The 5-foot journey!

OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS!!!!  I am so excited to finally get to write the post I have been waiting for!  The one with lots of capital letters and tons of EXCLAMATION POINTS ! ! ! ! !  The one I knew was coming eventually, but had no idea when….well, it’s finally time!!!

This afternoon Dylan C-R-A-W-L-E-D!!!  As in, hands-and-knees, forward progress, unassisted, across the floor CRAWLING!!  He went a total of about 5 feet, and then was exhausted and needed a snack and a long cuddle on my lap, even though I was SO excited I kept putting him back on the floor to try again.  And even if it was only 5 feet, it was the most amazing, encouraging, and inspirational journey I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  And the cherry on top…I got it on video!!! (link below!)

The past week he has been getting SO close.  He figured out how to get up on hands and knees a couple months ago and has been spending a lot of time hanging out in that position, rocking back and forth, practicing balance and building strength.  For the past few weeks, his top half has been itching to move.  He would get up on hands and knees and lift one hand at a time, focusing so hard on the balance required to remain upright.  But those legs!  As hard as his therapist and I tried to convince his legs to follow along with his arms, they just wouldn't cooperate.  I have spent hours on the floor, kneeling over him, encouraging his legs to move in the reciprocal motion required to crawl.  About a week ago, for the first time ever, he started to ever-so-slightly pull the legs along.  As I hovered above him, moving his legs with his arms as I had done so many times before, I started to feel them quiver.  Seriously, he was trying SO hard, but they just wouldn't do what he wanted them to.  The determination coming from this kid is beyond encouraging…he will not give up!  After that night I knew it was only a matter of time before he was able to coordinate the movement of his arms and legs together.

Sure enough!  Today was the day.   It actually happened in a moment that I was least expecting it.  He is in the habit of taking two pretty good naps per day lately.  Today, he took a really short morning nap in the stroller while I was out running errands, and then came home for a 12:30 occupational therapy appointment (we have a therapist that comes to our house…absolute best thing imaginable for us!). Anyways, Dylan was pretty cranky and sleepy during his appointment, and we didn't get much accomplished.  I put him down for a nap, expecting he would sleep for a long time, and was surprised that he was up fussing and crying about 30 minutes later.  I tried without success to get him back to sleep, and eventually just got him out of his crib.  I sat down on the couch with him and he immediately reached for my baby monitor.  Like a lot of babies, he REALLY likes anything that he isn't supposed to have (cell phones, remote controls, monitor, etc).  I could tell he really wanted it so I decided to take advantage of the moment….and stuck him on the floor with the monitor out of reach.  Well, you know what happened next!  The five-foot journey that will go down in the Ottaway Family history books! 

  

One part of this journey that I have to record here…because I never want to forget it…was Jack’s reaction.  Jack is Dylan’s absolute biggest cheerleader.  He has no idea that Dylan has Microcephaly.  He is clueless that Dylan is delayed in crawling, or that it’s not normal to have therapists come help a baby of Dylan’s age with their “exercises” once or twice a week.  But Jack sees how much we celebrate every tiny milestone that Dylan reaches, and he loves to add his voice to the celebration.  Despite the fact that Dylan has been clapping for over a month, Jack still insists on pointing it out to me every time he sees it.  He is constantly congratulating and encouraging his little brother.  So when Jack woke up from his nap this afternoon I was excited to show him the video right away.  We sat together on the couch and I watched Jack as he watched the video.  His eyes lit up with an excitement that almost rivaled my own.  After he had watched the complete five-foot journey, he turned to me with an ear-to-ear smile and said in the most tender, emotional, raw voice….”he’s crawling?!?!?”  You guys.  It was all I could do to hold it together in that moment.  How is a 3-year old so tuned in to the importance of what had just happened?  Dylan is so incredibly lucky to have Jack on his team. 

And, the one last thing I have to acknowledge is the importance of the rest of you that have joined “Team Dylan.”  Last Thursday, I posted a video on Facebook of Dylan moving across the floor with my assistance.  Within 24 hours it had received 70 likes and 34 comments (quite a bit of activity for a little person like me).  Today, shortly after Dylan crawled on his own, I shared the video on Facebook and within 5 hours the number of comments had already surpassed last week's post , and they’re still coming in!  You guys have no idea what it means to me to hear the words of encouragement and support for little Dylan.  I made a decision a year ago to make our journey TOTALLY public.  To share the raw, emotional details with whoever wanted to listen.  I have never once regretted this decision, but there are times when I wonder if I’m being too open.  And then something like today happens.  And everyone who knows Dylan knows what a HUGE deal it is that he is crawling at 13 months.  Because a year ago we didn’t know if he would ever crawl.  And it means the world to me that you guys are so invested in Dylan and his success.  So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.  Thank you for cheering!  Thank you for celebrating!  Thank you for the encouragement!  And thank you for taking the time to follow along with Dylan’s story and all the emotional highs and lows that it brings.  He is one lucky kid to have such a supportive team of people surrounding him.   

And now…I guess I should go start the tedious process of BABY PROOFING!  I have a feeling my little inquisitive Dylan is going to keep my hands full once he’s officially on the move! 

For those of you that didn't see this on facebook already...here is a link to Dylan's 5-foot journey!

And, in case you're interested, here is last week's "almost crawling" video.  He's come so far in just a short week!  

Cheers!

This may seem somewhat anticlimactic...but in Dylan's world there is no such thing.  Just check out what my little Dylan was doing tonight...

I know, right!?!  I was so thrilled.  He figured out how to drink out of a straw about a week ago, which was so wonderful because it was the first time he had been able to drink anything besides nursing.  Prior to figuring out the straw, he hated any type of sippy cup or bottle, and would quickly spit out any liquid that hit his tongue.  He still nurses regularly, but I was worried he would start getting dehydrated if he didn't learn to drink water soon.  All it took was the right cup, and he figured out the straw, no problem!  And, in true Dylan form, he gets SO flippin' excited when drinks water now!  Next challenge was teaching him to like milk, which I was hoping he would take to quickly because its a great way to get some good fat and calories into this little guy.  The first few days of trying he was less than impressed, and ended up covered in milk from spitting out any that made it into his mouth.  But this morning...again all it took was the right cup and all of the sudden he LOVED milk!  I'm talking feet kicking, arms flapping up and down, squeals of delight loved it!  The enthusiasm coming from this kid is so contagious!

And tonight, he grabbed the cup between his two little hands, brought it to his mouth like a pro, and gulped down that milk like he had been drinking independently his whole life.  He was in his highchair having a snack while he watched me get dinner ready, and I had left the cup on his tray.  So imagine my surprise to look over and see this!  I have to admit...it made this mama a bit emotional.  He just looked so grown up drinking from a cup all by himself like that.
 

It's all the little things that make me smile with this guy!

Look Mom...no hands!

Cheers!

Happy First Birthday Dylan!

May 31^st 2014.  Dylan hit the big O-N-E year mark!  How is it that my tiny guy is a full year old?  Boy, time does fly by when you’re raising kids!

One year ago I had never heard of Microcephaly.  I had never even considered the possibility of raising a child with special needs.  One year ago I was a completely different person than I am today.

The past year has been a journey, to say the least.  I have learned more and grown more and been stretched more than I ever thought possible.  I know that there are so many years ahead, years that will be much more challenging and also much more rewarding, but to have made it through the first year with a smile on my face seems like a worthy accomplishment to me.  One year ago I had no idea what Dylan would be like by his first birthday.  I didn’t know if he would be struggling with seizures (thank God he is not!), if he would be able to see, if he would be able to sit or hold up his head.  The milestones that are taken so for granted when raising typically developing children were all thrown out the window when Dylan was 3 weeks old and officially diagnosed with Microcephaly.  From that point on, everything that he has accomplished has been a total surprise and a complete blessing.  I’ve said it before, but I hope I never lose sight of the miracles that take place every day as Dylan overcomes the challenges he was born with. 

But May 31^st 2014 was all about celebrating the amazing gift that Dylan is.  We celebrated with our family and a couple of Dylan’s “friend-babies” (a term coined by my cousin’s sweet 2 ½ year old).  It was about the perfect night.  Dylan was his typical joyful & entertaining self, and loved every minute of being the center of attention.  He watched excitedly as the “big kids” played soccer and basketball in the grass.  He sat contently while Jack and his friends opened the presents and showed them to Dylan one by one.  And the highlight of the night was the most enthusiastic cake smash I’ve seen in a long time.  As it turns out, the kid likes cake!

Dylan’s first birthday celebration is a story much better told with pictures than with words, so I will leave you with a LOT of pictures of the cutest one year old around! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Dylan!  Mom and Dad love you more than you will ever know. 

Enjoy!