All 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 couldn't be away from Lewis for more than a few hours at a time. But it was 100% worth it and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

And then he just stopped. I saw it coming for a few weeks. He dropped a feeding every few days... he'd just refuse. The only one left was first thing in the morning. And then it was gone. And I'm one sad mommy :(

All this is taking us one step closer to the big day... Somebody's got a birthday coming up and it CANNOT be my itty bitty newborn baby, can it??

Kisses

It 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 we were doing yardwork and Lewis was playing in the yard. I wanted some smiles but Lewis had other plans...

We got some nice pictures....

...until Lewis decided....

...he'd rather...

...give Mommy kisses

I'd rather give kisses too, Lewie ;)

Upcoming 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 be a big deal but it's definitely not something I'm looking forward to. We'd appreciate your prayers. 

On to more exciting news, Lewis is showing great progress with his Feldenkrais therapy. He's currently going once a week. His therapist thinks that he would really benefit from a more intense series of lessons so next week we will go for four days in a row. After that we'll probably take a week off and go back for another four lessons. I'm so excited to see where this takes Lewis! A lot of trips to Grand Rapids, perfectly timed with the climbing gas prices, but it will be worth it! I can't wait to update you all after next week.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Millers!

Making Progress

Well 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! Look how good he looks. He looks amazing! I can't believe how much he's improved!" So I finally broke the news to her that Lewis had been getting Feldenkrais therapy. She said that Peto (the man that founded conductive education) and Feldenkrais actually worked together. In fact, Peto even mentions Feldenkrais in his book. So the two philosophies work really well together. She also explained how we can effectively use the two therapies together. Feldenkrais connects Lewis's brain with all the individual parts of his body and muscles. Conductive Ed shows Lewis what he can DO with those new connections. I think that's critical for Lewis since he wouldn't necessarily be able to do that by himself like a typical kid. He just needs a little extra direction and practice. I am so excited to see where this takes Lewis!

 Lewis's Feldenkrais therapist doesn't think he has much awareness of his knees. So the goal is to get him to see his knees, touch them, see what they feel like, how they bend, etc. So I thought I'd make them a little more interesting by drawing smiley faces on them. He loved it! Stickers worked well too. 

What is that at the end of my leg? 

I have two of them?!

How did I not know these were here?

Mmmmm

P.S. Our insurance is not fond of either of these therapies, but thanks to so many generous friends and family members, we're able to afford to pay out-of-pocket for Lewis to get the therapy that he needs. We're so grateful!

Going Swimming

For some people, it's urology. The appointment that makes them break out in a cold sweat. For me, it's orthopedics. I'm not sure why. Maybe because bad news at orthopedics means surgeries. And I feel like his bones could be seriously messed up and we'd never know it. But... no need to worry today! Lewis had a hip ultrasound six months ago that looked good and today he had a quick X-ray of his hips. They look good, but it will be something that we'll always have to monitor. The muscles in his hips are weak, so there's not much to keep his hips in their sockets. The fact that he does move his hips really helps, so hopefully it will never be an issue. We'll go back every six months until he's two and about every year from then on out, unless something comes up. The doctor also wrote a prescription for an AFO for Lewis's right foot that he'll only wear at night. Since Lewis can pull that foot up, the AFO will pull his foot down while he's sleeping to make sure his foot develops normally and won't need surgery in the future. We also found out Lewis's doctor will be moving out of state so we'll see a different doctor at our next appointment. I was a little disappointed because I've been happy with this doctor, but I've heard good things about the other doctor as well, so hopefully we like him just as much. 

After orthopedics, it was time to go swimming! Lewis was a little tired from all the running around, but you'd never know it unless you know Lewis. He was happy and smiling and talking, he just wouldn't do what we wanted him to do! In aquatherapy, Lewis works on trunk strength, balance, and aligning his spine. Sometimes he's on a noodle, sometimes a kickboard, and sometimes Miss Laura just holds him. He LOVES it. He splashes and plays and thinks it's the best game ever. And most of the time, he tries really hard and uses his muscles to correct his balance and sit up straight. Then there are days like today where he splashes and plays and does NOT use his muscles. He's just a noodle! Really, I'm  probably exaggerating... he did really well most of the time, but after a while, he just wanted to play around in his own personal super-sized bathtub. Who can blame him?! 

Happy Eating!

Lately it seems I have lots and lots of pictures of Lewis eating. I guess it's because it's pretty much the only time he sits still lately. Plus I pull him in front of our bay window when he eats so he can look outside, and it's great light for picture-taking. So I just thought I'd share a few with you.

And here he is scarfing down some yogurt puffs. It's ridiculous how fast he eats these things!