We're Home!

The trip was long and unfortunately not fun but when we stopped the car in the cool, beautiful mountains of West Virginia, we all felt that every bit of the trip was worth it. We spent that night with our Aunt Betty and then continued the trip the next afternoon. That first week we visited with family out in the D.C. area and then traveled to Duck on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Swimming in the waves with Grandad and Matt, searching for shells with Aunt Rachel, and having slumber parties every night made that second week refreshing. When we got home, Gus was so happy to be here, he did almost nothing but smile for a couple days.

Since those couple of days, Gus has been really upset, complaining with everything. His medicines are reduced now and so we hope it is a time of adjustment for the medicines instead of something wrong. Today, he has woken up on the right side of the bed and has smiled about everything so hopefully we can look forward to a better week.

walking and walking....

These last couple of weeks have gone fairly well. Gus is extremely relaxed...to the point of doing hardly anything we ask him to do and happily laughing in our face when we ask him to do it. He occasionally pushes on his arms and has no problem with standing.

On Thursday, at Ranken Jordan, his physical therapist put him in the lite gait trainer to have him walk again (he's been walking 40 feet each week). This past time, he continued to walk around the entire gym - 120 feet total. We were so excited. He was bringing up the correct leg at the right time and was almost too fast to keep up with (we were not prepared for how fast he went).

I talked to his doctor and it looks like we'll be dropping one of his medicines when we return from our trip out east. We are so excited to have less drugs.

As I write this, Gus sits on my lap watching the computer. He is easier and easier to entertain. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray that he forms the pathways in the brain to learn all of these things he needs to learn. Also, any prayers for our own sanity with a long car ride coming up (3 kids, 2 babies, and a dog) are coveted. Thanks.

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.

coffee, coffee, and more coffee

The past two weeks hit us with a fairly bad case of the flu. Everyone except for Deborah, Molly and I took their turn with it...lasting for at least 4 days. I can say we are all officially tired of chicken broth, herbal teas, and smelling tea tree oil throughout the house. Tomorrow we'll spend the whole day airing out the house and disinfecting everything again. Fergus has not been up to any of his normal therapies this past week, so tomorrow, we'll try again. Hopefully, we'll get some good sleep tonight so we can back down on the pots of coffee tomorrow.





(These pictures were just before Gus was sick this last weekend. The hole in the shirt is so that we can get to the g-button even if he has an undershirt on.

He and Molly love being together.

The last of these is blurry because we kept trying to get him when he was so happy about getting the toy...but none came out clear and I wanted to share it with you anyway.)

Please continue to pray that Fergus' legs move more and become stronger. We are working hard with him to move them so that he won't be so bored being stuck in one place. He desperately wants to roll over. Please pray that God would hear his heart's desire to move and play like any other 2 year old. He tries so hard to grab the toys, swing his body over to roll, and laughs so much when he finally does. Please continue to join us in these prayers. Thank you!