Like all of us, Ryan has good days and ... well, not so good days. On his not so good days, he can barely hold his head up, his arms and legs go from being really floppy to really stiff, his arms seem to move randomly, and he throws up everything he eats. On his good days, he can lift his head and only has a little bobbling, his legs push against things, he babbles and sings with us, and he just generally seems interested in his environment.
Thursday was a good day. His vision intervention (VI) therapist came over. He was asleep when she got here, but we woke him up and he did some good work for us. (This is especially significant because recently he has been "sleeping" to avoid therapy. Did you know a baby can truly play possum? Ryan is great at it. Last week his Developmental and Occupational Therapists came over. He went to "sleep" and woke up while I was standing at the door saying good bye. Smart boy.)
Anyway ... I have now set up my closet as our black box. The downstairs half bath just gets a little too warm with 2 or 3 adults and a baby and all the equipment. Thankfully it is a large walk in closet ... or think really small bedroom.
We turn off the lights so that it is completely dark except for the spotlight. We put a spotlight on a single bright object. Babies with CVI, like Ryan, tend to show a preference for a specific color. We thought Ryan's was neon pink, but not anymore. The preference of the day was neon green.
We first showed him this green ball with the light shining up through it. He really liked it! He grabbed it with his left hand and held on to it while we moved it to the right. He doesn't track objects smoothly like most of us do, but he did very akwardly "follow" the object.
We then tried the neon pink slinky, but he would have none of that. So, we moved onto the neon green slinky with the light shiny down through it. He didn't respond until it started moving. He seemed to watch it a lot, but wasn't as responsive with his hands to the slinky today.
After adequate time with the slinky, we tried a spinwheel. (Remember those?) The first one we used was orange and silver. He didn't respond at all to it. Not even when it was moving. So, then we used the silver and red. He eventually responded to it, but not as well as to other objects. He would look at it and then bat at it with his hands.
I was surprised at how long he was willing to work today. It is a lot of work to learn new skills. We take so many things for granted in early childhood development. But children's "play" is really a lot of work. No wonder they need so much more sleep.
I'm thankful for the good days!
This is also a corner chair, but it's a homemade corner chair. It will basically serve the same purpose. The chair forces the little ones arms in a forward direction. This is really helpful with Ryan. He tends to keep his arms, especially his right arm, pinned behind him. By forcing the arms forward it helps to stabilize the body, which will hopefully strengthen Ryan's core muscles so that eventually he can sit on his own. 
They also brought this table, for Ryan not Deborah but she sure loves it! The table is the perfect little size to slide right up next to the child when they are seated in a corner chair. With the table in front of the child, they can rest their arms on the table. 
These next 2 pictures are of toys the therapists use with older children. The reason they brought them was to show some of the "hand made" toys that can be donated to the therapists. They are pretty simple in design, and are very plain. They just require cuts, extra good sanding, and a plain stain or sealer. Everything has to be child safe. We wouldn't want to give a child lead poisoning. 
So, do you know any future Eagle Scouts who are looking for a meaningful project? Or, anyone who enjoys cutting wood? The kids and I would be happy to do the sanding and staining. I'd be happy to cut the wood if I just knew how. But, I do think these projects would be great for a Scout looking for an Eagle project.
As you probably know, Jessica and Dwight share the same birthday. It was planned that way ... well, not from the VERY beginning, but from the time that we knew she would be delivered via c-section. Dr Nelson and Dwight scheduled the c-section around the Grateful Dead concert. (Priorities, right?) Dwight liked the idea of sharing his birthday with Jessica. He says then he just has to look at his license to remember when her birthday is. Perhaps I should create a little business card with the rest of our birthdates, laminate it and put it in his wallet. (Maybe I should include our anniversary too ... if only I could remember it.)
Check out ALL those candles!
You should have seen all the smoke ... and yes, he almost did it in just one breath. He is an amazing man ... not just cause he has a huge lung capacity, but he's a great Mann. giggle giggle. He is a wonderful father, a caring partner, an excellent provider and a very thoughtful sweetheart! I am truly blessed!
