tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062062952133541392024-02-21T08:19:43.588-05:00Our Little ManColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-37771117999924373642012-01-27T00:10:00.003-05:002012-01-27T07:51:45.693-05:00New ToyIt's winter here in Michigan and that means we're stuck in the house. It's not even a pretty white winter this year. The snow keeps melting and turning brown so we can't even go out and play in it. Although I'm not really complaining about that. I hate going out in the cold and I tried to take Lewis out in the snow a couple times with mildly disastrous results... let me just say he was not a fan.Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-84930541178832845232012-01-27T00:10:00.000-05:002012-01-27T00:10:00.956-05:00New ToyIt's winter here in Michigan and that means we're stuck in the house. It's not even a pretty white winter this year. The snow keeps melting and turning brown so we can't even go out and play in it. Although I'm not really complaining about that. I hate going out in the cold and I tried to take Lewis out in the snow a couple times with mildly disastrous results... let me just say he was not a fan.Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-57957030673524474292012-01-02T14:45:00.000-05:002012-01-02T14:45:51.861-05:00Happy New Year!I admit it's been far too long since I updated. You know how this season can get! I haven't really done a good update in a while so I'll go over the highlights of the last few months.
Back in November, Lewis has an MRI to see how his nasty syrinx was behaving. He had an MRI six months prior that showed a rather large syrinx and we were told he would probably need surgery. Fast forward to Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-41460813220069633402011-12-02T13:30:00.001-05:002011-12-02T13:37:18.013-05:00PopeyeYep, Lewis is a regular Popeye these days! See the resemblance?
Seriously, this kid has crazy upper body strength. Here's an example. And it also serves to remind me how, no matter what challenges Lewis faces, he will find a way to overcome them.
Crawling down...
...and back up!Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-4363347101872589132011-10-26T21:43:00.000-04:002011-10-26T21:43:54.476-04:00Too busy eating to talk...This kid won't let me feed him with a spoon anymore. And he scrapes it off his own chin when it drips! Crazy guy! I happen to think he's the smartest kid in the world.
The thing is... he's not talking. No words. He babbles all day long and he understands a crazy amount of what I say, but won't form a single word. Tomorrow I'm going to request speech therapy through Early On. I really feel like Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-61207382243188221312011-10-24T08:49:00.000-04:002011-10-24T08:49:45.377-04:00Crawling forwardI have a couple videos here that I took to show some of Lewis's progress. The first is from a couple months ago and the second is from yesterday. You can see that in the first, Lewis keeps his left arm under him and the right arm out. We think this is because Lewis can lean into his left hip better. When you lay on your stomach and lift one arm, you shift your weight to the opposite hip. Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-1596365999516950782011-10-22T00:02:00.000-04:002011-10-22T00:02:33.634-04:00FavoritesLewis's favorite things can really be narrowed down to a list of two: the ball popper and Gauge. Here's a video that sums it up.
As you can see, he has that toy (which may be the loudest toy in the universe... I covered the speaker with tape which cut the volume in half and it's STILL loud) figured out. When it's low on battery (which happens every other week) it doesn't always pop the Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-66429075400261629182011-09-29T22:59:00.001-04:002011-09-29T23:08:06.115-04:00Appointment review and a rant... or twoWe're done seeing our specialists for the month. Urology went well with nothing new to report. He peed on the urologist but seriously, I wonder how many times a day that guy gets peed on...
Anyway, next was orthopedics. Orthopedics always makes me nervous. I've never really had a reason to be nervous before. Now I do. But let me start from the beginning. We had been seeing Dr. H but at our lastColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-35670094762248819902011-09-19T22:54:00.000-04:002011-09-19T22:54:45.022-04:00mmmmm....Lewis fed himself with a spoon for the first time the other day. I'm using the term "fed himself" loosely... but he really did catch on quickly, I think. Of course I have the whole thing on video for your viewing pleasure. I realize it's a ridiculously long video of a one-year-old eating applesauce, but I've already watched it approximately 40 times (I can't get enough of it!!) so I think you canColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-6104425998950451682011-09-09T14:03:00.001-04:002011-09-10T09:07:33.706-04:0015 MonthsIf this post is a little choppy or sounds like I have my mind on other things, I do. There is a huge spider lurking around my computer. I tried twice to kill it but this thing is the Jason Bourne of spiders. I just know that the next time it turns up, it's going to be crawling up my sleeve or somewhere equally mortifying. So I have one eye on the screen and one eye looking for the spider. Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-62550272624863061992011-08-19T10:27:00.000-04:002011-08-19T10:27:32.714-04:00Future RockstarIt seems like lately I've taken a lot less pictures and a lot more videos... this kid just won't stay still! Lewis has been learning some new skills that will pay off in the future when he joins a band...
He's been practicing the guitar.
And dancing. (Apparently this bouncing, dancing thing that kids do is really good for them. All those little movements that make things click in the brain. LewisColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-46170935988336301332011-07-25T09:26:00.000-04:002011-07-25T09:26:41.174-04:00Sad LewisOk so this video requires a little bit of explanation. When Lewis was a little younger and would get sad and cry, I would sing songs to him like "Jesus Loves Me," "Rockabye Baby," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," and songs like that. Recently, I tried singing those songs to him when he wasn't sad and it actually MADE him sad. I think he just associates those songs with being sad (although, Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-23531995287875946062011-07-15T10:20:00.000-04:002011-07-15T10:20:48.197-04:00Lewis latelyI just wanted to share some videos of a few things Lewis has been up to recently.
He loves his bath time and bath toys
He's learning his body parts. So far he knows belly and feet. He also knows mommy's nose and daddy's nose but hasn't quite figured out how to locate his own.
He's also learning to share..... his food with Gauge. Lewis thinks it's hilarious and Gauge thinks he wonColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-47587963468988713772011-07-09T00:22:00.000-04:002011-07-09T00:22:16.224-04:00This summer so far...It has been WAY too long since I blogged. We've had a pretty busy month filled with a lot of blog-worthy things. But this summer is so jam-packed with fun, I just don't have time to devote a blog to each event. Soooo.... I'll get you caught up with a quick recap!
So far this summer, Lewis had a birthday,
and ate some cake!
He got spoiled by some pretty cool people
who taught him some new Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-6971210537939955722011-06-07T19:14:00.000-04:002011-06-07T19:14:32.605-04:00Watch Out!!I can't stop putting up videos of this kid! Probably the only people who watch them are my mom and me... but whatever, I love them! Anyway, I don't think I've put one up of him crawling before. (His PT says it's technically creeping so she couldn't check the *crawling* box on his evaluation... who cares! He gets himself from point A to point B!) Anyway, he's getting pretty fast and is venturing Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-42671217030637420852011-06-05T22:27:00.000-04:002011-06-05T22:27:39.683-04:00Cheap EntertainmentColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-36520210807479505472011-05-24T19:34:00.000-04:002011-05-24T19:34:05.265-04:00Mama?Lewis can't get enough of his Daddy! :)
Don't mind the cracker box in his highchair. I use random things from around my house to help with positioning ;)Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-59404353755273180482011-05-19T21:05:00.000-04:002011-05-19T21:05:52.794-04:00I hate Spina BifidaReally it should be, I hate Spina Bifida #1, because I'm sure there will be plenty more...
Some days I forget about Spina Bifida. I mean I never really truly forget about it. I take Lewis to appointments and work on therapy with him at home. But I've gotten so used to it, it's just a normal part of our life. What would we do if we didn't have to do all that?? I was starting to live in peaceColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-80228121101653202662011-05-11T22:13:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:24:45.576-04:00Mother's DayLast year Coleman got me a Nook for Mother's Day... Pre-mother's Day, actually, since I was still pregnant. It came in very handy for both of us (Coleman hijacked it for a while) while Lewis was in the NICU. This year, I had breakfast in bed and a day full of fun with my two favorite men. I love my Nook, but it just doesn't compare ;)
Some pictures from our fun day at the Dutch Village:
Someone Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-77570682320860594252011-05-08T22:41:00.000-04:002011-05-08T22:41:22.682-04:00ChangesLewis finished up his first intensive Feldenkrais session this past week. He went four days in a row and I think it really paid off. I made a couple videos of some of the changes I've seen in Lewis, I'd love for you to watch them and see if you can see the changes too. I have to warn you that the changes are VERY subtle, but they are SO IMPORTANT. These are the small details that he will build onColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-35003839543188697002011-05-06T21:08:00.000-04:002011-05-06T21:08:43.507-04:00All good things must come to an end...In the beginning it was how Lewis and I bonded. It was how Lewis went from being the baby I visited in the hospital to MY baby. Later on, it was our time to spend some time relaxing. And, towards the end, when my little baby became a boy on the move, it was a way to keep him still so I could snuggle and pretend he's not growing up way too fast.
Sure, nursing was inconvenient at times, I Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-82255054439187164722011-05-02T23:09:00.000-04:002011-05-02T23:09:17.291-04:00KissesIt feels like Lewis has a new trick every day. He's been giving kisses for a while now. At first I had no idea why he was banging his face against my face with his mouth wide open, but I finally figured out he was giving me kisses! I don't even know why I wear makeup anymore because he kisses it off my entire face by the end of the day. I love it! We snapped a few pictures over the weekend while Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-62753703911595089322011-04-27T20:56:00.000-04:002011-04-27T20:56:34.424-04:00Upcoming Events...A couple new things to report. First of all, on May 9 Lewis goes in a for a baseline brain/spine MRI. Lewis's neurosurgeon would just like to see what his brain and spine look like while he's healthy and happy so that he'll have something with which to compare future MRIs. He'll need to be sedated for the procedure and won't be able to eat or drink that morning until the procedure. It shouldn't Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-16408218511276905172011-04-24T22:31:00.001-04:002011-04-24T22:47:04.225-04:00Happy Easter!
Happy Easter from the Millers!Coleman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506206295213354139.post-86676769295417962152011-04-13T13:51:00.001-04:002011-04-13T14:06:54.414-04:00Making ProgressWell we've gone to the Feldenkrais therapy three times now and I. LOVE. IT. It's really exciting to see the changes Lewis has made in such a short time. The changes are very subtle but they are definitely there. Today we went to the CLC for the first time since he started the therapy. Lewis's conductor was amazed at how much he's changed in just two weeks. She kept saying, "Look at his back! LookColeman and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06097815576543330393noreply@blogger.com2