Keep On Keeping On! June 10, 2008

This is a test. A test of Allison's technical skills. Hopefully, all things going well, you should be able to see a short video of Danny at Beyond Therapy. In this video, Danny is working on "sit to stands" using a standard walker. The two therapists are holding onto a gait belt to give Danny a boost and keep him steady while he stands. Otherwise, the work is all on Danny. I'm especially proud of him considering he did this move for one full hour, over and over again. This video was shot near the end of that hour.

Should this video work, my next task is to get some feed from my video camera of Danny walking with the Argo and standard walker for you all to view. It is simply amazing!

We've had some milestones reached since I posted in April! Oh, my goodness, I can't believe it's been that long. I know it seems like the same song and dance routine I've been giving for awhile, but honestly, I get tired of only having the small steps to report. I want BIG ones and I know you want to hear them too. Perhaps, though, I should just keep my mouth shut or my fingers controlled to be thankful for small steps because they are steps nonetheless. Okay, enough of the pep talk, I think I'm ready to begin.

Danny is now walking laps with the Argo walker. Yesterday, he walked two laps of the gym and then walked full court with a standard walker. Yes, you read that correct. Now, he does need quite a bit of assistance while walking with the standard walker, but the first times he walked with the Argo, it took five people too. Now, it only takes two! So, I'm happy!

In the video I'm hoping to post, Danny is using his left leg all on his own and the right leg he is able to pull through the majority of the time without much assistance. This is huge improvement and I know it's a matter of time before this chapter is over, but I'm ready for it and I know he is too.

The therapists have set some goals for Danny: (1) to be able to walk 50ft with a standard walker with minimal assistance and (2) to be able to transfer himself. The goal is set for the end of August, so keep your knees on the ground and your voice towards heaven that the Lord would show favor towards Danny and give him the strength and give his brain the ability to control his body and his body to listen.

They're also targeting his abs and we're still tackling the weight. Danny is down to 240lbs. which is a big improvement for him and I'm hoping that with summer, he'll have the desire to continue to choose healthy food and drink lots of water!

Corbin is making changes of his own. All of the sudden about five weeks ago, he started to freak out at bed time; night or day, it did not matter. On our first night of frustration, he screamed for 30 minutes and I mean the kind of screaming that makes you gag and cough because you've done it so hard. It was during this escapade that he figured out how to crawl out of his crib. I'd punish him and put him back and he'd just climb right out again. It was a futile fight and at 2am I gave in and brought him to bed with us. Yes, I hear all you parents out there moaning that I shouldn't do that. However, as someone with so much to take care of and so little rest anyway, some sleep was better than no sleep. The problem was that whenever Danny woke up, so did Corbin, so it wasn't really a solution and since I was concerned with him falling on the hardwood floors when crawling out of his crib, we decided it was time for the Big Boy Bed! The picture is before his first night in his new bed.

Thus far, we've slowly moved away from Corbin asking me to "rock yourself" while he falls asleep and then sneaking away like I did when he was a baby. The last four or five nights, he has fallen asleep on his own and I'm so thankful for that.

Corbin has another first in this update. Today, Corbin went to his first summer day camp. It is at the church where he'll be attending preschool this fall. He will go three days this week, next and the last week in July. He was all pumped up about it, especially playing musical instruments like the Little Einsteins. I just hope they do music since I totally made that up to get him excited. The closer we got to the church, the less he wanted to go, but on my last look, he was alright. This is Corbin so happy his mom made him look into the sun to take a picture of him going to a camp he wasn't so happy about going to after she had to wake him up to get him ready to leave the house.


Corbin is the popular one in this update, which isn't much different than it is at home. He also has news regarding his sitter. Ileana, Danny's cousin that has kept Corbin since he was six weeks old, has moved on to a new opportunity and we're happy for her. She has been a "constant" in Corbin's life for so long, giving him structure in our at times chaotic environment. We wish her the best and know that since she's family, she's never really out of the picture.


This leads me to a prayer request. I need to find someone more permanent for him. It's a blessing that it is summer and I can help some trustworthy youth from our church while they help me with Corbin. However, I will have to have someone new in place in the next month or so. Corbin starts preschool in September, going Monday, Wednesday and Fridays until noon and then I work still Tuesdays through Thursdays. So, the schedule would be Tuesday and Thursday full days and then half day on Wednesday. If you know of a good nanny or a good home care environment, please email me. We're in the Vinings/Smyrna area. Thanks!

Lastly, I guess I'll leave you with one picture taken from our new condo. This is what we get to see every evening; a gentle reminder that we're one day closer and that just as we can depend on the sun setting, we know that God is here with us. Just breathe!













P.S. I apologize for the spacing issue, but I couldn't fix it after trying numerous times. Hopefully, you won't hold it against me.