31 to 21: A dream come true

It is amazing watching Tommy going around with his trike. I never thought it will be that fast. It seems every time he rides his trike, he improves his riding skills. He just have to work on steering the trike, specially in the corners. We never worked on keeping his feet on the pedals or teaching him how to stop the trike, he just knew. I remember the first time Tommy rode a tricycle in Wall-mart Sport Department. I pushed the tricycle and Tommy just followed the pedals movement without struggles. I commented it with my mom and she told me: "You will see, he will learn to ride the tricycle very fast." My mom was right! When she said that, I smiled because I have the book "Gross Motor Skills for kids with Down syndrome, which explains the process how to teach our kids to ride a tricycle. I have also hear from therapists and parents how hard this is for our kids.

Tommy has exceeded our expectations
one more time.

I searched for many bikes before making the decision what bike will be appropriate for him. So I found adaptive bikes in adaptivemall.com, but they are too expensive. One day, I went to Toys R Us and found the Huffy Hi low Trike with a very similar design to the ones that are sold in adaptivemall.com

Huffy Hi-Low trike features:

This bike benefit any child who is learning to ride a tricycle, regardless if it is a child with developmental challenges or a child with a typical development. I think the most important feature is the Huffy pedals 'no slip grip.' Because they child will gain confident right from the beginning, so he or she will be more than willing to ride the trike over and over again. 

According to the huffy.com, this trike has 3 important stages:

• Strider. By holding onto the Strider handle, your child balances while walking behind the Hi-Low Trike.

• High Rider. Your child learns how to pedal the Hi-Low Trike! The Steer Straight^™ Technology and convenient Strider behind-the-seat handle make teaching easy.

• Low Rider. As your child gains confidence, the trike easily converts to the low rider position. It’s faster and more fun when your child is ready!

Building Muscles (Part 1)

After  Tommy was realized from the hospital back in February, we were extremely glad to have him at home again. With the coming days, we realized that RSV didn't affect just our boy lungs, but also his development. He lost many skills he was mastering or about to master, so we had to star over. It haven't been easy this time for me to keep up with all therapies due to I was pregnant. I felt exhausted because I have Insomnia since I was 2 or 3 months pregnant. So I feel the guilt of not helping Tommy as I used to. Now that I am in maternity leave, I keep working on helping Tommy to recover his physical strength every time I can or I try do it during his daily routine. Tommy lost a lot strength in his muscles so we are working on "Building Stronger Muscles" by incorporating new activities. I have also realized, more than ever before, that nutrition plays a huge role on how to help our kids with low muscle tone. So I have been searching for ways to strength Tommy's muscle from inside his body, as he would be an athlete, to get a better body's performance. This has brought me to learn more about nutrients and supplements to empower his muscles.


Tommy and I are working on squatting exercises. According to wikipedia.org, "the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs and buttocks, as well as developing core strength."


Instead of a Water and Sand table, we are using water and sand little swimming pools. Tommy squats every time he picks a toy from the pools or stay in squat position while playing with the sand toys. I encourage him to pick up the pit balls from the floor and  threw them in the water so he squats multiple times. While he threw the balls we also count from one to ten. 

In the picture below, Tommy took 

his sand toys and placed one by one 

in the water while I was counting. 

Other way we are working on squats is by sing the song "Turn around." This is a great way to combine singing with vigorous exercises. Singing is something Tommy enjoys the most. Honestly, I think Tommy he will have fun playing any sport when he gets older, but he won't be an athlete. Gross motor is not his strength.  But he may be a musician because I had to hide all his musical instrument toys otherwise he won't interact with other toys. Tommy began to hum songs in between 18 and 24 months old, but he is now incorporating actual words while he sings. He even sings "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" by his own inspiration. So I am incorporating music and singing in everything Tommy and I do together.

Turn around

turn around,

touch your toes,

touch your toes.

Do a little jumping,

do a little jumping.

Squat real low.

Up we go!

Sing this song to the tune of "Frere Jacques."

 Follow the actions in the song.

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak!

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak! it is all what you hear when my son walks. In my search for finding something that could motivate Tommy to walk last year, I found out about the squeaky shoes, which has become one of Tommy's walking helper beside the orthotics.

Shoes are more than just something that cover my son's feeds because they provide support to the base of his body, which are the main body part for a proper body alignment. An unbalance body alignment can pull the joints out from the right alignment causing a rubbing/wearing process in cartilage, which can in some cases lead to hip and knee replacements. The unbalanced condition can cause sore back and sore joints and even right up to the neck. People with Trisomy 21 tent to have unbalance body alignment due to they usually develop flat feet because of their joints and muscle weakness. I always look for "Quality" shoes when making a decision what shoes my son should wear.

Benefits of Squeaky Shoes:

• Physical Therapists are currently using squeaky shoes with toddlers and young children to encourage a proper walking pattern. When the child walks properly, the muscles in feet and ankles develop properly, resulting in a good body alignment. These are quality shoes that are light-weight and flexible with squeaks in the heels, which are removable, giving an audible feedback that aids the child in knowing when he/she is walking correctly.
  
• The squeak sound is a great encouragement for crawlers to begin walking and for toddlers and young children to walk properly in order for the shoe to squeak (the baby or toddler must walk heel-to-toe).
• These shoes also allow visually impaired parents to hear the squeaky steps of their child or when you are in big crowd you always know where your child is.
  
• Pediatrician-recommended soft-soled exterior for young developing feet and these shoes meet this feature, they have soles bend and move easy after each squeaky step.
• These shoes are wide enough which allow the feet grow naturally and they are ideal if the child wears walking devices (orthotics) because there is still enough room for the feet be comfortable.

Squeak shoes are more than just shoes for me because Tommy began to walk a few days after he wore his first squeaky shoes. They were a great motivator for him to walk. They are also helping my son to develop a proper body alignment and walking pattern. Tommy began to walk with a narrower base in a short period of time I believe because of this shoes. We have still to strength his ankles for him to be able to walk with a complete narrow base, which will come with time. Meanwhile, we have fun when Tommy wears the squeaky shoes.

See the video of Tommy with his brand new

Navy with White Stripes Tennis Shoe

that we got for him last months.

Squeaky shoes are available at http://wesqueak.net/

Getting back in shape

Tommy was improving a lot on his gross motor skills before he got sick with the RSV, but he had a regression due to the many days he was hospitalized without physical activity. He lost completely his balance for a few days and his balance it is not still as it was before. He also lost part of the muscle tone he gained after he started to walk. I never thought being on the the bed for many days would affect his gross motor skills so much.

According to our PT during her last visit, Tommy can reach normal muscle tone, but his trouble is keeping it. I am trying to keep him active as much as I can to get him back in shape. Today, I took him to the park and I got so happy because he used the swing for older kids for about 15 minutes and he didn't fall off and he could swing himself very slowly. He couldn't do this 6 months ago, so not everything is lost. He is gaining new skills somehow.

Our Little Super Hero

In my previous post Tommy doesn't follow charts (Part 2), I mentioned Tommy began to march on October 20th. This day was the first time I saw him doing it, but I think he was doing it before. He didn't let to film him the few times I saw him marching. But my luck changed yesterday when he allowed me to film him marching as little soldier.

Enjoy the video of our little brave hero

who is winning in our Chromosomal War.

Trisomy 21 is surrounding day by day

Retaliated Articles:

Extra, Extra! The Chromosomal War has began

Tommy doesn't follow charts (Part 2)

We always have been very impressed of Tommy's gross motor spurts. A year ago, I wrote about Tommy doesn't follow charts. Well, It is happening again! Tommy started to independently walk by the beginning of August. So he has been walking for about 3 months and since then until today he is:

• Running short distances, the first day I saw him running was on September 23, 2010. He can run fast holding his shopping cart toy.
• Transferring from one surface to other without falling.
• Walking and running on the grass without falling.
• Stepping up with assistance on the sidewalk with one hand supported, but without wiggling.
• Walking up starts holding the rail with both hands and doing one step at time without assistance. He alternates feet if he walks up stairs both hands supported.
• Walking down the stairs holding the rail and holding my hand. He alternates feet, but need more practice coming down the stairs.
• Beginning to step one step at time going up the stairs with one hand holding the rail and the other one holding a toy. He walked up the stairs one hand holding the rail all by himself on October 23, 2010.
• Beginning to march on October 20, 2010. He looks so cute when he marches, but he has sporadically done it.
• Getting out to the front porch holding the wall and stepping down all by himself. The first time I saw him doing it was on October 30, 2010.
• Getting in and out of his chair at the dinner table.
• Getting the idea of jumping.
• Getting the idea of riding a tricycle. Every time we go to Walmart, we go to the bike section and try all the tricycles. Tommy has been able to pedal once. I am glad he is getting the idea of how to do it, so it won't take longer for him to enjoy riding a tricycle when his body gets stronger. I have noticed he does better with the Classic Radio Flyer trike.

Video of Tommy days after he began to run

Video of Tommy going up the stairs

using both hands to support himself.

This is one of first time Tommy

went up the stairs by himself

November 8th, 2010

Tommy went up the stairs for the first time holding the rail

and letting one hand free without holding a toy.

Helping Tommy's body getting stronger

• We installed a stair rail which it has been a great help for Tommy. Every time he steps on the stairs, his legs muscles get stronger. Every time he uses his arm to push his body forward, he strengths his arms, shoulders and torso. So I try that Tommy uses the rail every time he goes up and down the stairs.
• We walk with Tommy everywhere we go. We just use the stroller just if it is extremely necessary. Putting him on the stroller is so easy, but he doesn't get any physical benefit on his torso which is area that has been more affected for the hypotonia (low muscle tone). Walking is a natural excierse that strength his torso without the presure of doing physical therapy.
• Toys that we are using for physical strength Tommy's upper body are: trampoline, tunnel, walking bike and shopping cart.

Why are we using the trampoline before the spinal x-ray to check for *atlanto-axial instability?

I talked to the Doctor in charged of the local Down Syndrome Clinic about using a trampoline and she said the trampoline was alright for my son to use because he doesn't have the gross motor skills to do rough neck movements such as, jumping and flipping on the trampoline, which it is true! He climbs on the trampoline that help to strength his upper-body and he also holds the bar to stand and kneel in repetitive motions that help to strengh his shoulders and legs. Ironically, my son's balance is better when he is on unstable surfaces, so he has a better balance on the trampoline. Tommy got the trampoline as a birthday gift and he likes to be on the trampoline!

A small trampoline is used as therapeutic tool in the book Gross Motor Skills for kids with Down Syndrome by Patricia C. Winders, P.T. The author uses to begin practicing bouncing as a first step to jump. Our Physical therapist also recommended it to us and she has been supporting Tommy physical development since he was 2-month old. I feel very confident she knows Tommy's gross motors strength and weakness.

We saw Tommy holding his head up for the first time when he was a day old. If we would had to work on strengthening his neck when he was little, I wouldn't be using the trampoline. But he didn't need therapy for his neck.

My advise to other parents that may read my blog is to always talk to your therapists and health care providers before using any gymnastic equipment because what may work for one child may not work for other.

I enjoy watching how much he is progressing in a short period of time. I keep praying his gross motor spurt stay longer enough to get his body stronger and he can catch up with the gross motor skills appropriate to his age because his physical development is very important to support his social skills.

Tommy's fashion today is according to

daddy's fashion style. He looks cute anyway!

_____________

* According to the National Down Syndrome Congress, Atlanto-axial instability or AAI describes an increased flexibility between the first and second bones of the neck. Most individuals with Down syndrome have some increased flexibility of joints, called ligamentous laxity, which can affect any of their joints. AAI refers to this condition when it affects the joint between the first and second cervical vertebrae. For more details please visit the National Down Syndrome Congress website.

"Walking on sunshine"

"Walking on sunshine" is how Tommy looks
when I see him in this video.
We always knew we will see him walking,
the wait wouldn't be forever.
Enjoy the video from our Sunday walk in
a near park close to our subdivision.

We are very proud of our son!

A big surprise

Motivating our son to walk hasn't been that easy. As I have wrote in previous post, Tommy's major gross motor problem has been his lack of motivation to get mobile. Believe it or not, his lack of motivation has been stronger than Hypotonia. But we are happy, because all our efforts to helping him to walk has been worthed, Tommy is independently walking!

I think the day he realized he could do was on Thursday, July 28th. It was the first day I saw him walking longer distance completely independent, but it was just for a few moments. Over the weekend, he wore his brand new Wee Squeak shoes, which were a big hit. I think those shoes helped him enjoy walking because every time he steps the shoes squeak. On Monday, August 2nd, he independently walked during the evening. On Tuesday 3rd, he complete quit crawling and went to fully walk independent.

The joy we feel is enormous! I think sometimes that it is not happening because we have been waiting for so long. We were told by our PTs that he had the skills, but he wasn't confident to do it. I feel very happy for him because he will be able to interact better with kids of his age. I don't how long it will take for him getting the gross motor skills according to his age, but I am enjoying watching him being independent because it is how he is. As part of the enjoyment, I am taking him to places just for the fun of walking. I went to the mall last week and we didn't use the stroller following the advise of our PT. He walked with me! I went to the grocery store and he helped me to push the shopping chart. It is incredible to watch him walking around.

Tommy has never follow the gross motor millstone charts. He does small progress in his gross motor skills during a long period of time; but when he is into it, he does everything at once. From walking independent in a week ago, he can walk the front porch stairs, one hand supported, up and down. I honestly thought it will take longer. He is also showing interest in running, he currently can run both hands supported and I will star one hand supported this week. Now, our big goals are walking the stairs up and down without support and running, which I don't think it will take too long for him because he enjoys everything that is movement and running provides much sensory input into his body than walking.

We waited to post about Tommy is walking because we wanted to give a surprise to my mother-in-law and father-in-law because they were out of town. My father-in-law is coming over today; so, it will be a big surprise for him.

The art of blowing (Part 2)

In our last post about our Art of Blowing, I showed how my son learned to blow bubbles with mouthpiece bubble blowers at 16 month old, even although he has hypotonia (Low muscle tone). Currently, he has gotten the hang of blowing into those simple, circular bubble wands. He is able to blow more complex blowing objects at his 28 month. The blowing objects we added to our art of blowing are: saxoflute, Kazoos, bubble blower and bubble tumbler.

Saxoflute

My mom got this toy for Tommy's 2nd. Birthday. It is a great addition to our play therapy because it combines Eye-hand coordination, building and blowing. Tommy is able to connect up to 4 parts of the saxoflute; and after, he finishes it, he blows it.

"The Saxoflute Toy is the “building” set that comes with 15 unbreakable ABS pieces that kids can put together in many ways to make a totally tubular saxophone! This set includes a special mouthpiece, trumpet end piece, and twisting tubes to create an instrument as unique as the music."

Kazoo
The kazoo is a classic musical instrument that has been used in speech therapist for many years. The best way to teach how to blow a Kazoo is teaching the child the refreshing sound (remember the old Pepsi commercial Aaaahhhh) or the "H" sound for English (the "J" sound for Spanish). As soon the child masters one of these sounds, he or she is ready to blow the kazoo.

Bubble Monkeys Bath Toy by Munchkin

Tommy and I pretend blowing bubbles in the the bathtub. He has gotten the idea of blowing by putting the blower close to his mouth, but his lips muscles need to get stronger to get a complete rounded shape. The most his blows the stronger his lips get.

No-Spill® Bubble Tumbler Minis® by Little Kids

This bubble tumbler is small enough for little hands to hold the tumbler while the kids deep the wand in the soupy solution to make hundreds of bubbles. It is a great toy for eye-hand coordination while the kids have fun trying to make bubbles. Our OT put Tommy to blow through an small wand during her last visit and he was he was able to blow one tiny bubble through a small wand. So, we gave it a try this weekend and he blowed a few bubbles during the first try.

Our art of blowing has been fun! But the most important, it has been through play time without effort. Tommy will graduate from the art of blowing soon. He will graduate when he deeps the wand in the tumbler and blows hundreds of bubbles. I will be ready with my video camera to share it with you when it happens.

Chromosomal War (Part 2)

The beginning of the Chromosomal War

was captured on video.

Enjoy the video of Our Super Boy fighting back

Extra, Extra! The Chromosomal War has began

USA—The most aggressive and vigorous Chromosomal War began against Trisomy 21 on April 21, 2010 in a small town somewhere in the United States. Our boy stood up and walked his first 5 independent steps, forcing Trisomy 21 to surrender. People who were in surround areas were astonished of how Our Super Boy fight back and took the lead in this chromosomal war.

The Super Heros Academy Headquarters, best know as the EIP (Early Intervention Program), located in the town "Burst Heart" received the news with great joy because one of their little warrior won this brutal battle. The troopers (Therapists team) were proud that this little brave hero won one of the most harder battles of his life, using all the techniques he learned form his superiors (Therapists).

The little hero received an award for his heroic triumph. He got a trip to one of the most famous petting zoo of the nation; where he recovered after such tremendous effort. He enjoyed being around the goats. He was pulling their ears, poking their eyes and trying to hold their tails. As any super hero, he is fearless! He doesn't get scare of animals.

Currently, Our Super Boy keeps trying hard and he has been able to do up to 7 independent steps. He is walking one hand supported with his guards (Parents) wherever he goes. We are very excited to see Our Super Boy walking completely independent in the coming months.

Always remember: "The Sky is the Limit."

We enjoy our son regardless the syndrome.

He is our little hero for every milestones he has accomplished

and every challenge he has surpassed.

Always Be My Baby

The moment has sadly arrived, Tommy doesn't look like a baby any more. He still has his chubby cheeks, but they are slowly disappearing. He is beginning to slim-down looking more like a big boy. Besides the disappearance of his baby face, I have noticed his arms, legs and torso are slowly beginning to lengthen; so, his body looks more in proportion. He is changing right before my eyes.

My mom alway says my sister and I

are her babies forever; so

Tommy will always be my baby.

Tommy, as other toddlers this age, does not like to be contained; which is another indicator he is not a baby any more. So, I am wrestling match when I try to put him in the stroller sometimes. Whenever the opportunity presents, I allow him to hold my hand and walk instead of using the stroller, or allow him to hold onto the stroller while I push it. It seems fun for him! It is a good way to help him to improve his gross motor skills. We walked in the mall this afternoon pushing the stroller and all of that extra walking led up to a good night. He fell asleep right after I put him to sleep.

From crayons to dry markers (Part 2)

The turtle desk has been a good choice for the variety of toys Tommy has. We can use the Melissa and Doug Magnetic Chalk / Dry Erase Board with the easel. But the best of everything, he has fun.

From crayons to dry markers

My boy is growing up! I can see how his brain keeps developing, allowing his cognitive and fine motor skills emerge stronger; even although, he is not walking yet. I can see he is focused in other important areas for a child development; while, his gross motor skills are improving. Then, he will be walking sooner than we know it.

The fact he is able to play with age appropriate toys make me very proud of him. His grandparents gave to him a Melissa and Doug Magnetic Chalk / Dry Erase Board last Christmas. We scribbled on the board this evening. When I saw him scribbling, I realized he is not a baby any more. He definitely knows what to do. See the video below of Tommy erasing and scribbling with the dry marker.

His Physical Therapist recommended an easel to challenge his fine motor skills and work on his arm and shoulder muscles. I got Step2 Sit & Doodle Turtle Desk, which allow him to scribble on his own, instead of having me holding him while he scribbles on a flat surface. I am sure he will have fun with his turtle desk and I will have less back pains. ; )

Note: If you are subscribed by email, you may not be able to see the video. To see the video visit our blog: www.asuperbaby.blogspot.com

Wiggles! Our new physical therapy tool

Our Land Physical Therapy will be directed for a new Physical Therapist (PT) because our actual PT is in maternity leave. Our Land PT looked for her replacement, who was her professor at the University. The new PT is very passionate about helping kids with Hypotonia (decrease muscle tone) to walk. She, better than anybody else, can understand what having Hypotonia means because she has Hypotonia.

The new PT confirmed that Tommy is holding to walk off because he has most of the skills to independently walking. According to her, It is very common that kids with Hypotonia, regardless what diagnosis, tend to take the minimum support to not make an effort and try get around by themselves; which is what happens with Tommy. Before getting into this conclusion, our new PT tested him. She stood Tommy on an rocker board and she was putting her finger tips on different part of his body while she was racking the board. Tommy leaned toward where he was feeling the finger tips and his legs got loosed. He also had a better posture and kept his balance when he was on the rocker board. Our first PT and I noticed Tommy did better when he learned to crawl on the couch and when he learned to cruise in the crib. The couch and the crib have unstable surfaces. But I didn't pay much attention to it until now. According to our new PT, the wiggle creates awareness in his muscles and joints. Making easier for him to get stabled while he is on unstable surfaces. That's why he enjoys so much roughhouse play and any type of extreme movement such as, the turbulence on an airplane. Now, we understand better our son's physical needs.

I feel a relief because I finally got an answer about why Tommy needs more sensory input. Last year, Tommy had a sensory evaluation to make sure he wasn't having a sensory processing disorder or autism. We did this evaluation because he had some type of sensory play, which are behaviors that a child engages in that are “odd,” repetitive, sometimes obsessive, but they are all inputting information into the “broken” sensory channel. The evaluation showed he doesn't have any type of sensory processing disorder, he just needs more sensory input. Even although, our team and the evaluation said he doesn't have a sensory processing disorder, I didn't get a reasonable explanation until now.

The techniques will be working on are:

• Climbing to strength his upper body, which we are currently doing.
• Not more hand supported to walk. From now on, he has to walk holding our pants while we walk backward.
• Improving his hips weight shifting. Put our hand on lateral position on his hips without holding the hips. Our hands will work as a guide for the weight shifting on his hips.
• Increasing opportunities for standing alone with his hands on a vertical flat surface.
• Working on independent standing on a bench. Practice independent standing on a high bench to make it easier for him. When he masters independent standing on a high bench, we will introduce a lower bench until he is able to independent standing from a lower bench.
• Sitting and standing on an unstable surface to create more awareness on his muscles.

We are very excited with this news strategies because Tommy is responding really good and we have just a few days working on this techniques. From now on, we will provide Tommy with more opportunities to play in an environment with a lot of wiggles. I am glad there is an inflatable play center close to our house that I was thinking to take Tommy when he independently walks, but I have changed my mind. These play center has open play days during the week, which we will star to attend. We are going to have a lot of fun with our wiggle time!

Improving Gross Motor Skills

Because of Tommy is motivated to get mobile again, we are giving him more opportunities to get around with his bike and we are taking advantage of the nice weather. We took him to ride his bike this evening around the block, which has 8 houses, where the side walks are connected with a route that goes to the garages behind the houses. It is an easy and save way to go around the block over and over again while Tommy speeds on his bike. He was so excited chasing us. he didn't want to ride the walking bike a while ago; however, he didn't want to leave the bike this evening. He is getting very motivated to walk, he has done a couple of independent steps and we are encouraging him to keep trying.

Tommy's maniac face trying to get me

A little bit tired after two rounds

Motivating Tommy to Walk (Part II)

Motivating our son to walk hasn't been that easy because he is a little protester. His lack of motivation to get mobile is stronger than the hypotonia.  Back in September, he did an amazing progress in his gross motor skills, but he slowed down around December. I took it easy this time and we gave him a break again. It is working as it happened back in September. His gross motor skills have improved in the last 5 weeks. He is riding his walking bike without protesting and he is pushing a push toy our PT borrowed. He is walking one hand supported; he is standing up and walking by putting his hands against a flat surface. He learned on his own to ride on and off his bouncing zebra. He is standing with his hands free when he is playing with his fridge toy or when he is in the crib. For our surprise, he did his first-three independent steps. My husband was so excited and he started to scream,  but Tommy felt and hit his head before I could get to the living room. I missed it! Hopefully, I will see it next time. 

Video of  Tommy walking with his push toy.

Video of The Tommy's Mobile (first bike)

Our 7 powerful tools to improve our son's gross motor skills 

• Rocking. His body is getting stronger. He is getting a nice straight posture, but I still think we have to work more to strength his torso. Tommy loves the song Row, Row your boat.  I am using this song to strength his abdominal muscles while he is rocking. I slowly push him back until he has to hold himself. We do it back and forth until I finish to sign and I start over again. He thinks it is funny!
  
• Pony Ride. I remember when I was a child, I used to like pony rides. We started it with Tommy last week it. It is a fun way to improvs his gross motor skills and balance. According to the book The Parents Guide to Play, "as you  crawl and wiggle your way through the house, your child is learning how to find and keep her center of gravity. She or he will also be stretching her imagination by pretending she or he is riding a pretty pony –or perhaps a dashing steed."Tommy is defiantly using his imagination because he bounces on us. 
  
• Climbing. We are encourage Tommy to climb as much as he can going up and down the stairs. He needs more practice going down the stairs, but he is getting the idea. Climbing improves balance and gross motor skills while strength lower-body and creates spatial awareness.
  
•  Aqua Therapy. Tommy is doing great in the Aqua therapy. His therapist thinks he is very smart because he gets everything very quickly. It is matter of time for him to transfer all the skills he is getting in the pool to his daily activities. 
  
• Slide. Our neighbor has borrowed his kids' slide a couple of time. Tommy likes the slide. He keeps himself upright until the end of the slide, which means his torso is getting stronger. Today, we took him to the park to use the slide because it wasn't too cold.
  

• Toy Box. We are using the toy box as other tool to keep Tommy standing and cruising. While he takes his toys out of the toy box, he is working out his back and abdominal muscles. 
  
• Trampoline. We haven't try it yet, but our PT and Lianna, the writer of the blog My Live with Gabriel, have suggested a trampoline with a bar to help Tommy to improve his gross motor skills. Lianna sent to me the following link to get an idea of how to look for a trampoline: http://www.kiddietoys.com/trampolines-c-119_177.html.  We want to get a trampoline for Tommy because we know he will have fun while he is improving his gross motor skills without having the pressure of the therapy. He likes to "jump". What we do is to hold him by his torso. We count 1-2-3  and say Jump. Then, he pushes himself up and I light him up. He is getting too heavy for me. Therefore, a trampoline is becoming a need for our play therapy. 
  

We are very excited that he is getting closer to walk. His Physical Therapy said Tommy is figuring things out. He is not depending so much on us to improve his gross motor skills.  We know that Tommy will be walking sooner than later because he is getting in the latest stage to start walking independently.