31 for 21: Day 3 Busy Days.....

not sure what i did with all my time before wyatt was born!   therapies, therapies, and more therapies are how we spend our days now!   that is, when we don't have dr's appointments, of course!   it's a busy life.....and when we aren't in therapy, i feel like we need to be doing "something" educational or enriching!  

babies born with Down syndrome are entitled to the "early steps" or "early intervention" program that is a federally funded program for children under the age of 3 who have various disabilities, delays, or impairments.  the emphasis of the program is to provide therapies, treatments, and equipment to help these infants and toddlers meet their developmental milestones.   we have been tremendously blessed by the early steps program here in bay county, florida.   wyatt initially had an evaluation at about 6 weeks old that determined the therapy he would need at that time (physical therapy and developmental therapy), and he is reevaluated twice a year to update services as needed!  without this program, many children would not be able to receive services that they need due to the huge expense of therapies, etc. 

through early steps, wyatt currently receives 7 therapies a week!   he has physical therapy once a week, and receives developmental, speech, and occupational therapy twice weekly!    it's a busy life!   three of his four therapists provide their therapies in our home, which is an awesome blessing.  that is a preferred therapy site, as it helps parents know how to work with their children (continuing the therapies) in their own home environment, instead of in a clinical setting.  we have chosen to receive occupational therapy in a clinical setting due to the specialized sensory therapy he is only able to receive there!   

it is a busy life, and our whole family engages in wyatt's "therapies" throughout the day!   we are often reading, matching, working on colors and shapes, listening to music, playing with puzzles, singing, and the list goes on...... in the car we often have an educational video playing such as "signing times" or "the letter factory," always offering opportunities for him to be learning and engaged....

it is a busy life.....and when nap time comes, we ALL want to rest!   i'm sure that some days even his therapists wish that they could take a nap too....we are BLESSED with the best therapists that we could ask for!