Videos from the Fall Season

I want to start this post by just saying how amazing my wife is for organizing and taking James Michael and Shae to the many therapies listed below week after week.  We know that James Michael needs each of these programs, especially at an early age, to reach whatever mobility he is able to achieve, and Alison is devoted day after day to helping him accomplish this.  You’re simply amazing!

Monday morning Speech Therapy with Sarah:

James at his Monday Physiotherapy with Joanne and team:

Tuesday Grandview Physiotherapy with Kate:

Wednesday Conductive Education with Monika and Fruzsina (thanks Opa for taking him to these sessions!)

Thursday Osteopathy with Judy:

This cuddle is after Judy did some cranial work on James.  It makes him really relaxed.

Friday Massage Therapy with Shannon:

At The Wiggles Concert in October:

James using one of his assistive devices at home.  He hated this walker (which I call “the crossbow”) for a number of months, but he finally came around :)

When I think about all of the time, commitment and cooperation from family, the professional community, our work communities and our church family it can get overwhelming pretty quickly.  There are many unsung heroes and cheerleaders for James Michael that help out behind the scenes and all of you deserve a big “thank you”!  But the greatest of whom is his mom (the one behind the camera).  James Michael gets much of his resiliency and perseverance from her.  Looking back on the variety of efforts that Alison has implemented across the medical and therapeutic worlds is truly inspiring.

Waiting

This is a favourite book in our house - well at least for Mike and I. James and Shae aren't as interested as it's quite wordy and hard to keep their interest but man, this book is a winner. I especially love the part about waiting.

We can all relate can't we? Mike and I often laugh each morning - what are we waiting for today? It can be something as silly as an email response or something much bigger like progress in a particular developmental milestone. Many of these blog posts describe this in some way - an update on what we're waiting for and how it's going. Often I find myself taking a step back and asking, is what I'm waiting for realistic? Or even, what am I waiting for exactly? "The waiting place" that Dr. Seuss refers to is so relatable.

A song my cousin, Jon Shabaglian, wrote called "Keep Watching" I find so encouraging in this waiting period (find this song and others at https://soundcloud.com/jonshabaglian-music) . The chorus goes like this:

Keep watching toward Heaven

Fixing our eyes over the horizon

Keep watching while waiting

Fixing our eyes on Jesus

I love the balance between remaining hopeful but also facing the realistic periods of waiting in our lives.  We can't avoid the waiting - it's an annoying part of life that is for sure. But along with the waiting, I'm reminded to fix my eyes on Jesus, the one who holds us all in the palm of His hand.

Another song that speaks to my soul is by Steven Curtis Chapman (another favourite in our house). It's called "A little more time to love" (watch here.) This song I find such an anthem of God's promises. So good. So while I wait, I find these words are so wonderful to meditate on.

September unfortunately started with James getting hand, foot and mouth. That was a new experience for us all and one I hope never happens again - poor little guy was not happy.  We had to take some time off therapy but we've been back to it for about 2 weeks now. If you follow me on Instagram or are my friend on Facebook, you've likely seen the majority of these videos already as I post as stories often. If not, here's a highlight of the last month or so. Thanks for encouraging us all in our wait :)

Speech Therapy with Sarah:

Walking at Conductive Education with Fruzsina:

Trying out a new walker at Grandview with Kate:

Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) with Judy (she’s an Osteopath):

That's a wrap, August!

It's amazing how quickly the summer flies by! Here we are at the end of August, getting ready for Mike to go back to work next week (teaching grade 7 and 8 at Duffin's Bay). It has been such a gift to have him home with us on parental leave ever since Shae was born in November.  We are so glad we took advantage of this opportunity.

August started with James turning 2 years old! He was spoiled with many gifts from family including tickets to see his favourite show, the Wiggles, in October! He went to Conductive Education camp in the mornings for 2 weeks with the March of Dimes. They are so good with keeping things fun and engaging for him and his buddy, Kiaan.

Walking with the ladder in CE

We've continued with massage, osteopathy, Grandview and Medek with SMILE (sensory motor integrated learning experience).  In Medek, James does better when we're not in the room so Jo-Anne sent me some videos of what he was doing on Monday. We're so happy that he does not cry much at all anymore during this therapy! Crying has now been reserved to our osteopathy appointments! Judy (osteopath) uses the DNS approach (dynamic neuromuscular stabilization). She focuses on James being able to use his stabilizing muscles in his core, shoulders, and hips to maintain 4 point crawling positions while reaching and rotating his body. It's definitely necessary to help James find more ways to move but he sure shows her some 2 year old attitude in the process! In our appointment today though we used the Wiggles as a distraction as she tried some cranial work.  He did much better today!

Jo-Anne has used TheraTogs in her last 2 appointments with James. They help to improve his stability and posture.

James got his first pair of AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) or "super shoes" as we've heard them called! We use them in any standing or walking exercises we do with James to prevent him from locking his knees and curling his toes. He's responded well to them so far.

Also new this month, is including weekly speech therapy in our schedule! Sarah is fantastic with James! He loves all the new toys she brings with her and it's an added bonus that she comes to our house!

Sarah and James

We continue to have home visits from our OT (occupational therapist), Melinda. She has been with us the longest! She and James have such a special relationship. She helps us with whatever is "missing" in James' therapy schedule. Lately, she's been helping us with seating options for James that properly support him while eating and playing. She is great at problem solving!

Melinda and James

The post would be incomplete without including something of James' sister, Shae. She is crawling all over the place, pulling herself up onto furniture and getting into everything! She loves crawling over and pinning James down and thankfully, James thinks it's funny! It's great to see their sibling bond developing - hitting, biting, laughing and all! Just wait till Shae has hair - James can get her back!