New updates

Well we are over 1/2 way done with our ACTH injections and so far so good. Still no sign of seizures (yay!) but slowly Finn has reverted back to some of his old habits. Nothing compared to what he used to be like, but Finn is back to wanting to be held when he sleeps. No matter how hard I try he just won't sleep in his crib. So we are back to cosleeping. Which I am disappointed about. I know some people will suggest sleep training, but Finn is a special baby. He does not know how to soothe himself. He still can not keep a binky in his mouth by himself, he still isnt aware of his hands so he does not suck on his thumb or anything like that. Finn's main problem is his hyperextention. When he is upset he gets so ridged and archs his back, and when that happens there is no calming him except to pick him up. He will seriously cry for hours and hours until he is picked up (trust me, we have tried). His Occupational therapist said that as of right now I am his only calming mechanism. So for the time being I will be what he needs me to be until we can find another alternative. Other than the sleeping issue, he continues to be his normal self. I have noticed that on the days that he has his shots, he is a little bit more needy than the days that he doesn't. But nothing I can't handle and still nothing compared to what he was like before the drugs. He is doing really well with solids and actually likes sitting in his high chair. Car rides continue to be hit or miss. Some days he likes the car and other days he doesn't. As far as I can tell there is no way to predict when he will be good in the car. I am thinking (and hoping) that once I turn him around to face forward he will be more comfortable. But we shall see.

Another thing that is going on is Finn's vision. He has been wearing hard contacts every since the doctor gave them to us back in December. He said that this will be Finn's best chance for optimal vision. But I have noticed that Finn constantly keeps his head to the left when he has his contacts in. His therapists have trouble getting him to come to the middle as do I. However, when he does not have his contacts in or when he wears his glasses he seems more alert and more inclined to look at toys, faces, and keep his head centered. I really don't know why this is. Maybe he doesn't like the way the contacts feel, maybe somehow his contacts got switched and they are in the wrong eye (there is no way to tell which is left and which is right). I purposely had Finn wear his glasses when he had therapy yesterday and he did so well keeping his head centered and looking at all the toys they were putting in front of him. So until we go see the eye doctor next month I am not going to make Finn wear his contacts.

Right now in therapy we are concentrating on getting Finn to understand cause and effect. The ipad is going to play a huge roll in his therapy. I am so glad he has that technology available to him. Finn's strength is music and sound. So we are working with a bunch of apps and computer programs that center around music. Here are some pictures I took yesterday of Finn actually interacting with toys (he never plays with toys)

Finn has also started physical therapy. Since Finn is not showing signs of crawling anytime soon, and since his legs are so strong and he loves to kick we are going to work on getting him to walk. In a few weeks we are going to hook him up to a baby treadmill to get him accustom to walking, and if that goes well we will be looking to get Finn a special walker. A lot of very exciting things are on the horizon for him, and I feel so lucky that we have all these great programs, people, and equipment available to him.

Also, I just had to post this picture of Finn...Ethan was singing to him...and apparently Finn did not like it.

Easter

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