From Horizontal to Vertical

Amelia and big brother, Spike 5/08

Yes, we are still doing lots of commando and Creepster crawling...but Amelia's new passion is standing. When we're at the park, sitting on my lap, in a restaurant, etc. she wants to be standing. I place her on the floor between my knees and secure her hips with my knees and she stands! Pretty nice and steady. She'll also turn, so her belly is on my leg and stand that way too. It's very cool. Each milestone feels like it's been forever coming...and now they seem to be happening every other day. So this is what it feels like when your child is making developmental and physical strides forward.

So, on that topic. Nestor, Amelia and I have made new friends. We recently got involved with a not-for-profit organization called Bright Steps Forward (www.brightstepsforward.org) where they have intensive therapy programs for children, mostly kids with neurological challenges. A friend of Nestor's, Joe Gannascoli ("Sopranos") has been working with them for a year or so doing fundraising at celebrity events for them. Joe thought they would be a good resource for us and Nestor is happy to jump on board and help in any way he can in their celebrity events. We spoke with the owner, Eileen, who basically broke it down for us. Eileen is based in Florida, but there is a facility in Long Island which is about 1 hour from NYC. Families are welcome to stay at the Ronald McDonald House while they're in treatment. It's a 3-4 week intensive program where the child receives 4 hours of intensive therapy, 5 days a week. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is also available during the 3-4 weeks you're there. So we're going on Thurs. to have Amelia evaluated by the Dr. at the HBOT facility and then by the PT for therapy at the center. All we need to do is get our pediatrician's clearance for her and x-rays of her hips and chest -- and we're good to go! I think we'll be doing it in June, sometime after Memorial Day (Mom & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party!). And there is already an event on June 16th that we're trying to pull in some fun things for them to raffle off (signed playbills and scripts from friends mostly).

And lastly, Spike (Nestor's 19 yr. old) is done with his sophomore year at Lehigh and he and his girlfriend, Christine are leaving on Sunday to spend 6 weeks in Shanghai, thru school. He came over and spent a couple of hours with Nestor and I today and we went to John's for pizza -- so yummy! I didn't think we'd be able to polish off 2 large pizzas between the 3 of us. What can I say? The slices are really thin!!!!