Tomorrow (the 14th)...um, in less than an hour, is Elijah’s first birthday! Can you believe it? (I can’t...I think I’m in denial.J) How did a year pass us by already? One year ago at this time I was in labor...I don’t want to ponder it, so instead here are some new developments from our life lately...
Chewing is Amazing!
Do you ever think about chewing your food? Lately, whenever I eat, I think about how I’m chewing my food and how amazing that is. I suppose it sounds silly, but chewing is amazing!
The great news is that Elijah has been chewing on a more consistent basis now. We’ve been working on this lucrative skill with him for a long time. We’ve been giving him puffs (little cereal things that easily dissolve) for a while now. Just a couple of days ago, he was able to eat several of them. It’s really neat to see that mouth working.
Temper Tantrum
Andy, Elijah and I went shopping this past Sunday. We turned our cart down one of the toy aisles and decided to show Elijah some of the trucks. All boys love trucks, right? Well, we placed this little police truck on Elijah’s lap and pushed the buttons. He absolutely loved the noises and the lights on the top. We decided we’d buy it for Elijah, as it’s not often he shows interest in toys. Then something really neat happened. As Andy started to put the truck in our cart, Elijah started to fuss and cry. Andy gave it back to him and Elijah calmed down. He took it away again and Elijah started to cry again. Andy tried this probably about six times to see what Elijah would do and each time he cried. It was a little temper tantrum because a toy was taken away.
Andy and I were so excited. I suppose that sounds strange to get excited to see your child have a tantrum, but it’s another developmental thing that was “supposed” to happen by now. It’s really cool that Elijah took note. I hope he gets mad about more things! (There are so many things I’ve wished for as a parent that I never thought I would!)
OT
Our OT was here today and she said Elijah keeps making changes every week; he has definitely not hit a plateau. She also said his shoulders seemed less tight. All good news. :)
HBOT
Andy and I are seriously considering trying Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for Elijah. For those of you unaware of this treatment, (which I’m sure is most of you!) it involves going into a pressurized chamber and receiving 100 percent oxygen. The oxygen has many healing effects and has been shown to do some incredible things for those with brain injury. Basically, it works by increasing the amount of oxygen that goes to the brain and can “wake up” dormant cells. It’s not a miracle cure, but if it could help Elijah, we want to try it.
Andy really does his homework and has been doing a lot of research on the subject. He’s contacted several people who are involved in some groundbreaking studies. I’m sure I’ll talk more about this in the future, but for now we’d ask that you’d pray along with us that we’ll make the right decision for our son. (Perhaps I’ll have Andy write a bit about HBOT at some point, as he’s much more knowledgeable in the subject than I am. If you’re interested, there is a book called The Oxygen Revolution by Dr. Paul Harch, which explains the science a bit more.).
I’ll leave you with a pretty incredible clip from the Montel Williams Show about a mom who tried HBOT for her daughter and it did wonders. Again, it’s not a miracle cure, but it’s pretty exciting. Here is the clip: http://www.ihausa.org/video/montel.html. Enjoy!
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