I was spoiled this Mother’s Day…I received a lovely poem from Wilson, a pretty “I Love You Because” flower from Olivia, a cool abstract collage from Max and this from Rudy…
Yep, you saw it right! Rudy rolled over for the first time Sunday morning! This is something we’ve been working toward in his therapy and play at home for months so we were all very excited by this milestone accomplishment and Rudy seems pretty pleased with himself too! It’s an encouragement to see progress for sure. Rudy is making progress in all the areas tested by his therapy team but it is slow and sometimes hard to distinguish. Sunday’s milestone is a definite “roll in the right direction”! Interestingly, I had a meeting with the team from Regional Center on Monday to go over Rudy’s 18 month assessment and, for all you “therapy geeks” out there, his Approximate Age Equivalent in the various categories is as follows:
Fine Motor and Perceptual Skills – AAE is 9 months
Cognitive – AAE is 9 months
Language – AAE is 11 months for Receptive Language and 5 months for Expressive Language
Social/Emotional – AAE is 11 months
Self-Care/Feeding – AAE is 3 months
Gross Motor – AAE is 6 months
I’m encouraged…we’re not where I thought we’d be when we started his therapy a year ago but, then again, no one really knew what goals were realistic to set…I feel we’re still a bit clueless and naive about what can happen in the next 6-month assessment period but he’s progressing and that’s all that matters and Rudy’s new rolling trick sure beefs up the motivation to keep moving forward! 🙂
Things on the heart front remain stable. We had our monthy appointment with the SB cardiologist on Friday and nothing has changed which is good news for Rudy’s lungs. At the end of the echo, Dr. Harake said “Well, if we’re still on the same page, I recommend we continue to wait for the pulmonary hypertension drugs to do their work” to which I replied, “Of course…we’re just so anxious to see if they are making a difference” to which Dr. Harake replied, “We’re all anxious to find out”. I was comforted by his sincere, heartfelt reponse…I guess it reminded me that we’re not alone in this wait…that Rudy has a team of medical professionals asking similar questions and if it feels like we’re drifting out at sea sometimes, well, at least we have a network drifting along with us (kind of like our very own version of those AT&T network commercials – or is it Verizon?! Ha) So, we wait.
Many of you have been sweet to ask about my Dad and so I wanted to include a quick update and request for prayer as his latest MRI shows evidence that the cancer is no longer responding to his chemo…new lesions have shown up and because of their location far into the brain, surgery is not an option this time. There may be options, however, and my folks will know more once they meet with Dad’s doctors…we’ll just have to wait and see. Ahhhh “wait” (big sigh)! Although we remain hopeful, the reality of new cancer showing itself is heartbreaking and I ask you to lift my folks up in prayer as the next steps of their journey unfold. ‘Deeply grateful for the comfort that comes through the prayers of many!
Rudy's Beat 
I continue to pray for all of you. Thank you for sharing the Big Rollover with us!
Awesome roll over Rudy! Loved it. Still praying for you and your grandpa too! Hugs and kisses from us all.
Praying without fail! Love you all.
Wow…way to go, Rudy! This is a very exciting step forward, and we rejoice with you!
We will float along with you as you wait…you are definitely not alone, Geyling’s. We are with you in prayer, and Grandpa too.
Love to you all!
We felt you were close to this skill, Rudy! With the reaction of your family as they witnessed your first roll over, you must know how excited they are (we are, too). Keep up the good work.
I just want you to know that I may not comment every time but I read every blog you send. I’m not sure I read anything else as much as your post…ok, emails from my kids. You are a calorie free dessert, the icing on the cake, the Wow…that is awesome, the I can’t believe this incredible gifted family, the please God, thank you God, you are amazing God response on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing your life with us! xxooR
RU-DEE RU-DEE RU-DEEEEE!!!!!! I am so excited and happy to see you roll over all by yourself!!! It brought tears to my eyes! So proud of you!
(Throws parade with confetti and marching bands!)
xoxoxo Michele and Bob
wow; must tell you, this brought tears to my eyes, I just felt like I wanted to give him a grandma kiss; Nick’s Grandma
Oh my gosh that was so awesome to see Rudy roll over!!! Sweeeet!
So sorry to hear about your Dad Trish. I will be praying for him and you all. xoxo, K
Roll, Rudy, Roll!! Way to make it happen! Keep it up!
We love you in Kansas!!
YEAH! for Rudy….and all of you for your consistent hard work. I love watching your family, it is a great example of love in action. We are praying for your Dad and Mom. love, Loretta
Great job Rudy!!!! Now, watch out…he will start roll EVERYWHERE! Praying for Rudy and Grandpa!
Ah my, this is life, isn’t it? Lovely small miracles like rolling over and making lovely cooing sounds (even crying is lovely from Rudy!) – graces that lift our hearts and remind us of the beauty of life. And also of its fragility , as the latest news from Kansas reminds us. And somehow we, by God’s grace, walk through the space between the two – the twin truths of wonder and worry. Thank you, Trish and family, for laying it all out there for us, all of it. The beautiful stuff and the tough stuff – all of it is LIFE – in its complexity, wonder, and sometimes sobering reality. My prayers continue for all of you. I am SO GLAD you went to Kansas. May further life-extending treatment be found for your remarkable dad, may Rudy just keep on rollin’, may you find strength for each day, may the very ordinariness of another summer together provide hope, memories, laughter and deep joy. I am grateful for your open-hearted, open-armed approach to it all – and for your willingness to let us all in just a little bit no matter what the day brings. May there be more wonder than worry, please, Lord.
So proud of you big boy!!! Your family just adores you….and you have a big fan club out here! We love you!! Hope to see you later this summer! Trish thanks for updating us on your dad….we will pray for dear Grandpa….May you all hide in the shelter of His wings….
We are so happy with you over Rudy’s accomplishments!
Something so simple, can bring us all so much joy!!!
And we will definitely be praying for your Dad and the whole extended
family….may God’s grace carry you through.
What a wonderful treat to come home to this video! You Rock and ROLL, Rudy!!!
Love,
Nan