to the Tellus Museum in Cartersville on Saturday. It wasn't nearly as nice as the one I took him to in Orlando, but we still enjoyed ourselves.

The Science in Motion exhibit displayed antique cars, bicycles, trains, etc. Davis desperately wanted to touch and sit on everything, which was obviously not allowed.

We went 'digging' for fossils and 'gem panning'.

I was fascinated by the 15-foot 'turtle' fossil. I can't remember what they called it or how old it was, of course.

I couldn't get Davis to stand in front of the 9-foot Megaladon (shark) jaw. He was, for some reason, scared of it.

I thought the children's area was really low budget. They had stuff that you could find at any daycare center.

Suit Therapy Week 1

In just a week, Davis is showing improvement with his balance, standing, and strength. His PT said that he's gained 30% range in his left hamstring and 20% in his right. The woman that did his evaluation a while back, saw him today and also thought he had improved since then.

His OT is working really hard on his finger and hand strength. She had him draw a bunch of squares on paper today and they actually look like squares! Go 'D'!

Holiday Weekend and Suit Therapy Day 1

Pride for his country...

Friday night...The Varsity and Braves Game with some new friends of ours, the Greens.

First Naked Dog.

Saturday morning...Fourth of July Parade in Cartersville, also with the Greens.


Saturday night...Fireworks show in Woodstock with Eva and her family.

Justin and Eva
Wes and Davis

Sunday...Out on the lake with the Prices. Afterwards, we headed over to Justin's aunt and uncle's house for their annual 4th cookout, which always involves extremely competitive volleyball, Polish beer, horseshoes, and great company. They own about 10 dogs and one of them had a litter of 8 puppies on Saturday, so Davis got to pet and love on one. It was the cutest thing in the world.

Day One of Suit Therapy...Davis' physical therapist seems really great so far. She's super enthusiastic and motivating. She worked on muscle building exercises and did a wonderful job of keeping him interested and engaged for 3 hours. She seems really hopeful that we'll see a lot of improvement with his balance, gait, and leg scissoring. Starting tomorrow, he'll also be receiving an hour of Occupational Therapy to work on his fine motor skills. I feel bad that he's going to be working so hard for the next 3 weeks, but he enjoyed it so much.

Check-ups

Hearing...great. Although, it's totally selective. He can't ever seem to hear the first 18 times I tell him to do something.

Vision...great. Definitely didn't get that from me.

Dental...great. He grinds his teeth, but the dentist said he hasn't reached any nerves...yet...so we're good there...for now.

So we're all set to start another school year!

Post From Davis

Since my Momma has been such a slacker, I thought I’d get on here and let you guys know how awesome my summer has been so far. Since Baby Sister is coming soon, and I’m going to have to share her attention, my Momma has made very sure she and I have lots and lots of fun together.

At the beginning of June, we took our annual trip with Pa to Okaloosa Island, near Fort Walton Beach. Momma and I almost drowned the first day when a huge wave knocked her off her feet. She held on to me for dear life and we made it out ok. Her Oakley's were compromised in the struggle, but Uncle Ev eventually found them! While we were under the water (for what seemed like an eternity), I saw a crab*! *Sidenote from Momma...this 'crab' has turned into a giraffe named Lalla and two creatures named Bert and Ernie. Imaginations.

Playing cards with Dadda in the condo...

Pa said I needed a haircut...

I made some friends that were a couple umbrellas down from my family. We shared sand toys and built castles together.

Dadda and Me

Uncle Ev and Me

Doin' work with the Spiderman kite...

Pa turned 50 while we were there and we celebrated at Dewey Destin’s…which, according to my family, has the BEST food ever. They highly recommend the Parmesan Encrusted Grouper. I even tried it.

My Momma and Debbie had been planning Pa’s surprise birthday dinner for months and, after our beach trip, it was finally time to celebrate! They gathered a bunch of his work people, friends (old and new), and family at The Old Mill. We even got his Momma and sister to come down from Kentucky. He was so surprised and totally over-served himself with ‘Dadda’s juice’…go Pa!

Live music just for us...

For the past couple weeks, me and some of my friends have been taking turns playing together at each other’s houses. The first Mother’s Morning Out was at my house. We played outside and had a great time. The next week, I got dropped off at a friend’s house, while Momma went out for a spa pedicure. I’m pretty sure she bought a bunch more clothes for Baby Sister, too.

I turned 4 on the 20th and had an awesome birthday party!

For Father’s Day, we went out on the lake with Eva and her Mommy and Daddy. I rode with Dadda on an inner tube behind the boat for the first time and LOVED it! About a month ago, Momma and I met Vince Dooley and got one of his books autographed for Dadda on his special day!

Next week, I start an intensive therapy program in Lawrenceville. My Momma and Dadda are hopeful that it’ll help me walk better. I’ll make sure my Momma keeps you guys posted on my progress.

-Davis

Memorial Day Weekend

On Friday, Davis had an evaluation at All About Kids Therapy Services in Lawrenceville. They provide a service called 'suit therapy' that's supposed to be really beneficial for people with CP and spasticity. It's a great way to increase muscle control and strength. We're hoping he can attend the program in July since going to Orlando for Conductive Education isn't an option right now with the pregnancy.

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Oh Saturday, we spent some time at the pool with Uncle Ev and Elle. I came to the conclusion that my brother is officially going to be 'that guy' that Davis idolizes growing up. He's ALL ABOUT his Uncle Ev. He wants to talk like him, sit like him, get into whatever he's getting into. It's really cute.

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This is what my sweet baby turns into when Dadda takes him outside...

Pa and Debbie watched Davis on Saturday night while Justin and I went out. Davis came back to us all tatted up...

My personal favorite...

I dedicated Sunday to potty training. From 9:00 am to 12:15 pm, I kept Davis naked while we camped out in his room, playing and drinking lots of water. During that period, there were 10 different times where he'd start to pee on the carpet and I'd rush to sit him on the potty. Each time, I'd get really excited, let him pour his pee into the big toilet, and put a sticker on the door. We took a break for lunch where he peed in his pull-ups. From 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm, the same thing happened twice. We took another break from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm for naptime. At 4:00 pm, he peed on the potty. Then we left to attend a wedding and nothing else happened. The next morning, he peed on the potty and about an hour later, he poo'd in his pull-ups. We were gone the rest of the day, so the attempts were put on hold again. During these 2 days, Davis never once acted like he really knew what he was doing. He never told us that he needed to go potty. He rarely even flinched when he'd start peeing everywhere. And he still doesn't care AT ALL if he has a pull-up full of pee or poo. I'm about to explode.

In doing some research, I've decided that he's clearly not ready and that like every other developmental milestone, he's probably going to catch on late. I have an appointment with a pediatric urologist to find out if he has decreased sensation down there. I know that with some CP kids, this can be the case. So we'll see.

At the Butler Wedding...Getting cracked out before heading to a friend's RV site on Carter's Lake on Memorial Day...

Last Day of School

That's right. "Schoooooool's out...for summer!!!"

He was awarded Most Improved Communication Skills, Walking, and Following Directions! I swear I saw ...And Best Looking in fine print at the bottom, but that could have been a hallucination. The teachers threw a party with cake, ice cream, and Finding Nemo on the projector screen. Who LOVED the end of the school year growing up!?!? All of Davis' adventures just take me back to my childhood. Davis handed out gifts to his teachers and therapists. "Here, Ms. Wendy. This one is for you!" He was so excited.

Now we get to fill our days with pool time, playdates, and therapy sessions.