Happy Thanksgiving!

Today Ryan took over a hundred steps...in a row....without holding onto anything.... for the first time ever. Since his first solo steps October 1st, Ryan has been working on walking in therapy. As you saw in the last video on this blog, he was putting together a few in a row, but always collapsed from the momentum he picked up. So the focus in therapy was balancing and taking a few steps, then pausing, then resuming steps. Well, that hard work has paid off. We took a vacation to southern CA over Thanksgiving break and on Friday, we met with some of our AMC families. These same families were in the room when Ryan took his first steps in San Diego last month, so when we met up this time, Ryan showed how far he had come...which was about 10 steps or so. One of the dads said he thought it looked like Ryan could go farther than he was doing, and so the seed was planted. We had never tried to go more than a few steps, out of fear that Ryan would fall. But, today we tried. Ryan's first "long walk" was taking alap from the living room, through the foyer, into the kitchen, into the dining room and back to the living room (a small loop, if you aren't familiar with our house layout). The video posted here is the second try, which started at the edge of the living room and continued down our hallway into Lily's room. This truly was the happiest of Thanksgivings this year! xoxo K

One small step for man....

As a parent, I really can't express how hard Ryan has had to work to do things that you and I take for granted every day. Since his surgery last December, we have seen tremendous strides (no pun intended) in his progress. He has stood while holding on, he has stood alone, he has taken steps using arm crutches, he has slow danced with his Mommy and now he has taken steps with only the assistance of leg braces. The first time I witnessed this was at out good friend, Laelia's, "walking party" (she has also taken her firsts steps). Now, I've been told that Ryan might have taken a step or two prior to that day, October 1st just to be exact, but I feel that if Mommy isn't there to witness, then it didn't happen, right?
Anyway, here's the video. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have! Thanks for your love and support!
-K

Going for our first "official" walk outside

The CHEESE stands ALONE!

Oh the Places You'll Go...

This kid is going places.....without me, it seems. Enjoy this video, taken only 6 days after his first solo attempt.

Independence Day

Today marked a day we've worked very long and hard for. Yay Ryan. You are our super hero!

Walking sticks, first attempt

Here we are in May and our boy is doing great! He is really motivated to get around and is getting stronger each week it seems!
We have completely said goodbye to pull-ups/diapers, even though the night and for the first time is 7 years I can say Pampers will not get another dime from me! Yay Ryan!
In early July, Mom and Ryan are heading to Kansas City, MO to attend the annual AMCSI conference. We were only able to do this due to the generosity of our family and friends (thank you all), as the flights, hotel and car were all paid for from generous contributions! Not long after we get home, Ryan will be back in Philly for a check up with the orthopedist. We are really excited to see what is next for Ryan, hoping to tackle those knees soon!
Here's what Ryan attempted for the first time in last week's PT session....enjoy

more practice

he's getting more confident....

always working

Ryan has been doing really well since his surgery. He receives therapy 3 times per week, which certainly keeps us busy. Here's a video I took with my new toy, my Flip (Thanks, Erin!). You can see how awesome Ryan is doing and how hard this kid works. He really is amazing. He loses it a little at the very end of the video, but that was just fear, not pain, fyi.
Enjoy!