Speech Therapy

I just received a phone call from the Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre informing me of Josh's appointment with a Speech therapist. I didn't even know that he had been referred to a speech language pathologist so one of two things must have happened. One: Dr. Ponesse (Josh's child development specialist) had gone ahead and sent in a referral last fall knowing that there was a long wait list -- even though he told me that he would wait until Josh was 18 months old as that age was a better indicator of speech development. Or Two: Josh's physiotherapist spoke with Dr. Ponesse after his last appointment with her a couple of weeks ago.

Josh's PT and I had a brief discussion about Josh's speech. She had asked if he had any words yet and I had mentioned that he has a few. He says mama, dada and gaga (for garbage) consistently. He babbles a lot but there's no other words that he uses consistently. I've gotten a 'ow' for cow and I've gotten a 'da' for dog, and I swear once he said 'boy' but these are all isolated incidents that I haven't been able to get him to repeat. An 18 month old should have about 20 words that they use consistently. Josh is 17 months old so I guess he's a bit behind.

He does do some animal sounds though. He can do an elephant, a monkey, and a lion/tiger (they both get the same sound). Yesterday I got a 'oof oof' for a dog and a 'me' for cat.

One thing I am not concerned about is Josh's comprehension of language. He can definitely understand what we are saying and is able to follow simple instructions. So that's certainly a plus.

Josh's assessment with a speech therapist is on Feb. 2. I can't imagine how that assessment is going to go since Josh is so shy. It's really hard to get much out of him in that environment so I imagine a lot of the assessment will be based on what I tell the therapist. I've already started a list of his words and sounds. At any rate I'll be sure to let you all know how the assessment goes.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a couple of pics of Josh playing with one of his favoutie stuffed animals. Thanks for checking in!

My Son Won't Look Like A Hippie After All

You may recall from a previous post that the last time we took Josh to get his haircut, the top of his ear was cut. I was certain that that incident had destined Josh to a childhood with long shaggy hair as I could not imagine that Robb would ever let me get his haircut again. To my surprise I was wrong.

It's been about 2 months since Josh's last haircut and he was starting to look a little shaggy and really needed a trim but I had no intention of bringing up the subject with Robb...yet. I figured I would wait a little longer, give him some more time and then maybe he'd feel comfortable with taking him back. But Robb beat me to it. He mentioned that Josh's hair was getting long and we should probably take him in to get a trim. I looked at Robb, mouth gaped open, not believing what I had just heard. I made an appointment the next day and Josh got his hair cut last weekend - without incident :)














In other news, Josh saw his physiotherapist on Jan. 14 - his first appointment with her since he started walking. He was pretty shy in the beginning and was reluctant to show off any of his new tricks but he eventually came around and did some walking. He didn't walk as much or as well as he does at home but enough that she could assess him. So far his walking looks good - symmetrical and he doesn't seem to be dragging his right foot. She even took him over to the stairs to see how he would do and he did them like a champ! So far everything is looking great and I couldn't be happier.

There's still a few things that he's not doing yet such as crouching down to the ground and then standing up again (he can crouch but his legs aren't strong enough to stand himself up). He's also not pushing himself up from four point (crawling) to standing without using a piece of furniture to hang on to. I don't see this as being a big deal because I know he will get there eventually, but since he hasn't developed these skills yet he has dropped below the 5th percentile on the gross motor development chart. Again, no big deal but it means we're not done with physio yet. We go back on March 11, so we'll see how he's doing then.

Not much else to report....we did manage to take Josh out sledding early last week before the deep freeze hit us. He loved being in his sled and had a great time and we enjoyed watching him have so much fun. Hopefully once the frigid temperatures let up we can get him outside for some more winter fun.

2008 Was a Good Year

A Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

I had been hoping to post this sooner but I just haven't had much spare time lately. Josh hasn't been sleeping well for the last week or so and he has never been a real good sleeper to begin with, so that translates in t0 even less sleep for me. I'm not sure why he isn't sleeping - it's probably related to teething, but it's hard to tell for sure. Hopefully this will pass soon so we can both get some rest.

It's hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Our Christmas was lovely. Josh was a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing but he does seem to enjoy all his new toys. Josh was actually quite cranky on Christmas day. He's been teething and so he has good days and bad days. Christmas was a bad day but we made the most of it, saving his gifts for his less irritable moments.

The rest of the day was pretty low-key. Josh and I spent a couple of hours at Robb's sister's place - while Robb slaved away in the kitchen :) - and when we returned we enjoyed a fabulous turkey dinner.

Robb's whole family got together on Boxing Day to exchange gifts and enjoy a nice meal at Robb's brother's house in Carleton Place. A good time was had by all and thanks to Christina for cooking a delicious meal.

So 2008 has come and gone. No one knows for certain what 2009 will bring but I wish you all the very best for a happy and healthy new year.

He Did It!

Guess What?! Josh took his first steps yesterday! I am so happy and so very proud of him. He has been working up to this for so long now and I was never really sure when he would be ready to take those first unsteady steps. Well it happened Monday morning just before we had to leave for his eye appointment at CHEO. He took about 3 steps or so and then dived into his daddy's arms. It was such an amazing moment. Way to go Josh!!!!

The eye appointment with his ophthalmologist went really well. We ending up having to wait for 2 hours in the waiting room before we got in to see the doctor - which in all honesty was exhausting. It's really hard to keep a 15 month old entertained for that long. Thank goodness for cheerios! They always seem to calm the fussiness :)

When we finally got in to see Dr. O'Connor the appointment itself lasted no more than 5 minutes, but Josh was screaming bloody murder the whole time. As soon as Dr' O'Connor walked in the room Josh just started screaming. Somehow he actually managed to perform an assessment and determined that Josh's vision is "near normal". He said that Josh very well may still need glasses at some point but not right now. It was determined that his nearsightedness is not progressing rapidly (which ultimately was the purpose of this appointment). So more great news! Josh will continue to be followed by Dr. O'Connor but he doesn't have to go back until next December.

Monday evening my Dad and my grandma made it in to Ottawa after a long day of driving. It was so great seeing them again and spending some quality time with them both. Josh was of course very shy and not too sure of either of them (it takes a long time to earn his trust) but they did get to see some of his adorable personality. It's really too bad that it was such a quick visit but it really made me happy to spend those few hours with them. When you live so far away from your family, it makes the time that you do spend with them that much more special.

I'm not sure if I'll be posting again before Christmas or not - the next week or so looks pretty busy so in case I don't get the chance, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Getting Ready For Christmas

Hello All! I just wanted to let everyone know that all is well here. There's not too much to update but I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I would do a quick post. I suppose you've all noticed my new 'Elf Yourself' video - sorry, I just couldn't resist. It's so funny - I laugh every time I watch it. Hopefully you all got a little chuckle as well.

Josh is doing really well. Still not walking, but getting there. I thought he might be walking by Christmas, but I think it will take a little longer. Soon enough though, he'll be walking up a storm!

Speaking of Christmas, it certainly is starting to look the part here in Ottawa. We just got 30+ cm of snow this week - added to the 15-20 cm that we already had, so winter is definitely in full swing. I took Josh outside yesterday to give him his first snow experience. He was fascinated with it but refused to keep his mittens on so needless to say it was just a quick jaunt outside.

Last weekend was my employer's Children's Christmas Party and we took Josh. He's still a little young to participate in a lot of the activities but he did get to meet Santa (he was not a fan) and we got a picture of the three of us with Santa. Santa even gave him a present which of course he loved ripping open. I can't wait for Christmas morning - it's going to be so much fun watching him open up his presents.

Earlier this month Josh had an appointment with his occupational therapist and it went very well. His therapist is very happy with how he is doing as he was able to complete all of the 'goals' that she had set for him. He still favours his right hand to complete tasks but I have noticed that it takes less cuing to involve his left hand in play so I guess all our hard work is starting to pay off :) Josh doesn't have to go back for OT until February.

On Monday (Dec. 15) I have to take Josh to the ophthalmologist for an eye appointment. I'm hoping that he won't need glasses yet but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I know he'll need them eventually but hopefully not this soon.

Monday is actually a big day for us, not only because of the eye appointment but also because my Grandma and my Dad are coming to Ottawa for a visit. They won't be staying long but it will be really nice to see them just the same. This will be the first time that my Dad gets to meet Josh and the first time I have seen my Dad in almost 2 years. I'm very excited! Hopefully the weather cooperates for their drive up to Ottawa.

There's not too much else happening here. I'm just enjoying my time with Josh and working hard to get ready for Christmas (I'm about half way done my holiday baking - woo hoo!) I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. Thanks for checking in!

The sweater Josh is wearing is more than 30 years old. My grandmother made it for my cousin Jim, and then my cousin Beth wore it. The sweater was then passed on to my mom so me and my sister both wore it and now Josh is wearing it. Pretty cool, huh?!

Physio Update

Josh had an appointment yesterday with his physiotherapist and I thought I would give you a brief update on how it went. First of all, she is very pleased with his progress as he continues to make gains in his gross motor development. She was most impressed with his ability to stand on his own without holding on to anything. He stood for quite a long time (maybe about a minute) before plopping to the ground. It was certainly the longest I had ever seen him stand unassisted so he must of been trying to show off for his therapist :)

Actually he'll only stand unassisted if he doesn't realize that he's doing it. If he's distracted with a toy he will stand without holding on, but the moment he realizes what he is doing he laughs and plops to the ground. If he realizes what you're trying to do before he lets go, he suddenly gets spaghetti legs and plops to the ground. It's really quite humourous.

His therapist also assessed his walking (while holding my hands) for the first time. When he walks while holding with both hands everything looks good. He does toe out with both feet, but she assured me that this is completely normal in a toddler just learning to walk. When Josh walks with only his right hand held everything still looks good - his steps are symmetrical. But when he walks with only his left hand held there's significant out-toeing with his right foot and his right foot drags a little. This isn't a major problem at this point, but she said that she's being extra picky with Josh because of history and the fact that he's high risk for a movement disorder. His therapist said that this is something she will keep an eye on but she suspects that the foot dragging is related to weakness in the left arm as opposed to the leg since he doesn't drag the foot when cruising. When he is walking independently we will be better able to identify any asymmetries.

Josh doesn't go back for physio until Jan. 14 so he may very well be walking by then. We'll have to wait and see. Josh only does things when he's good and ready.

Not much else happening around here. Josh is still teething away. I think he's working on his third molar (bottom right) and possibly one of the top front teeth, but nothing has popped through yet.

We're also slowly gearing up for Christmas. I've started to put up some Christmas decorations and I've put up the tree. The tree's not decorated yet but it's up. I know once the ornaments go on it will be even harder to keep Josh away from it so I've delayed that step for now. I'll decorate it one of these days when he goes down for his nap but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

So I will leave you with a couple of pictures of Josh playing with one of the Christmas decorations. He loves the dancing, singing snowmen!