A few milestone moments

Elias had a rough day yesterday. So far this morning it appears as though he is doing slightly better. We are just not sure what is exactly the problem. He is , as usual displaying characteristics of several possibilities with similar end results. It is a little frustrating to watch him in obvious discomfort not knowing what to do to ease the problem.

Despite his up and down days Elias continues to amaze us with his ability and intelligence. He is becoming quite the independent little guy, wanting to do for himself rather than have someone help him. Especially with positioning himself. He is also really getting the hang of taking advantage of the leak around the trach to produce sounds. That boy has a set of lungs, let me tell you. You do not expect babies with trachs to make as much noise, but he is learning to sustain his crying and yells for attention and help. He is also becoming quite the little mover in the crib. He has figured out how to get to the exact toy he wants at that moment and while he can not always play with it he positions himself to where there is no doubt what he is going for. When we elevated his bed again a few nights ago because of the reflux concerns, he dislikes that so he moves himself down the bed to the flat part. Elias is crafty and determined. I was talking with Grandma O on the phone yesterday and we were discussing his hearing abilities. I put the phone up close to his ear and she began talking to him and we got a big smile on his face, which was incredible because Elias was being pretty stingy with those, for good reason due to not feeling well. I just thought that was incredible that he was able to discriminate some fashion of understanding with that and the positive that came of it.

Once we can get some of the home therapies going, shortly after the first of the year unfortunately, I think things will continue to pick up speed with development. Yesterday morning he finally, for the first time, put some weight on his feet when held up. He did one foot at a time for about 10 seconds each, and he seemed to enjoy that. We have been working with him on this for quite some time, so this was a great accomplishment. We are certainly pleased that Elias is doing well, looking good, and happy. If we could just get past his discomfort things would be perfect. One day, we know it will be just that.