There have been some BIG changes we've noticed in Finn the last month. It's like all of a sudden things are clicking and falling into place. He has been making progress in PT. I have noticed his trunk getting stronger which helps his independent sitting. The other day he was able to sit by himself for 10 whole seconds and he did this multiple times during that therapy session. He has taken 3 consecutive steps in his walker completely on his own while wearing his leg braces. I always knew Finn could do these motor skills as long as we kept practicing. In my mind there is nothing Finn can't do when it comes to motor skills...it just might take him a little longer to figure out how to move his body. Speech therapy/feeding therapy is where I always feel deflated. Finn has been in this feeding plateau for so long and I don't see light at the end of this tunnel. I try to do everything the professionals tell me to do, but I haven't really seen any changes in Finn's feeding...that is until last week. Finn has finally learned a new oral motor skill! He has figured out how to move his tongue from side to side in his mouth (depending on where the food is placed). His tongue has never been able to do anything else besides thrusting it in and out of his mouth. That is one of the reasons why feeding can be so frustrating. But seeing Finn do something new is always exciting to me. It just proves that information is getting to his brain...it's just taking a little longer to process it.
The biggest change we have seen in Finn in the last month is his sleep. All of a sudden he just started sleeping through the night...on his own...in his bed. It's been amazing! The first night he did it I woke up in the middle of the night in a state of panic b/c I thought something was wrong with him. He never slept this long without wanting to be in bed with Ethan and I. I go to his room, check to make sure he's breathing...sure enough he was fine. I thought it was a fluke...but he did it again the next night. I finally feel refreshed in the mornings! Granted he still has some nights where he comes in our bed. Like the other night Finn woke up in tears b/c of a nightmare (I'm guess it was a nightmare anyway) so he slept with us. Some nights he will sleep from 10-8....the next night he will sleep from 9:30-3 then come to our bed until we need to wake up. Last night we had a night where he slept all night in our bed. You never know just how long he will stay down but he's at least giving us 5 hour stretches. It makes me so happy. Again, it's like something just clicked in him and now sleep has improved by a million percent!
I have always believed that Finn understands WAY more then we think. Sometimes I don't think people give Finn enough credit or they underestimate him. Sure he can't talk, but that doesn't mean he can't express his needs/wants. It must be incredibly frustrating to understand what is being said to you, but having a body that won't let you say or do what you want. I took a video of Finn the other night proving just how much he understands what you say to him. When I see this kind of behavior from him it just reinforces why I am doing this. I chose not to go back to work so I could stay at home and work with Finn, even though the extra income would be very helpful. My house is always messy b/c I spend most of my day working/teaching Finn. Seeing him learning and growing just makes my heart so incredibly full and confirms that the decision Ethan and I made for me to stay at home with Finn was the right one. He pretty much makes me a proud mama every day!
