Saturday, September 02, 2006

DYLAN TEACHES "VANITY" THERAPY TO MAX!

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Yes, that is Mighty Max SITTING next to his friend Dylan! So exciting!

This is the very first time that Max has sat completely unassisted and without something to lean on.

Ok he is leaning on his legs...but still, this is so huge!! Kristy and I were thrilled! I was very happy to share this special moment....especially with a mommy who understands just how wonderful this is!

It only lasted for about a minute and then he started whimpering for his mommy. He gets really tired working so hard. But how cool is this progress!?!? WOW! WOW! WOW!

I am definitely going to buy a mirror tomorrow so we can try the same thing at home. It also encouraged him in the prone position to really look around. YAY! Thanks Dylan for teaching Maxwell your "vanity therapy!" hee hee! It worked! These two beautiful boys LOVE looking at themselves!

During our visit, we also got to meet baby Jonah. He is absolutely precious. And as strange as this may sound, it's amazing to see a newborn with no tubes and surgery wounds!

Another bonus of the visit with the Gillig family was that Max's O2 sats increased and stabilized. So we were able to take Maxwell off of his oxygen and have less tubes and wires getting in the way of playtime! YAY! (Max's O2 needs have gone up significantly during the night and now he is needing some during the day again too.)

So while baby Jonah slept, the two big boys had the opportunity to show off all their new tricks. So fun! They aren't quite at the stage yet to interact and play together, but they did stare a lot at each other. And Dylan did attempt to take fistfuls of Max's beautiful hair, but he made up for it with a very sweet kiss. :)

We brought along a toy to show Kristy how great Maxwell is doing sitting with support. (Little did I know Max was going to try sitting without the toy!) I love watching him play so independently with this toy...amazing!

He just started this a few days ago and I couldn't believe it. The first time he fell over he cried, but his therapist said he needed to learn some "cause and effect" so that he would react more quickly to the sensation of falling. Not sure if that has quite happened because now he actually thinks falling is a little fun. (That's probably my fault...I tickle him when he falls to keep him happy!)


After all that playing, Maxwell was completely worn out and fell asleep within minutes of leaving Dylan's house. He didn't even wake up when I took him into the house and put him to bed.

Thanks again for the fun visit Dylan, Kristy and Jonah! We love you guys!

7 comments:

Suzanne Holman said...

What fun to see those two interacting with the mirror!
Max is looking pretty happy with sitting! Amazing!
Dylan is looking great and hopefully is happy with his new baby brother.
Love to all of the Gillig family!
Look forward to seeing you in October when I am out there again.
......and MAXWELL, you have all kind of surprises in store for me, don't you?? love from your Grammy in AZ

Dylan and Family said...

Hi Amy and Max,

Thanks again for the super fun visit. We feel so honored that Max chose today, with us present, to sit independently for the first time! Thank you so much for a wonderful surprise.

I emailed you some pictures but will bring you a cd of all the photos I took today.

Glad you liked the mirror idea, although I'm super embarrassed at how dirty it is. Obviously, it really is Dylan's favorite thing to play with. I had just cleaned that a few days ago! That mirror has been one of THE best toys (aka therapy tools) for Dylan. Hope you enjoy yours as much as Dylan has his.

See you at playgroup. Thanks again for the wonderful visit. We love ya!

Kristy, Ray, Dylan and Jonah

Dylan and Family said...

One more thing...Hi Suzanne!

Be sure to look us up on October when you visit! We can't wait to see you.

You'll be shocked at how Max has changed since your last visit. Amy is such a super Mom and has really done wonders with his therapy (aka playtime)! She truly is an inspiration.

Kristy

skeybunny said...

Way to go Max!!! Huge progress. (BTW, I think Max and Evan were wearing the same shirt yesterday!)

Christy said...

Way to go, Max!

I'm pretty much a lurker here but, I have to check in a couple times a week to check on Mighty Max!

Carolyn said...

Way to go, Mighty Max. You are amazing, showing your fans just what you can do. And with your Incredible Mommy, right there with you.
Love & prayers,
Carolyn

Diane said...

It just doesn't get any cuter than that. What a boy!! Love you "Mighty Max". You also have a wonderful mommy. Keep it up and you will be walking next.