Full of laughter!

Finn and I had a great fun-filled weekend up at the lake. Finn got to try out his new floaty toy, go on a boat ride...and the best news ever, Finn laughed for the very first time! This is huge news for us. Something I have been wanting and waiting for over 12 months. But it happened. Finn gave us that gift...even more reassurance that my son is a little miracle and will always keep surprising us. He did it on Saturday afternoon while on the boat...then again sunday evening for Ethan and I. I was lucky enough to get a video of it!!

Dietician appt

This morning Finn saw a Dietician in hopes we can figure out how to get a little more meat on his bones. First thing they did was a weight and height check. Since May 10 he has gained 1.1lb and grew 1.75inches!! This was surprising to hear since it takes Finn like 2 months to gain 1lb. Now on the growth chart Finn is in the 5% for weight (he used to be 3%) and 50% for height. The doc said she thinks Finn is going to be tall since he has big feet :) Anyway, she gave me some guide lines to follow diet wise. The main thing that's going to change is how I make his bottle. I now have to double the scoops that go into his bottle to add more calories to his diet. This is kind of hard to hear bc his formula is so expensive and now we are going to go through a case even faster than before. But it's what needs to be done to get Finn healthier. We hope to get Finn to gain about 2-3lbs in 2 months. So we shall see how this new diet helps!

Pictures from Finn's 1st birthday

I can't believe it's been a whole year since Finn has been born. It has been a year full of emotional ups and downs, full of heart break and hope. I want to thank all the family and friends who were able to come to his party, and those who couldn't make it you were missed

Baby Treadmill part 2 and a little bit of OT

About a week and 1/2 ago Finn went on the baby treadmill for a second time. This time he was miserable. He cried the whole time BUT he walked more on his own than he did the first time. Which was very encouraging to his PT. She still wants to go ahead with our plan to get a consultation with the pediatric doctor who specializing in making these special walkers. We have an appt in July, unfortunately we found out this particular practice does not accept our health insurance. If our medicaid and BCMH acceptance letters come through then they will be able to help us, if not we are not sure what we will do. From what I have heard this place is the only place that makes this particular kind of walker...and out of pocket for this will be like thousands of dollars. I guess we will just wait and hope that our assistance will come through. I would hate to think that Finn will have to go without something that is critical in his therapy because of our financial issues.

Our little family has been on vacation for the past 10 days to celebrate Finn's birthday and spent time up at Atwood lake. Finn loves it up there. He loves being outside and being around all the family. Today was his first OT session in like a week. I was so impressed with how well he did today. His arms, hands, and shoulders were so easy to get loosened up. He was happy with the new toy his therapist brought for him. He was reaching out and touching it not just with his left hand but with his right too. He was very accepting to all the oral stimulation we were giving him. He just never stops amazing me. His OT even said today that he keeps exceeding their expectations of him. There is just no stopping him!

Also, it has been over 2 weeks since we stopped the ACTH and still no signs of seizures :)

Speech Therapy

2 weeks ago Finn had a Speech Therapy consultation. She came during one of the home visits with his OT. She asked me a lot of questions that were similar to the developmental tests the neurology office did, but since Finn was in his own environment I believe he performed so much better. The speech therapist was able to watch how Finn and I interact together, and how he responds to his OT. After she had seen enough these were her exact words, 'I am so impressed with him'. She kept saying how smart Finn actually is especially considering everything he has been through and what he has to work with, and how much he understands what we say to him. She said she would put place him in the 6-9 month range of his receptive communication. That made me feel like such a proud mommy. She was very sweet and told me I am doing everything right when it comes to his language...she really liked the way I talked to him and how much I talk to him. If anyone is around Ethan, Finn and I on a regular basis you will know we talk to Finn all the time...we sing to Finn all the time and apparently it has benefited him so much. This consultation was just so encouraging. It is amazing how his language was the main thing I was worried and concerned about since the left side of the brain is responsible for language, but it is actually one of his strengths. He knows so many words and responds so well when you talk to him. I seriously think he understands more than I know yet. She also said she is confident that we will get him saying more words. I almost cried when she said that. The way to get him to say more words is getting his mouth desensitized. Normal babies always put things in their mouths, which gets them ready for solid foods...which helps them learn to close their mouths, swallow, move their tongue...Finn doesn't do any of this. His OT and I are working so hard to desensitize his mouth. I am always sticking my finger, food, toys in there in hopes to achieve that. I just think back to like 4/5 months ago when I thought he would never get the hang of pureed foods, but he did. I am confident he will get the hang of more solid foods...it will just take some time. But overall I was very excited to hear how positive the speech consultation was!