Kell had his first appointment with the physical therapist on Monday. She was very impressed with his progress! Seriously he was in a great mood and my little dude put on a clinic! He showed her stuff I didn’t even know he could do! When he was assessed a couple of weeks ago, he couldn’t pull up at all, but on Monday he pulled up easily on this low bench she had, and now he routinely pulls up in his crib! His feet aren’t turned out as much when he stands and he just seems much sturdier. This is so exciting. I told the therapist who assessed him that he was born with torticullis and we did his therapy at home and corrected it within three months. She thought that was awesome and she thought we probably wouldn’t have to go to physical therapy every week as we’re so motivated. With the torticullis I did the head turns and stretches every time I changed his diaper. And I did a lot of baby massage focusing on his neck, back and shoulders, since that was the injured area. I have no idea if that helped, but he certainly loved it!

With the hypotonia I work with him twice a day on the floor for an hour. It’s better than the torticullis therapy because this is more like play and he doesn’t cry unless he gets tired. I try to watch his cues; finger sucking, lying down or just cuddling against me, and call a halt before we reach that point. We don’t have a low bench, but Luke’s tabletop air hockey table is just the right height for him to practice pulling up. The therapist said it’s not a good idea to buy (very expensive) specialized equipment because he’ll be going through these milestones quite rapidly. She also said that he should be walking fairly soon since he’s improving so quickly. I was really worried about that, on the boards for children with hypotonia some of the children didn’t walk until they were nearly two.

Kell had his 12 month visit with his pediatrician yesterday, and the doctor seemed impressed with Kell’s improvement. He also said he knew that with my compulsiveness Kell couldn’t help but get better. I think that was supposed to be a compliment, I think. I’ll have you know I’m not compulsive, neurotic as all hell, but not compulsive. He still says Kell won’t be much of an athlete, but that’s not really what I’m worried about, though that is a concern in this sports mad family. Hypotonia can impact his cognitive development and self-esteem. His brother is such a little jock, and has been nearly from birth. I don’t expect Kell to keep up with him, apparently the Luke is some type of phenom, but I would hate for him to be left out of sports entirely if he has any interest. With any luck he’ll lean more toward the artistic side. He’s more mellow, whereas Luke has always been hyper. It would be great to have a child with an interest in music. Luke loves it passionately, and I want him to have piano lessons, but I can’t imagine him sitting still long enough. The boy doesn’t even want to sit down to eat and even does his homework standing!

The worry is very wearying. Though I know that as a mama it’s my lot in life to worry, sometimes it’s very hard. Then I see these kids at the clinic who are in far worse shape than Kell is in, and I feel like I’m just being ridiculous. Hypotonia can be addressed in physical therapy and I’m beyond blessed to have two fabulous basically healthy boys.