SPIDER SUIT THERAPY BEGAN!!

Noah's therapy program at Children's began today and he did FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! :) At first, the therapist told me that she thought it was a bit unrealistic for me to think we could have him walking in three weeks, she said, "hopefully, we'll have him cruising furniture really well."  Then at the end of his session, she said she thinks she'll have him standing independently and possibly taking steps on his own!  She was surprised at how well he did.  WOO-HOO!!  He walked over 1000 yards in the gait trainer, he got in the spider suit, and on the treadmill.  He really did so great.  I'm just so excited!  The therapist was so positive and encouraging... I really like her. She said that she thinks him not talking isn't related to a cognitive problem but more likely related to him not having the strength and breath support to make the proper sounds.  (Which our other therapists in Huntsville have also said).  She said that he understands ALOT of what we say and she picked that up in just 3 hours of working with him.

On Saturday, when we were driving home from G'burg, my mom called me to tell me that Noah had figured out how to climb the stairs at my aunt's house and made it all the way to the top (about 15 or so stairs).  WHAT?!?!  This kid surprises me daily! :)  Since I've been here on Sunday, he's been doing it regularly and he laughs the whole way up.  It's like he looks at that set of stairs as a big ol' toy.  However, on the down side... I have to keep my eye on that kid because he's half way up the stairs before I know it.... or even worse, wanting to come down them, which he doesn't quite grasp yet.

And on one last note, Noah's been on the GFCF diet for 4 weeks now.  He's had this train that plays music and you can press a button and it will go across the floor.  You can also roll it on the floor yourself.  Noah has always just press the buttons, however this past weekend, he began playing with it and rolling it across the floor himself!  WOW... the therapists always ask about him 'playing with toys appropriately' and my gosh, I can't even begin to let you all know how happy it makes me that he has figured out HOW to plan with his train appropriately by rolling and pushing it across the floor.  So does this have anything to do with the lack of gluten and casein in his diet?  What about the climbing up the stairs?  I DON'T KNOW.  I think I'm going to keep doing the diet the whole time we are here in B'ham, maybe for another month and then take him off of the diet and overload his system with gluten and casein to see if he regresses or if there is any change in him and go from there.  I guess that will let me know!