So proud.

After Connor was born, he developed a fairly serious intraventricular hemorrhage (grades II & III on either side of his brain).  The neonatologists at the time didn’t really know what to tell us.  Only time would tell if and how badly Connor’s brain would be damaged by the bleeding.  We were told to prepare ourselves for cerebral palsy, issues with motor skills, and/or learning disabilities, at the very least.  Luckily, while Connor was still in the NICU his IVH resolved itself, and no further intervention was necessary.  This past April, his neurologist said we’re in the clear for any lingering IVH issues, and that all Connor really has to overcome right now are developmental delays due to his prematurity (born at 26w 6d gestation).  (I’m still not sure what he meant by “in the clear” – at the time it was good news, and I didn’t question it – I think it’s too soon to tell what, if any, learning disabilities Connor might have.) 

It was nearly a year ago this month, that Connor purposefully rolled over by himself for the very first time at 9 months old.  At the beginning of May, he started crawling at 16 months old.  He began pulling himself to stand at the end of May, at 17 months old.  Not unlike our other preemie friends, we work really hard to achieve each and every milestone.

At the end of physical therapy last Friday, Connor did something amazing…  it had been a busy session – he’d spent time with the exercise ball, time on the slide, on the swing, and he’d even done some gait training on the treadmill.  While his therapist was making me a quick copy, we looked down and suddenly HE WAS WALKING!  Just 4 or 5 steps, all on his own!

Unfortunately, Brian wasn’t able to attend the session with us, but we rushed home, ever hopeful that Connor would “perform” again.  Sure enough, he was able to show his new skills to Daddy.  :)

Without any encouragement from us, the little rock star showed numerous times how he can stand “with no hands” in his pool.

A few days later, with the bribe help of the phone, I attempted to catch him walking on video.  Like a carrot dangled in front of a horse, Connor will gravitate toward anything with buttons.  Please don’t mind the video quality below… I was flying solo this particular evening.  It’s really hard to capture this AND be the one he’s trying to walk to!

Daddy came home about an hour after this video was captured, and I’m happy to say that Connor repeated his great feat… and even walked the length of the family room rug – 10 feet! – before losing his balance. 

So, we practice walking and standing every day.  The only thing really holding Connor back right now is his own confidence – we know he’s more than capable (you should see how fast he can cruise!).  He’s figured out how to throw tantrums, so practice time is not the most fun time of the day.  But, as we have with everything else, we all push through it.

Obsessed with buttons, Connor’s figured out (all by himself) that with the help of some of his toys, he can turn the TV on and off.

LOVES to spend time in his pool!  

Not gonna lie… both of us have shed quite a few happy tears over his latest accomplishment.  We couldn’t be more proud of this amazing little boy!