So. . . people came, we made new three month and six month goals and then talked about what kinds of equipment we're going to try to order. I peeked back to see where we were six months ago and I was happy to see all the progress he's made. Not at the rate of a typical child, but plenty of progress none the less. He's commando crawling everywhere now--to the point where I really should child-proof. He's especially drawn to power cords, so that's not a good thing. He also made a beeline for a bottle of Windex once--the bright blue color was just irresistible. He can prop up in front of toys and play with them and he can stand up while holding on to something like the couch. His new goals include holding the quadraped position and walking with assistance five to ten steps. I can't believe we have a walking goal--that is simply amazing to me. We're ordering him his own Rifton gait trainer (his current one is a loaner), and some arm prompts, which will supposedly make using it easier for him.
In fine motor we're going to work on stabbing food with a fork and then scooping food with a spoon. Also, we're going to work on using a regular cup since Charlie prefers that to the sippy cup. I think we might try a straw as well, but so far he finds them very offensive.
In instruction we're going to work on colors and shapes, which I think he'll do OK with. We're also going to work on using two toys together and I can't for the life of be figure out how we're going to get him to do that. His instructor is going to print out a list of suggested activities, which is good because right now he's not doing anything like that.
The thing I am most excited about is that we are ordering a Go Talk 4. Basically, it's a board with several pre-recorded messages in it. Charlie will be able to use this board to tell us what he wants. I would LOVE for him to be able to tell me he's hungry. Really, that's so important to me, so I am REALLY excited about this decision. This doesn't mean that we won't continue to encourage Charlie to talk, but we're not waiting around for his motor skills to catch up with his cognition. Now, he can communicate with us in a more age-appropriate manner.
Other than that I guess I'll mention that I think Charlie STILL has an ear infection. We're going back to the doctor tomorrow. People are starting to warn me about tubes in the ears, but honestly, I want this ear infection gone. He's crabby, therapy is still sucking, and I am tired of watching him mutilate his own ear (Ok, it's a little scratch, but you get my point). I'm going to have to buy an industrial-sized Motrin at this rate.
