A Day in the Life

Jacob has his good days and his bad days. The past couple of days have been difficult - nothing serious, but just growing pains I guess. He gets very jealous of his sister sometimes and he lets you know it loudly. Once he gets going, he can be in a pissy mood for the rest of the day. He has been pissy all weekend it seems. I also think that he gets frustrated in the fact that he has limited ambulation and tries so hard to play like Corinne.

On the positive side, he has started eating with a fork. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. He is very particular about it too. If I feed him with the fork - he spits it out. He will only eat it if he feeds himself. Today after their bath, Jacob used his weak arm to help push himself to a sitting position. This is the first time I have ever seen him use his arm this way. He just keep surprising me at every turn.

Jacob and Corinne are very close, almost as close as I was to my own twin. Corinne can be hard to put down at night, but put her in Jacob's crib for half an hour or so and she calms down enough to go nighty-nite.

He is growing up so quickly. While he is still behind in many ways, he is achieving things that I did not expect. It was said that he would be walking by age two. I did not believe that, but I no longer think it is impossible. Where there is a will there is a way and he has shown quite a will.

Forward Progress

Jacob is making great progress. He now sits up readily on his own and can just as easily lay back down without thumping his head onto the floor. This may not sound like a great accomplishment but think about it in terms of yourself: You have little control over your entire left side of your body. Try getting out of bed, putting on pants or even feeding yourself. Any new accomplishment would be worthy of cheering. Jacob's therapist (PT) has created 2 braces for his left arm and wrist. He wears a full-arm brace to keep his left arm straight while he sleeps and the wrist brace helps keep his hand from clenching tight during the day. He is already showing more use of his hand and arm due to the use of these braces. Next on the list are foot and leg braces. He is so eager to walk and chase his brother and sister. These braces should make it easier for him to maintain balance and stand on his own - then on to walking. Even though Jacob has been through Baby-Hell and back again, he seems to be in good spirits most of the time. He has a laugh that makes you grin from ear to ear And a charming smile to match. He is really starting to show a true personality. Next post - pictures - I promise.