Mobility Update

One of the major side effects of Ryder’s stroke is that he is a little behind on his motor skills.  It took him a while to be able to sit up on his own unsupported, figure out how to scoot along, and get the strength to pull himself up.  All he needed was a little extra time because before we knew it, he was doing all three!  Now, he has been working so hard lately on getting around and is getting stronger and stronger by the day!  He has hit three major milestones in the past few weeks and we couldn’t be more proud of our little guy!

First, is transitioning to a sitting position.  This has been extra hard for him because he doesn’t crawl on his hands and knees, so he had to figure out how to get from a completely flat position to sitting up, which would basically require all upper body strength.  Strengthening his trunk was something we had to work really hard on with him, and I’m SO happy to say that it paid off.  He is now able to use his arms to push himself up until he can get his legs underneath of him and sit.  It amazes me every time I see him do it because I know how much work he is putting into it!

Second, is crawling on all fours!!!  I know it sounds silly to be excited about this when he’s almost 14 months old, BUT this is a huge step in developing his motor skills.  Crawling on all fours is very important because it makes him straighten his left arm, it allows him to bear weight on it to strengthen it, and its great for balance. 

By no means is he using this as his way to get around, in fact, the only reason he got up and crawled was because he didn’t like the way the carpet felt on his stomach!  But, I’m still rejoicing because that means that A) he has the strength to do it, and B) now I know how to get him to do it more!  He knows that he can get along so much faster slithering on his belly, so that is what he always resorts back to…but we’ll keep working on it!

And third, he took his first steps with a push toy!!  This absolutely amazed me.  I know he’s still a ways off from walking, but just to see that he’s learning the skill and understands the concept is a HUGE step in the right direction!

So those are the three big things that he has accomplished in the past few weeks and I couldn’t be more proud of his determination!  He still pulls himself up all over the place, on everything, and has even started cautiously cruising along tables and couches, so he’s doing great in the mobility department.

A lot of the credit for this can go towards his will and determination.  Considering everything he has been through and how much more difficult things are for him, he really does not let much slow him down.  And a lot of the credit can go to everything he learns in therapy, it has really helped him come a long way, and teaches me what I need to work on with him to help any way I can.  They bring really neat stuff to help him, here he is working on his trunk strength, he has to sit on the step and bend down to pick up a ball, then put it in the tube:

 

And here he is with his “hip helpers” on trying to learn how to crawl, these shorts are sewed together at the legs, it helps to pull his legs together and keep his hips lined up so he can get his knees under him:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therapy is great for Ryder, he thinks it’s an hour of play time, but as you can see he’s learning really big things!  Even though they are things that come completely natural to other kids, he needs some assistance in getting his body to do things the right way, so I’m very thankful that we have Miss Sharon (his OT) to help us along!  The hard work is definitely paying off, and the best part is, he’s none the wiser…working this hard is normal to him, and besides, I think he likes a challenge! :)

Now if only I could get the insurance company to cooperate so that we can get Ryder ALL the help he needs for the best possible chance at rehabilitation…but I’ll save that for another post, probably titled “I’M SO STRESSED THAT IT’S MAKING MY EYE TWITCH!”

Another update coming soon on the progress we’re making with “lefty”!