learning new things

Well, things were going great and then Gus got sick again. Half of his face swelled up within just a few hours last week Monday so we took a quick (or not-so-quick) trip to the ER and found out that he had an infection in a lymph node. With some nasty antibiotics and plenty of cold wash cloths, coupled with ibuprofen, the infection went away after about 5 days. During that time, we slowed down our usual mode of activity but Gus is definitely missing it now. He is much happier after he works hard all day even though for now, he screams his way through the activities.



To help him calm down, we put up a swing. He loves it. Since he and Molly take turns being crabby, they also take turns calming down in the swing.
Please pray that Gus learns to be content. We are planning a vacation out east with family and the drive will be long (at least 16 hours).....and Gus still doesn't like the car. We appreciate any prayers regarding Gus' ability to calm down and our understanding of what he needs.

Gus is definitely growing mentally and understanding so many things. He is more and more fun to play with.
thank you, the lockerbys

just a quick note

(Gus kissing Molly)

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how Gus is doing. Last weekend we had a visit from Gus' Aunt Mary and Grandmom (from Falls Church, Virginia) and we treasured every moment. Mary (who is an exceptional occupational therapist) helped us to understand Gus a lot more, explaining what he was doing and how to work with him better. Since then, we've explained everything to Gus and he has been happier with everything we do. He definitely understands more than we think he does. Thanks to Mary's help, I have been able to address some of Gus' issues with the therapists he has. They will be able to help us more.

On Thursday, Gus had physical therapy and walked in the small gait trainer for a full 40 feet! He needed prompting to pick up the correct knee but after a little while, he was picking it up himself. He was happy the entire time in the gait trainer (which is very unusual---for him to really do anything, he usually has to be upset).

Gus is also asking for more food. He enjoys spoonfuls of liquids to drink and wants more and more food.

Please continue to pray with us for Gus. He needs prayer that his neck gets stronger so that eating and drinking will be easier and once his neck is strong, the rest of his body will be able to get stronger, too.