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It’s hard to believe that so many months have passed since we last updated Brett’s website. The good news is that during those many months, Brett has continued to make good progress and has remained healthy (with the exception of a pesky runny nose!)
Brett is doing well with sitting up in his supported seating systems on a regular basis and we’ve started putting him in his new stander a little bit each day. Before Brett could use his new stander, we had to ensure that his feet would be in the proper position - - this was done by having new AFO’s made for him. (AFO’s are special boots that help keep his feet in the proper position and prevent him from pointing his toes.) While it takes some time for Brett to adjust to being in new positions, he seems to be doing fine in the stander - - as long as we keep him entertained. Typically he’ll spend 20 – 30 minutes at a time in the stander.
Brett continues to receive vision services and has shown some improvements in this area. We’re now putting a mirror in front of him when he’s lying on his side so he can see himself. He really enjoys looking in the mirror and talking to himself. This is not only helping with his vision, but also aids with his cognitive development.
One of the biggest developments over the past few months is that Brett has been vocalizing much more frequently. He is exploring with his voice by making different sounds and has even started using it for communication with us. Currently he makes mostly vowel sounds - - “ahhh” and “eeee” are his favorites. Sometimes he just likes to say “ahhh”, “ahhh”, “ahhh” to himself, whereas other times he’ll use his voice for communication purposes. For example, we might ask him if he wants to watch a video (which is still a favorite pastime of his!) and he’ll say “ahhh” in response. Brett has also been using his voice in response to counting and singing. As we start to count from one to ten, we’ll ask him, “What’s next?” and he’ll respond, “ahhh”. We’ve also been using counting to help with Brett’s physical movement. When sitting up (with support from Mommy or Daddy), Brett will pull his head up to center each time as we count “one, two, three”. This has turned into a game that he likes to play over and over again. (which is great because it also helps strengthen his neck and shoulders) Daddy has also taught Brett to sing “Wheels on the Bus” with him. Daddy sings the first part….”the wheels on the bus go….” And Brett will finish with “ahhh, ahhh, ahhh” for “ ‘round and ‘round.”
The other big news is that Brett will be going to preschool this year! He is enrolled in the preschool program through Fairfax County Public Schools. The current plan is that twice a week he will travel on the school bus (yes, he’ll be riding the bus) with his home health nurse (Denise) and spend three hours in the preschool classroom setting. We are very excited about the opportunity for Brett to experience a completely new environment. This will give him a chance to interact with children his age, as well as receive his needed therapies at school. We’ve already met the teachers and many of the therapists who will be working with Brett in the school - - they have all been wonderful and seem genuinely excited to have Brett as part of their program. We will certainly miss the many Early Intervention teachers and therapists who have been such a help to Brett up to this point!
As you know, we rely heavily on the assistance from home health nurses to help care for Brett on a regular basis. At times this has been challenging given the nationwide nursing shortage. Having said that, we’d like to send a special thank you to Kathy at APC for finding additional home health nurses to help us care for Brett. Her kindness and compassion are greatly appreciated. And finally, to Diane, our wonderful friend and next-door neighbor, who has spent many hours training with the nurses to learn how to care for Brett so she can help out as needed. Truly one of the most generous women we have ever met! And as always, we thank everyone for your on-going support! We love you! Stay tuned for another update and learn how Brett is doing in preschool!