A Long Awaited Update

A little (well, not so little!) Joey update for everyone! I've started this blog as a way to keep everyone in the loop :)

Physically Joey is making great progress. At the beginning of December he mastered being able to get from laying down to sitting up, and back down again. What an amazing step towards independence for him! He is also "army crawling", basically using his arms to propel himself around the room. He is standing with support and has just started trying to kneel. He can get into a hands and knees position but his head is just so darn heavy for him still! But we're working on it. Joey is getting fitted for ankle/foot orthotics next week, which should help stabilize his feet so we can work more on standing and taking steps. We're actually very lucky...rather than the type of orthotic that goes from the toes all the way up to just below the knee he is getting a smaller type that will be barely visible over the top of his shoe. Our physical therapist is very encouraging and is positive he WILL walk; it will just take more time.
Joey also found his voice just after Christmas and spends a lot of time "happily screaming", which is music to our ears. No words as of yet but we're working with a Speech-Language Pathologist on it and she's given us some great ideas on how to encourage Joey to make different sounds which will eventually lead to words.
As for medical tests, we've been busy! Joey, Jason and I all had our blood drawn in early January for a genetic test called a microarray analysis. Is the most advanced test in use today to look for genetic abnormalities, such as chromosome deletions. We're expecting the results any day now. We've also met with a new Neurologist, who is not 100% sure that the diagnosis of Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy is the correct one, and she has ordered several tests at Sick Kids in Toronto at the end of April. He'll need to be sedated for one, but not the other two. They are basically testing the conduction of nerve signals to the muscles.
So as we make our way to Joey's second birthday we are very encouraged by the progress he's made over the past year, and are looking forward to what is yet to come! He is still a very happy, content child who continues to amaze us with his perseverance and positive spirit.