October is off to a great start.

Walker has been a little under the weather - a little fever, a weird full body rash and some lethargy. At first we thought it might be West Nile, because of the sheer number of mosquito bites hes had in the past few months. But today, he seemed so much better.  So we headed to the pumpkin patch to select our first two pumpkins of the season!

Today was also an incredible day for Charlie.  He kicked off the morning by pulling himself up onto his knees with one arm up along side the coffee table.  He reached out to grab a little something he wanted and then carefully and with complete control lowered his bottom back to the floor.  It was astonishing.

Then during our STEPS program (feeding therapy) at the Callier Center, we had another break through.  We've spent the last three weeks doing a ton of lip, tongue and cheek stretches along with some sensory work in hopes of awakening Charlie to the sensations in his mouth. He doesn't use his hands to eat because he has a sensory aversion. He doesn't chew because he doesn't have muscular control, especially on the right. He doesn't use his tongue because he has very little lateral movement. He doesn't swallow because he can't feel the food in his mouth, and we're pretty sure he can't taste much of it either.  He's low tone with very little sensory input.  And even when he has a sensation of food, his neurological wires are crossed and he doesn't know what to do with the information. So, he's been on purees and mashed, easily manageable foods.

But today, all of that changed:

Here he is starting off with a Popsicle. The cold temps allow him to feel his mouth.

And now, here he is eating Cheetos (yes, Cheetos!)
and feeding himself for the first time EVER! 

And a few days ago, I caught this amazing moment on video...

Katherine, our service coordinator, introduced a system of making choices where Charlie looks at a photo to communicate his desires.  We're starting small with words like eat, drink, bed, hug, read and play.  And we're hoping to expand as he comes to understand the meaning of the photos.  This video was taken only moments after introducing eat and drink: