It's a little colder in Kansas City, but the sunny is still shining. That is a beautiful thing! So was watching Will at the gym today!
The day started off too early, for me anyway. Last night around 11:30 the fire alarms in the hotel went off. Very loud and shrill alarms. Sadly, I wasn't in bed sleeping where I should have been. I was in the shower which was even worse! I was sure I was going to be the one they showed on the news standing there wrapped in a towel on the courtyard of the hotel! I jumped out of the shower and called the front desk. It took them several rings before they answered, which really made me think about that image. Finally, someone answered (about the same time the sirens stopped) and apologized for the inconvenience. He said an alarm in one of the guest rooms went off causing the entire system to sound. He assured me there was nothing to worry about. Whew! Luckily, Will slept through the whole thing! The only problem was that I couldn't sleep after that. I'm not sure what time I actually fell asleep, but I know that my alarm this morning was not a welcomed sound.
So, back to the important story here...
Will was a champ in the chamber again today. He watched Disney Jr while the oxygen did it's magic. I wish I could put into words the changes that I see in him. I don't want to paint a big glamorous picture for anyone. It's not dramatic changes that are occurring. It's more like fine tuning the Will that we started with. I'm not surprised by the words that I hear coming out of his mouth, for example, but by the way he chooses to used them. He's always been a funny little boy that could brighten anyone's day, but now he does it with more charm than before. He can have a conversation with me that lasts more than one sentence at a time. His language is much more purposeful and unrehearsed. He seems to understand and process things just a bit quicker.
Quick side note...Right now at the hotel he is controlling the TV remote. He's looking for a cartoon. Will pushes the channel button,which I showed him, and then pauses on each channel. He says, "not that one" and then moves to the next option. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal but believe me this is a new experience for Will. He is controlling his finger on the button, pressing then letting go so he doesn't speed through the channels. Then watching a couple seconds of the program before decided if it is something that he wants to watch. He's searching for Peppa Pig, which he is not going to find because the hotel doesn't have that channel, but he's opening his eyes to his other options. He finally found a PBS channel and said, "I found this one. I think I might like it." Just a real-time example of how he is using his vocabulary in more meaningful ways and finding more independence with his understanding of how things work!
Back to the gym (See this is why I usually blog after he is asleep!)
The combination of oxygen and physical therapy is amazing. He's getting so much more physical strength and control. He's pushing himself to do more and more. When given the choice, he goes for the harder, less desirable activity. This video is one of those activities. A couple of days ago, he didn't not like this, even though it's in front of the mirror- which he loves! Now, he chooses to keep going with it instead of doing something else. Also he's a lot more confident standing there, even feeling comfortable to take his hand off and choose a new sticker with ease!
Did you notice the language? I loved that he had a different opinion from Miss Tiffany and he was stating his point.
Here's another, even better example of his increased, more conversational language.
Will ended today's gym time with a record breaker! He is blasting right past the goal every time he stands! Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration but seriously! He's having a lot more fun with his standing exercises. He feels more confident with his body and he's able to goof off a bit while standing. It's one thing to stand for 7 minutes and 20 seconds, but to do that while changing his facial expressions and voice and correcting his pronunciations and taking his hands off his canes is something else entirely! Will did it all! I have shared the last minute of this here, but you can see the entire video post on Facebook. I'd like to point out that the canes have been adjusted a little taller, which is a change that could have slowed him down, but it didn't!
Unbelievably, right after that Miss Tiffany grabbed big Buzz and they went for round 2. Of course my video camera died so I couldn't record it, but it was not only hilarious with Will's theatrics that he added but it also beat his record by 8 seconds. Now the record to beat is 7 minutes 28 seconds!!!! Amazing kid!
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