Genetics, Therapy, and Great Grandmothers

I have alot on my mind for potential posts these days; everything from Dr. Seuss stories to therapy sessions to how to include Liam's big sister into these entries from time to time. Today I'll focus on three things: Genetics, Thereapy, and Great Grandmothers.

First genetics. We had our first appointment with Dr. Ken Rosenbaum at Children's Hospital on Friday. Dr. Rosenbaum will follow Liam's development and guide us through all of the medical ins and outs of raising a child with Ds, helping us look for all of the "silent symptoms" that are common. We have heard great things about Dr. Rosenbaum from a distant cousin who has a 14 year-old with Ds. We were also given a heads-up about his crazy note taking style. I'll see if he'll let me get a snapshot of them next time. I could neither decipher his handwriting nor why he put certain notes in certain sections of the page. Watching him take notes was worth the visit itself.
 
Now, therapy. Lauren has been incredibly diligent about Liam's PT. She works daily and often twice a day on his exercises. They have gotten increasingly harder since he was sailing through his first four weeks doing all of the exercises easily. Kelly, Liam's therapist, has ratched up the difficulty for our little man and we're thankful for it. What happens though it that you start with a baby who is happy and playful, and then quickly realizes that he's actually working. Then when he tires, you see him throw in the towel. Below is a photo of him realizing that this isn't just another play session.

I'm about done with this PT session!

Finally, great-Grandmothers. Liam, Caroline and their two cousins are fortunate to still have their great-Grandmother, to have her live close by, and to be able to know her. She adores them all and it is the highlight of her week when they come to visit. For all of the great-grandchildren the feeling is mutual as Liam shows in the photo below. Today was extra special since Liam got to celebrate his 5-month birthday with his great-Grandmother in honor of her 89th birthday. Both have had a few medical issues recently, but both are rockin' today. If he has a tiny bit of his great-Grandmother's resilience, which we think he does, he'll do just fine.

Captivated by Little Nona's stories.