Hard to believe summer is just around the corner! Last week was Finn’s last day of the cooperative preschool we have been doing for the last year. I still remember being anxious about him starting out last fall, and now it is over. He had a great year and I am do glad we did it! Although he remained fairly shy while at school, he frequently “talked” about his teacher and school at home, and he really seemed to enjoy himself while he was there. He especially loved playing with the trucks, cars, trains, and playdough, and he loved playing outside too. Overall, it was such a great, supportive environment for Finn, and for me too. We will miss our friends, but hope to keep in touch.
During Memorial Day weekend we went camping for two nights in the
We are making some changes to Finn’s therapy plan. This was a big decision, but we feel it will be the right one. We bitter sweetly said goodbye to our two therapists who had been coming to our home for over a year. We now go to a new outpatient pediatric clinic about once or twice a week, 15 minutes away from our home. So far we have been very impressed by the therapists there and we are looking forward to a long term relationship with them, which will hopefully result in a lot of progress for Finn. He will start at the special needs preschool in our school district when he turns 3 in the fall. But we hope he will still be able to receive private therapy as well.
About a month ago Finn received a child’s t-ball set from his Tutu and Grandpa to play with in the backyard. We had to help him stand there and swing the bat to knock the ball of off the top. But within the last week, Finn is now managing to do it all by himself! He is able to stand independently and swing the bat and hit the ball off—all without falling over! This is huge accomplishment! His ability to stand for longer periods of time seems to be improving. Most of the time it is still just for a few seconds, but he is doing this more frequently than before as well. I love seeing my little guy just standing there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ULLNzjuR6k
Several of you have asked what we need. The answer is that we need continued love, prayers, friendship, and support. While we still remain optimistic about Finn’s long term progress, we have also realized that we do have a long road ahead, with many challenges and most likely many years of therapy. Playdates and offers to watch Finn’s older sister while we take him to therapy are always welcome. For those of you who are interested and able to, we are humble enough to accept help paying for his therapy as well. While we feel very fortunate to have health insurance, we are also now realizing the limitations of it. As it stands, it is recommended that Finn receives physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, each two times a week. Insurance covers only one visit, actually less than one (45 per year total). And we still pay co-pays for each visit. It certainly adds up! Finn also requires braces for his feet, a special vest he wears, and we have a reverse walker ordered for him too. Recently we were able to do some intensive therapy (thank you again to those of you who were able to help us pay for this!) and it seemed very helpful. We were only sad to see it end. But the journey continues onward. We will continue to do everything we can for Finn. He is still truly a very amazing little soul. Did I add too that he is incredibly cute!? He frequently makes us laugh with his antics, constantly warms our hearts with his sweet nature, and his laugh is completely infectious. Although the journey is uncertain, there is much to celebrate, enjoy, and to look forward to!
As always, thank you all for your ongoing and unwavering support. Check out the new pictures in the Gallery too http://amazingfinn.com/gallery/spring-2009/. Enjoy!
