Wesley’s therapist visited today and, boy, was she blown away. Wes started figuring out crawling two days ago, on Wednesday. He would move a step or two toward a toy, then stop and try to push up to sitting or roll over. It took a lot of effort from us both for him to reach the toy. Thursday he was doing a little better crawling. And today . . . well, check out the videos yourself.
His favorite target when crawling is his bottle, no question. I’ve tried to get him to move toward me or John, but apparently we’re not tempting enough yet.
Additionally, Wesley is doing great with all sorts of motor skills. He wowed his therapist by putting a ring on the stacker toy and taking it off again, by putting a toy in a small bowl and taking it out again, and by stacking one toy on another next to him. These are all things that she wasn’t sure he was ready for, but he’s pretty much mastered them in the two weeks since her last visit. He also clearly understands cause-and-effect, which he demonstrated by continually tossing a certain toy that lights up when it lands. He kept throwing it down to make it light up.
She was very impressed with Wes, and I couldn’t help but feel the Proud Mom glowing inside me. Technically Wes is behind other kids developmentally, but for having Down syndrome he’s doing terrific. He’s smart and can focus on toys and sounds and people and is so interested in whatever is happening around him.
Now that he can crawl, our cats had better start being on their guard. Once Wes targets them as a worthwhile goal, I bet he’ll get pretty fast, following them around as they run away.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
That is so awesome that he is crawling!!! How fun! Love your updates. Keep ’em coming!
September 7th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Wow!! That is amazing! You should be a proud momma.
September 7th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I love when you share videos! Yay for you and Wes, it sounds like he’s doing great! :D
September 7th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I just found your website while googling information for myself. I am going to bookmark your page so I can return and read about your journey with Wesley. I have a daughter who has Down syndrome. She is the joy in our life, and we are blessed having her as our daughter. She is in the first grade and has amazed us all by her abilities! She reads and is learning to spell and add/subtract. She even won the class “sparkle” spelling contest the second week of school! We are working on reading comprehension – abstract concepts are difficult for her but NOT impossible. She feels sad, happy, scared, shy, silly, and much more! She runs, jumps, dances (beginning her 5th year at the local dance studio), rides horses (5 years, also), and loves to be the center of attention. The reason I share all this with you is obvious. She is a child first – and she is typical in more ways than she is not. There will be ups and downs, tears and laughter, and you will find you will be amazed at Wesley’s ability to overcome much! God bless you all abudantly.