Flipping Out

One of the first things in therapy Titus began work on years ago was laying on his tummy and propping his body up with his arms. From there, it progressed to teaching him to roll over. He had to learn to lift his arm over his head and use those muscles to push him over on one side. And then he had to learn how to roll back.Titus has been able to roll over for quite some time, but there were days that he would roll over and then stay there.

Not anymore! Titus flips over on his tummy, props his arms under his chest and lifts that head. He will then flip back over on his back and flip over again (this time on his other side). He's learned that this gets him around the room. We will lay him down on his blanket, only to find 2 minutes later he has rolled, and flipped hiimself across the room. If he sees/senses a toy on the floor he wants, he is finding a way to work himself over to it.

And now, when he gets on his tummy, he is lifting his bottom up - he's trying to get those knees under him. He's not quite there yet, but boy-oh-boy, is he working on it. These are the times when you see that all the consistent therapy is working. It's a very slow process, but it's working.

One of the therapists stated that children like Titus who are not crawling/walking and not putting pressure on those bones tend to stop growing. The bones need that pressure of standing and movement to help stimulate growth. And Titus is growing. Putting him the stander is really helping him put weight on those legs. If you have seen him lately, you know how big he has gotten. He has long legs. His little feet are hanging off the edge of the stroller.

In our microwave world of instant gratification/satisfaction, Titus is my constant reminder that's it's the steady and consistent pace of work and therapy that shows the results. We cannot and will not give up. And it's exciting to see how far he has come, and how far he might go.

Btw, the article in the Dallas Morning News is scheduled for print this Saturday, May 22. It will be in the business section. We may just have a passing reference or quote, and then again, there may be pictures. I don't know yet, but I am trusting that what is written will be a help and resource to people. I'll post a link to the article once it's out there.