Update #31

Ryan had physical therapy this morning. They put him in a standing position and held him there for about a minute. He was working really hard to keep his head up on his own and did a great job! They gave him a break and then did it again for another minute. He did just as good the second time. 

They moved him to a mat and worked with him on kicking him left leg back and forth. He did very well with the kicking out part, but not as well with the pulling back part. But, he is doing better every day, so I'm sure he'll get there soon.

After physical therapy, occupational therapy and kinesiotherapy worked with Ryan. They focused on getting Ryan to hold his head up on his own for consecutive periods of time. They also worked with him on bearing his weight on his right and left arms while in a seated position. (Imagine sitting, then lean to the side and put your weight on your elbow.) They also worked with Ryan's core muscles and attempted to get him sitting upright on his own. He could hold himself steady, but wasn't able to sit upright on his own. 

They also did some leg exercises with Ryan using resistance. He was able to push against the resistance with both legs. The therapist even commented on the strength in Ryan's right leg. 

Speech therapy worked with Ryan in the afternoon. They came later than usual due to a scheduling issue. Ryan was pretty tired from his morning sessions and wasn't as responsive today as he normally is. But, they did play some blackjack with him. He was able to see the cards, flip the card over himself, do the math, and gesture with his hand to "hit" or "stay." He did really well. 

Ryan was in a wheelchair from about 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. today (excluding his therapy sessions). This is the longest that he has been out of bed. I kept asking him if he wanted to lay down, but he always indicated "no." The whole time he was in the chair, he kept moving his right leg. I just know that as soon as he can control both of those legs and the rest of his body, there is going to be no stopping him. :)