Niagara Falls & New Skills!

Last weekend, we drove up to Niagara Falls for the day. It was how Ben wanted to celebrate his birthday. So we got food packed, extra clothes, drinks, addresses, plans, blankets, coats...everything we could think of into the car and head out. The skies were dark and the clouds looked like they might burst at any moment, but the rain held off. We had hoped that Joshua would sleep on the way up, but he entertained us by singing and chatting and talking to himself in the back seat. Ben kept his eyes on the road and soon enough, we were there.

We were almost to the border when Ben suddenly said, "Um, hon? We forgot our passports." Drat, drat and double drat! See, after July 1, 2009, you can no longer cross the border without passports. Your NY license will not do it anymore. So, we fell back and regrouped. We decided to stay there and explore the American side of the falls. I had actually never been to the American side, so it was a new experience for me. We parked on Goat Island and walked around the island (it's a small island!), stopping to see the falls...or at least what we could see through the incredibly heavy mist. We originally had thought that it was raining...but it turned out to be just the mist from the falls. Crazy! So after a few self portraits and two pictures of Josh & Ben at the falls...

...we ran for cover. All of us looked as though we had run through a rainstorm, and we had to bundle Josh up to keep him warm.

Once we got back to the car, the skies opened up and it poured. So we drove into downtown Buffalo, had wings at the Anchor Bar (where chicken wings were created), and headed home. Josh was sleeping by the time we hit the thruway. All in all, it was a really good day spent together. What more could we ask for?

This week has been a big week for Joshua motorically. His OT got him a new splint for his right hand and there was a noticable difference in the first few minutes he had it on!

We are keeping it on him whenever he is awake, sometimes with the supinator strap (it puts a very slight amount of torque on his arm to remind him to turn it out, not in) and sometimes without. But whenever he tries to use his hand now, it's so much easier for him. It's so exciting to see him use his right hand!This morning, while having his morning bottle, he even reached up (with his left hand) and started to push the bottle back into his mouth when I pulled it away! That, my friends, is HUGE! Up until now, he has relied on us to make sure he gets his bottle. If we don't hold it there, he cried and screamed at the injustice of it all. The simple act of reaching up to keep it in his mouth means that he's starting to want to be independant. It's awesome.

Once he masters this, we can move on to a sippy cup or maybe even a straw!!! Those are both goals on his IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) through Early Intervention...and oh, how it warms my heart to see *Achieved* checked next to a goal. :)