Goals

This week has just flown by. I can't believe it's been over three weeks since Evan was discharged.

In the first week, I really just was adjusting to having him home. The second week, we had appointments, and I had to adjust to that.

This week, we've been setting goals, and taking steps to meet them. And I'm learning how to keep up on the household chores so I don't get overwhelmed.

I work best with clear goals in mind, and though it may seem to most (or everyone) that I fly by the seat of my pants, I put a lot of energy into visualizing how to reach those goals.

These are our goals for the next week-

#1- Get Evan sitting up longer and longer on his own. Today, I timed him at just over 5 minutes, and we did it several times.

#2- Sitting at the table to try eating twice a day. We did this today, and it went wonderfully. He took several tastes of applesauce both times. By the end of the second try, he had decided it was a game, and I enjoyed getting to see him laugh over something that just a week ago was a chore.

#3- Increase the time Evan is on the valve that allows him to breathe out through his nose and mouth. Again, it sounds like a simple thing, but he gets VERY Upset when we use it. It takes time before he calms down. But we've increased the time to 30 minutes. I hope to increase the time to 2 hours, total throughout the day by next weekend. Hopefully, this will help accustom him to being able to smell, and taste, and deal with the increased saliva. I hope that this will further our longer-term goal to get him off the trach by this summer.

#4- Work on Evan's pulling up, and weight-bearing, tummy time, and his ability to hold onto his feet. This involves various exercises to help him gain the flexibility and muscle strength to do those things he would normally be doing.