He stands! (with help)

Krassi was evaluated for a stander earlier this spring. Standing will be beneficial for him in a number of ways. At a most basic level, circulation, digestion, and other bodily functions work best in a vertical position. Sitting is better than laying, and standing is even better than sitting. We also really like how standing encourages him to interact with his surroundings (both physical and people!) in a different way than he can when he's laying on the floor, or even in his chair. He reportedly LOVES his 20 minutes a day in the stander when he's at school, and we believe that spending more than an hour a week standing would be really good for him!!!

Part of the process of actually getting a stander is a one-week trial just like we did with his wheelchair. We were really pleased with the model they sent out to us, and pleased with the opportunities it opened up for him. Like the wheelchair, too, now that we've finished our one-week trial, we get to wait through the whole insurance approval process.

I'm lucky to have many helpers in the kitchen.

Many helpers - there's Reuben in the background putting onions in the pot - one of his favorite pass-times.

Look at that grin on Krassi's face!

Hi, 'Vania!

This posture is a constant challenge for us with Krassi. We've talked with his physical therapist, and she believes that his difficulty here is not one of physical ability, but habit. I don't have time to go into all of that here, but have a post rumbling in my head if time allows.

Gloria takes to having an older brother with cool equipment quite well. The chair that helps Krassi sit up while he's eating is perfect for propping up a four-month-old baby, too! She likes hanging out there for a while to see what's going on.

Here's another shot of the head-down posture. I'm pretty sure you can imagine how this as a preferred posture makes looking at things around you, and noticing and responding to your environment a very difficult thing.