Tuesday, October 22, 2013

He's in his 20s

...months that is! Jensen is 20 months old today! How is that possible?! I can't believe my baby boy will be turning 2 soon. We haven't done much in the way of updating because there's not a lot to update on...which is just how we like it! 
Just sittin in the bed of my truck with no pants on and eating applesauce. No big deal.

Jensen's last cardiology appointment went well. He didn't need an echo since he had a very detailed one in Philly in July. His sats have been high which is amazing & we don't go back until December! His pediatrician visits have also gone well. He had a hard time with the changing seasons and had a croupy cough that kept him up all night and out of breath for a couple of weeks. I was so afraid he would need to be admitted for oxygen but my strong guy pulled through like a champ and we avoided a hospital stay. 
Yes that is a lizard. Ew.
 Jensen is now in speech therapy & physical therapy weekly and occupational therapy bi-weekly. He's improving by leaps and bounds each week! One of his therapists actually said she has never seen a kid have such big improvements every.single.week. like he does. Yep, I got all teary eyed hearing that.
 Jensen is the most delayed in his speech, he is just now starting to say real words (other than mama and dada). I'm happy to announce that his first word was "BOOK". What can I say? He's a genius. He knows tons of signs and is very enthusiastic to learn more signs. However, we are pushing him to vocalize more because we know from his frequent screaming tantrums that he has the ability to talk, now its just about making him do it. Easier said than done.
Exhibit A. Screaming tantrum. Notice the exaggerated arch in the back. Classic sign that a glass-shattering scream is on its way!

Its a rough life being a toddler.
 As far as PT goes, Jensen is catching up and FAST! He can almost run! He is learning to stomp his feet, climb on and off of things, and his balance has improved tremendously! He's so much fun to watch at this stage because he learns so quickly. He is such an active little booger and I am loving it!!
Here he is NOT getting kisses from his cousin Adi! hah!
OT is also going very well. He's been practicing fine motor skills and coordination and is catching up to where he should be developmentally. His biggest concern for OT is sensory issues. We are learning that a lot of his behaviors are the result of over-stimulation/past trauma from surgeries and much more. He tends to lose his ever-loving-toddler mind more quickly than other kids his age. He is still somewhat sensitive about loud noises. He has separation anxiety far worse than you would expect for a kid his age. Hospital life really did a number on him. All of that being said, he's making HUGE improvements.
Cutest. Kid.Ever. We did a practice run in his monkey Halloween costume and he rocked it!
 We are learning to pick our battles, expand his attention span, and help give him control over his environment. Its amazing how one little tweak in his routine can get him back on track and doing what he's supposed to be doing. (I am really loving our occupational therapist for all of her amazing tips!) Jensen is still a toddler and has toddler meltdowns, but I can already see that he's less fearful and timid in new situations.
He's signing "big truck" here. Because anything with wheels makes him smile =)
 Jensen has had so much fun lately. We do weekly trips to Marbles Kids Museum, we've already been to 2 different corn mazes this fall, spent lots of time with the grandparents & he went to the fair here in NC. Also on his list of most fun activities is watching the construction trucks go up and down our street. Seriously, we watched dump trucks come and go for 30 minutes today! Haha! Fascinating stuff!
I hope you all are having as much fun this fall as we are! 
One last note, I'm requesting prayers for my sweet cousin Brooke. She was recently diagnosed with a kidney disease that will require a transplant. She is so previous and so young, please keep her and our family in your prayers. This has all happened very suddenly and I'm praying that a new kidney is just what she needs to get back to her life. Thank you all <3 Here is her Caring Bridge page if you want to follow her.