Unexpected progress is the sweetest

Yesterday was such an interesting day. 

It was a rainy day- dreary, cloudy, and cold.  Evan napped quite a bit, and we got some really good snuggle time.
And Evan seemed to make a sudden breakthrough- We've been working on his physical therapy, which includes putting Evan into positions he would have normally been able to master if he hadn't been bed-ridden for so long.  We work on sitting, tummy time, pushing up with his legs when we're holding him on the playmat, positioning his hips so he's not so "frog-legged", etc. 
I figured yesterday was a good day to pull out the playmat and work with him.  He did really great with pushing up with his legs, he sat up really well.  And it was like seeing the wheels actually moving in his mind.... he started reaching for things while we were supporting him sitting.  And after trying that, he got so excited and began using his hands to slap his knees and wave them around. 
This might not seem like a big deal to anyone else..... OF COURSE a 7 month old baby will do that, right?  But that is something that has been missing from Evan's play until now.  He would usually keep his arms either loose, or hold onto something, even while playing on his back. 
He's getting coordinated.  That's a little step, but it's so cool to me. 

And he did another thing that absolutely blew me away.  We were snuggling, just looking at eachother, and I was talking to him.  And he grabbed the top of my shirt, which he's been doing for months.  I was waring a cowl-neck shirt (a shirt with a loose amount of fabric at the neck) and he pulled the extra fabric up over my mouth.  :-)  It was the cutest thing.  He's interacting with his environment more, becoming more visually curious, and experimenting with his environment.  I love it. 

It may seem like such a small thing, but seeing this little bit of progress is just so exciting to me. 


Last thought- Here is a link to a story about a mother with a child with special needs, telling others what they might not know about being a parent to a special needs child.  I thought it was spot-on.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-lin/special-needs-parenting_b_1314348.html