Moab

We headed to Moab, Utah for an extended holiday vacation on Tuesday. Gulliver and I loaded up, picked up Mark at the office, and we hit the road to Montrose to pick up a pop-up camper to use for 5 nights.

Loaded up and ready to go!
(The scrape on his head was from the week before)

We decided to spend the night at the RV Park where we rented the camper since we got a late start. They had putt-putt golf there and Gulliver was a natural! He played all 18 holes. And then we played another round the next morning before we left.

We weren't sure how the sleeping arrangements would work out, but everything went so smoothly. We stuck to our usual nighttime routine -- pi's, brush, read books -- and then tucked Gulliver into his side of the camper for the night. He instructed me to "schlose" (close) the curtain and then put his head down and sucked his thumb. We didn't hear a peep out of him until 8:00 the next morning.

Getting ready for night night

It was so sweet how every morning he would pop his head out of the curtain, bust out a huge grin, and shout, "Mom! Dad!" And then we would all crawl into bed together and snuggle or wrestle, depending on the day.

We departed for Moab late Wednesday morning and arrived in the afternoon. After scouting around for a nice campsite, we settled on one just a few miles outside of the town of Moab. It was convenient and offered a very scenic setting surrounded by tall, red canyon walls. Very different than the mountains we are so accustomed to. We settled in fairly quickly. Gulliver loved exploring the campsite and throwing the ball around and chasing after it. Bubbles and the squirt bottle were a big hit, too.

The camper

Enjoying a snack at the campsite

Exploring the campsite with Dad

Retrieving the "blue ball" and playing catch

Mark making breakfast

Chilling out with Cooties and Goldfish

On Thursday, we set out to explore Arches National Park. Pretty impressive place. We drove from end-to-end (about 25 miles each way, with a few short off-shoot roads) and stopped along the way to hike and have a picnic lunch. Then Gulliver napped in the car for about 45 minutes while Mark and I drove around and enjoyed the scenery.

Fresh water

Hiking at Arches National Park

Sand Dune Arch

Exploring a narrow canyon; Gulliver carrying his weight on the hike

"Mom. Dad. Gull-i-guh." (Said by Gulliver at least 200 times during the trip)

Checking out a cactus

Later that afternoon, we went on another hike and the girls were able to come along, too. We found a nice place in the stream to wade around in. I was crossing in one place while holding Gulliver in my arms. Totally wiped out. My feet completely slipped out from under me (not used to slick rock) and I fell flat on my back, holding tight to my baby the whole time. Amazingly, neither one of us had so much as a scratch. Guess I used up my free pass on that one. Phew!

Tired, dirty Cassie

Tired, dirty Cocoa

Gulliver never ceases to amaze me by how much he likes to walk. We went a long way that day, and he never once complained or wanted to be carried. He is such a trooper!

On Friday, we checked out one of the local parks, played on the playground, and enjoyed a neat feature with large instruments. It was a really cool part of the park.

We cooled off that afternoon in the swimming pool. We don't have an outdoor pool in Crested Butte, so it was a treat to swim outdoors. Gulliver LOVED it and kept saying "fwimming" over and over and over again.

The wind started picking up on Friday, and we were introduced to desert conditions. Suffice it to say, Mark and I prefer the mountains! Gulliver was not the least bit bothered by the sand and dirt blowing all over the place. I was so impressed with my little outdoor dude. He just goes with the flow. During nap time, he didn't even make a peep when the camper was blowing like crazy and the flaps were flying all over the place.

By Saturday, we were trying to come up with ways to stay entertained out of the wind. We checked out an art fair that was taking place in the town park, listened to some live music, ate ice cream, and played at the playground. Back at the campsite, we decided to head down to the river and throw rocks (another favorite activity). On the way there -- just a couple of campsites down from us -- we saw a popup camper like ours had collapsed from the wind. Suffice it to say, it was really windy. I knew then and there that NO WAY was my family sleeping in the camper that night. We reached the river at 3:30. I asked Mark if he was open to heading to Grand Junction and getting a hotel room that night. We were packed up and on the road by 5:00.

So even though we cut our camping trip short by one night, it turned out to be a really nice end to the vacation. Gulliver had such a fun time on his first camping adventure. But the white, fluffy towels and sheets that awaited us at our favorite hotel were a welcome luxury. Gulliver leaped into the bathtub and left a layer of sand behind after the tub drained. He bounced around the hotel and I didn't have to worry about him falling on a rock or smashing his face on the benches in the camper (which he almost did about a half dozen times). We ordered pizza. Everyone slept well that night.  We got to go swimming again before we headed back to CB on Sunday, arriving home safe and sound after our lovely family vacation.

Fresh and clean at the hotel

Carefree and enjoying pizza!

Night night

Happy Mother's Day!

Occupational Therapy

Last June, I talked to our Services Coordinator about concerns I had with Gulliver's eating, chewing, and swallowing following several incidents of choking on his food. It was a pretty scary experience. I watched other kids his age eat larger and crunchier types of food than I was comfortable giving Gulliver. So we started working with an Occupational Therapist, Stacey, to address these eating concerns.

Initially we focused on stimulating his mouth in a number of different ways: tickling his cheeks; giving him cold drinks before eating; trying intense flavors in food like lemon, vinegar, and spices; using an electric toothbrush; using a Nuk massage brush on his tongue and inside of his mouth. Stacey also gave him different mouth movements to imitate, like puckering and licking. We would practice eating a number of different foods that offered different textures and levels of crunch.

It took over six months to give me an acceptable level of comfort with Gulliver's eating. Today there are still times when we remind him to chew his food. But the majority of the time, I feel like he can handle the things he puts in his mouth. There are still some foods I am hesitant to give him, but there's no rush. Gulliver always has a way of letting us know when he is ready. He has come so far over the past year with his eating. I am so glad we cleared this hurdle.

We also added sensory to the mix when I told Stacey that Gulliver doesn't really enjoy "getting dirty."  Every person has sensory integration issues on some level. It's fairly common for preemies to have sensory issues as a result of their little nervous system not having ample time to develop and being forced to deal with sights, sounds, and smells of the big wide world earlier than usual. I want to make sure Gulliver has every opportunity to be exposed to a variety of things. I knew Stacey would have a different way of playing with Gulliver in "messy" activities than Mark and I do, so I asked her to incorporate some sensory play into our sessions.

We started out with shaving cream. At first Gulliver was hesitant to touch it. When he did, he wanted to wash it off right away. After 45 minutes of playing (it just amazes me that he can sit and focus for this long), he really got into it -- squeezing shaving cream through his fingers and swishing it all over the desk top.

We also use finger painting as another sensory activity. His progression is similar to shaving cream, where he starts off very hesitant, but then becomes more comfortable the longer he does the activity.

Play-doh and sand are two other good sensory activities, both of which Gulliver really enjoys.

Some of the things I learned from Stacey during our sensory play include:
1. Incorporating "props" into play
By using sponges or trucks, Gulliver can engage in the activity without getting it all over himself. As he gets more comfortable, we start doing things like painting the truck and rolling the sponges so that it gives him direct interaction with the shaving cream or paint.

2. Modeling
She continuously emphasizes how important it is for the caregiver to get involved in the play. If I want Gulliver to smear his hands in the paint, then I should already be smearing my hands in the paint. Lead by example.

3. Specific, positive reinforcement
Stacey constantly praises Gulliver on specific actions. "I like the way you are painting with your fingers." "I love how you squeeze the shaving cream with your hand." "Nice using your words."

4. Follow his lead
Rather than forcing Gulliver to do something my way, follow his lead. Build on his ideas. Give him the control. Stacey really has a knack for guiding Gulliver to reach a goal and making it all seem like it was his idea. I've picked up new ways of doing things as a result of watching her interact with Gulliver.

5. Cleaning up is part of the activity
When playing with messy stuff, it's often easier to just clean it up later by myself. But Stacey encourages Gulliver's involvement, since cleaning up plays a part in the sensory activity.  If the child is ready to wrap up, they are motivated by the cleaning up process because it means the end is near. It also changes the focus so that the child does not realize they are getting messy. And it also simply encourages good habits. Now I try to include Gulliver in the clean-up process whenever possible.

All these things sound so simple and logical. But it's surprising how easy it is to overlook any and all of the above.

We still see Stacey every other week to work on fine motor skills. She uses a variety of activities to assist in this area. Some of these include squeezing balls of all different sizes and textures; pulling beads apart that range in size from large to small; stringing beads together; lacing; doing puzzles; opening and closing little plastic clips; grasping objects with tongs; sorting shapes. It's so rewarding to see the progress Gulliver has made. Tasks he used to be unable to accomplish on his own, he now blows right through.

Stacey is also very good at setting boundaries. Following her lead, we try to set a focused stage for Gulliver by giving him a choice of what he wants to play, playing it, finishing, and then cleaning up before moving to the next activity. At first, he resisted this approach (strongly, at times). But now it is second nature. She has helped us establish good habits early on that we continue to foster.

As with PT, there is nothing "wrong" with Gulliver. OT services help us focus on specific areas to make sure Gulliver doesn't fall behind or miss any important developmental milestones. OT has been such a wonderful learning experience for both Gulliver and me. As a stay-at-home mom, I welcome all the new ideas for enriching activities and play.  Gulliver gets so excited when Stacey comes to the door. He gives her big hugs when she leaves.

I love how all our therapists make learning so much fun!