Swimming the pain away...

I love to swim! The pressure and difficulty in walking is gone when I hit the water! I feel the workout, feel the muscle strengthening with half the work and much less pain! The kids especially like when we make a whirlpool, which involves me running in circles around the edge of the pool. It's a great workout. But it feels more like play! Drained from the sun, hours afterward my muscles are letting me know that we definitely did some work today.


My 3 year old son had an appt yesterday with the developmental pediatrician. We had a very rough pregnancy with him. Everything from subchorionic hemorrhaging (placental bleeding), to low hormones, to preterm labor at 30 weeks (stopped eventually) to questionable heart issues during labor and a very floppy baby born... He was small, 6 pounds even and 18 inches long. When he was 4 months old his head growth almost stopped. From then on it only grew about 1/2 cm every 2-3 months. And some things were a bit delayed. At 7 months old he still had overriding sutures (skull bones) like a newborn would have which is supposed to disappear by a week old. He was a little late on his milestones. The developmental doc saw him at 7 mths and at 18 mths and said at his 18 month appt that although he was making headway that his head was still very small (in the negative 5th percentile) and that we weren't out of the woods yet. And then yesterday I was amazed at her reaction. It was like she was seeing a new child. He is still a little behind in some things like verbal and some very mild cognitive skills, but he has improved 10 fold everywhere else! He is 3 years 4 months old and tested right on track for motor skills and at 3 years 1 month for verbal skills. Excellent! She suggested a preschool setting in the fall for structure and learning. She also noted that his learning style is very physical and thinks we can really use that to get him on track with his cognitive skills.


I am truly amazed at the wonders of God! When he was 5 months old we were being told that he had microcephaly (which he still has) but that they didn't know if he would grow or develop or ever sit up on his own. He postured his arm and hand like an infant with brain damage. But God promised Josh would accomplish great things, God has brought my baby boy up in what looked scary and turned it into a wonderful thing! No more posturing! He still has the same joint issues as me, loosy goosy in a lot of them, still clumsy, and his head is still in the negative 3rd percentile, but he is so intelligent and is very much a little person of his own! Amazing! Thank You God!