Thursday, September 21, 2017

Currently Connor

So, I currently have several blog posts in draft form...maybe one day some of them will get published??

It's been a looooong time since I've done a blog post, and I've mentioned before that that is actually a good thing.  It means that we're not inpatient in the hospital all the time (I'm looking at you 2013-2015...).

So I thought I'd write a quick blog post about what Connor is currently all about.

Loves

1. Toddler Tunes.  I could probably just leave this as the one and only love.  Not only does Connor love Toddler Tunes, he pretty much demands it.  Check out this video of him 'erring' until his music starts. (*Fingers crossed this works...I've never embedded an Instagram post before...you may have to click on the picture for it to work?)

Not only does Connor love Toddler Tunes, he KNOWS when they try to slip a non-toddler tunes song in.  Every now and then Pandora will play a song that is typically found on their Rockabye Baby station and Connor will fuss until we go to the next song, ha!  There are also some regular songs that come on there that he doesn't like either.  His current fave is probably this one: Take a Little Nap


2.  Playing on his mat.  Connor still loves playing on his mat and is content to literally spend all day long on it.  It was the best investment we've made for him, ha!



3.  Hearing familiar voices. Since Connor's vision isn't there (sidenote: we get asked this a lot so I'll go ahead and say this:  theoretically, he should be able to see, but we're not sure what he sees.  He has a lot going on neurologically that hinders his vision {including a stroke when he was likely in utero that originated in the part of the brain that controls vision} in addition to eye issues in general {glaucoma & his left cornea did not develop properly}.  He still does not track, but I do feel like he sometimes tries to turn towards noises he hears), he is extremely auditory.  He has a definite reaction to familiar voices (some good and some not so good, ha!)

4.  Ladies.  Connor is a ladies man.  'Nuff said.

5.  Nap Time at daycare.  His teacher sent us this picture this weekend and I noticed that it seemed pretty dark.  I guessed that it was nap time and she confirmed it.  Connor doesn't enjoy the naptime for the sleep, but because he gets to have all of the teachers to himself (ahem, see #4).


6.  Being rough.  Connor is a typical boy in that he loves being rough.  He gets so excited when one of us gets on the mat, puts him on us, and we "wrestle."  He also LOVES when you put him on the mat if you swing him back and forth or play a game of slowly going down and then back up quickly.  Typical boy!  Check out this video of him and his favorite PT, Denise!


7.  Baths & Swimming.  Connor enjoyed the pool a couple of times this summer and had a blast!






Hits or Misses
So these are things that can be hit or miss...depending on his mood.

1.  Walks.  Sometimes he can be not happy when we talk him on walks around the neighborhood.  Other times, he loves it.

2.  Music other than Toddler Tunes.  Sometimes I can get away with not playing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the car, but other times he pretty much demands it, ha!

3.  Going out.  This is usually a hit with Connor, but other times not so much.  We honestly don't get out very much to begin with, but occasionally family will meet up somewhere and we go.  Sometimes it's great, other times, not so much.  These pictures are from back to back days. Connor loved being at the Brownlee's for the Carolina game, but going to Mellow Mushroom the next day he did not like as much.  Eh, you win some and you lose some.  We have to remind ourselves that that's how a typical 4 year old is.




If you look closely, I'm totally tickling him to get him to smile, ha!

4.  His wheelchair.  He typically does really well in this, so long as he's moving or has music.  But sometimes even those things don't help and he wants out.  Our house set up is not super conducive to his chair, so it can sometimes be hard to keep him happy in it here at home.  

Dislikes
1.  Quiet.  Connor is not a fan of quiet.  He needs noise since he's such an auditory person.  He loves chaos and lots of things going on (unless he's just not in the mood).

2.  Rockabye Baby being played too early.  He needs his Toddler Tunes in his crib for a while...then you can turn on Rockabye Baby.

3.  Getting his teeth brushed.  He definitely goes through phases with this.  He is currently in the "I hate teeth brushing" phase.

4. Eyedrops.  Connor is currently only on one eye drop (in both eyes twice a day).  But I swear he can sense or tell when we're trying to get them in.  I try to be patient and wait for him to be on his back with his eyes open, but that doesn't always work, especially in the mornings.

I think that's it, for now at least.  I'm sure I'll think of tons of other things to add later, but I am exhausted.  I hope to update this on a somewhat more regular basis in the future, but don't hold your breath :)