Here are some things Wes is up to these days:

1. Sucking on his hands a lot, specifically the thumb and first knuckle on his right hand. Binkie days are behind him.

2. Standing up on his feet with support. He seems to prefer standing to sitting. This is how he spends sacrament meeting at church, standing on my lap and looking at everyone around him. I’ve been told that such determination and strength to stand up is unusual for a five-month-old with DS.

3. Trying new foods! So far he’s had rice cereal, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, and diluted apple juice. He loved the apple juice, sucking it down as fast as he could. The worst reaction so far was with his first taste of sweet potatoes, when he made a face and started to whimper. I waited a few days and tried them again, and he did better the second time.

4. Bouncing and swinging. Our friends lent us a bouncy swing that hangs in a doorway. It’s terrific because it forces him to hold his head up by himself like a big boy, and we can give him a toy to hold and focus on while he’s sitting there. I think his therapist will be pleased; he’s doing so much better every week with neck strength, focus, and interest in the world. He lasts about five minutes at a time in the swing right now, but I expect that will improve as he gets stronger.