Sam’s weekly PT sessions continue to encourage us. He is an amazing backwards-crawler, and has started to push up on his knees, pivot, and move on his butt. This week we also added a headband to his legs. Sound strange? Yep! Basically, the headband is a sort of restraint for his legs/hips/knees. Sam doesn’t have great muscle tone in his upper legs, so he splays them (like a frog) when he’s on his tummy and trying to move. This will help keep his legs together without someone constantly being behind him pushing his legs up and in to get into a crawl position.

Here are some pictures to help you visualize what I’m describing.

Many people are probably curious about WHY Sam isn’t crawling, and why he’s so behind. I know I would be if I wasn’t his mom! Because of Sam’s numerous surgeries (8 total, 6 incisions to the abdominal wall), his stomach muscles are extremely weak. Not to mention that there is probably a small disconnect between the part of his brain that controls his muscle movements and his muscles. Don’t misunderstand… Sam is completely “normal.” Whatever that means. While he’s behind, cognitively he’s pretty awesome. And right on track. At this age, most of the developmental milestones are based on what a baby can do physically. Sam had a <very> rough start to life. It’s going to take him a long time. And you can see on his face he’s just nervous. Poor buddy.

He LOVES being mobile. Pushing backwards is pretty awesome! But when there is something he wants right in front of him, and out of reach, he is starting to get frustrated. While Jack knows how to push buttons on toys to make them sing/dance, and can pull himself up on everything, Sam just isn’t there yet. And as his parent, we are torn between feeling sad and saying “well, just freaking move then!” His frustration is a double-edged sword. It both motivates and discourages him.

I love our PT sessions. All of this information is incredibly helpful, and the fact that it is also completely free to us is pretty awesome too. FYI, here’s a stack of his PT papers… All tips on getting him to sit up straight, crawl, and move into positions…

Now, on to more fun things. Jack is standing on his own for longer periods of time now. This terrifies me. He is also super independent. But starting to get bored and frustrated sometimes too. You can just see in his face that he wants to “talk” to us, and hates that we can’t understand exactly what he wants. 99% of the day, he’s super happy though, so I can’t complain too much 😉

Also, have I mentioned what an amazing eater this kid is? Okay, probably a few dozen times, but it continues to amaze me. What 1-year-old likes feta, garlic, chickpeas, spinach…?

Another awesome thing about Sam and Jack? They are completely content playing with each other and by themselves. Rarely do they want/need me to play with them. Which is kind of awesome because I can do things around the house, and write blog updates, but also makes me feel like a horrible mom. I am constantly questioning my parenting-style, and thinking I don’t play with them enough. Right now for example? Jack is crawling through his tunnel, and Sam is playing with a puzzle.

Our kids are also freakishly well-adjusted. They love everyone. Have never cried at a stranger. Can entertain themselves. I get asked all the time, “Do they ever cry?” Ehh…. when they get hurt, but that’s about it!

Being a first-time mom has to be the single most difficult job out there. There are no checklists, no monthly reviews, and no thank you notes from satisfied customers.

But guess what? I have these two faces to look at every day, and that is satisfaction enough 🙂