How's he doin?

    Ahh. That question. "How's Leo doing?" Don't get me wrong, I want this question. I mean that. It's so prevalent in my life that I really want to tell you how Leo is doing and how it affects my life. But it's hard to answer. There's a lot of big things going on that are hard to summarize, so just be ready for an answer if you ask it because I'm going to give it! As we get further away from the trauma of Leo's birth and the month after, the answer to this question becomes less and less......shocking? Newsworthy? New? Yeah, new. Looking back there was a lot of shock and a ton of unknown and some huge questions. As we move forward in time, we're further from that initial shock. We are in the process of healing and recovering. We are learning every day about Leo and what he can do. And there are still big questions about the future. When you think about it, though, there's big questions for every single person. None of us know what's really going to happen today. But as the answer becomes less new there's less to update on. We're just still working on _____. 

    All that to say, I find myself coming on here and not always knowing what to write. Sometimes the answer to how Leo's doing doesn't change from week to week. It's really slow work. But I still want to come on and tell our friends how the little lion man is fighting today, how it's going to parent him, and what we're learning about God through the life of Leo. Although the leaps may not look as huge to the human eye, there's seemingly more to celebrate in Leo's journey. And there's so much that goes into Leo's day to day life. So I'll still be here asking for prayer and trying to give you a little picture into what it's like living with Leo.

    This week we had no appointments except for our usual therapy sessions! It was nice to have a week that was more chill.    

     It's slow progress in physical therapy. Leo continues to work on core strength, head control, and symmetry when it comes to moving his muscles. He can hold his head up and move it really well when he's on his stomach but he doesn't like it at all. He is bringing his knees up some when he's on his back. He brings his hands to his mouth sometimes, but still in a very uncoordinated way. The therapists is also still working with him--and us--in ways to help him relax to help him when he arches and stretches out. We don't know what the future looks like as far as Leo's mobility. But we are still hopeful. I used to think I had to prepare myself for the worst case scenario, but I've come to see that it's not a bad thing to hope for the good for my child. Bad news will hurt no matter how much I worry beforehand. God will give us the ticket when the time comes. And he calls us to today. One day at a time.

    Occupational therapy is a big help but I feel like the we'll be able to do more with them once Leo gains weight a bit more consistently. We are looking at starting solid foods with him as his head control improves. This will bring many more unknowns. Our therapist has observed how Leo takes a bottle and moves his tongue and the muscles in his mouth. But we'll know what he needs help with once we actually get to trying it. We are not rushing into solid foods, but moving that way. Please pray for all the unknowns that come with that. Pray that Leo will be able to eat and/or learn to eat. 

    The car seat! Still a struggle. Still a problem. It's slow progress. His vision appointment is at the end of October so that's in the back of our minds.

    I think that's most of the things. That's how he's doing. My dad said it best, "He's thriving as well as he can." He has the most pitiful cry, stubborn yell (especially when he doesn't want to fall asleep), and sweet words when he's in a happy mood and just wants to talk to you. Our lives are so much better with him in them. 

Thank you for reading, caring, praying, giving, responding, and just all of it. We are humbled by your support.