A Much Needed Update

We may not have posted recently, but that doesn't mean things haven't been just as crazy as usual! Plenty has happened in the last few months so let me see if I can get everything up to speed.

Noah started pre-school at Del Sur at the end of last year. He gets picked up and dropped off by the bus four days a week. Let me tell you that Mommy was a bit of a mess watching her little boy head off to school that first day, but he is doing very well and has made many new friends in his class. All the kids ask about him on the weeks he is off for therapy and they all seem to be very fond of him.

Noah's therapy plans have changed a bit too. While up at NAPA Center Robin met many Mom's that were in situations very similar to our own. She met a mom (who is now a good friend), who has an 11 year old son who had many of the same kinds of challenges that Noah had when he was 3-4 years old (Noah’s age). This 11 year old boy has overcome tremendous obstacles, in large part to some of the therapies he went through (and continues to do). His Mom has been a tremendous resource for us and specifically recommending Noah see:

Dr. Viola Frymann, D.O., F.A.A.O., F.C.A., - an osteopathic physician practicing comprehensive osteopathy of the whole body including the cranial field. Her practice and training is internationally recognized.
www.osteopathiccenter.org

and

Dr. Maralee Platt – Guild certified Feldenkrais practitioner, ABM practitioner, and Masgutova trained. Dr. Platt combines the most effective techniques from Feldenkrais, the Anat Baniel Method for Children, and Masgutova Therapy to facilitate an improvement in body mechanics as a means of promoting cognitive development in children.
www.anatbanielmethod.com
www.feldendraisinstitute.org
www.masgutovamethod.com

Noah has been seeing these doctors a lot in the last 4 months, about 8 times each in every month.

These alternative therapy approaches are quite different then the traditional physical therapy Noah has been receiving. The doctors assert that Noah needs to better organize his body (he doesn’t recognize he has a spine, knees, elbows, etc.) before going back into P/T Bootcamp (NAPA Center). They recommend putting off NAPA Center for another year or two. We’ll see about that, as Napa was a great place for Noah where we saw some definitive improvements, but our research and the testimonies of some of the parents Robin met at NAPA have led us to believe that this is worth a try.

Unfortunately these therapies are considered too experimental for our insurance company to cover, but we do feel that we have to give them a try at least for a while to see if they can be of assistance. So stay tuned for some fun events in the near future! Hopefully I can do a little better in the poker games this time...

A Very Big Thank You

Well, it's been about 3 weeks since Noah and I have been back from NapaCenter. And now that I've had a chance to catch up on everything at home, and get our family back into a daily routine, I wanted to take the opportunity to share my experience at NapaCenter.

But first, I want to extend my arms out to all of you with a giant hug and thank you all so much for your support and help. This blog and fundraising effort was not an easy thing for us to do. But you all have truly brought tears to my eyes with your amazing outpouring of heartwarming sentiments and generous contributions for Noah.

NapaCenter was a wonderful place for Noah. It was literally a therapy "bootcamp" for him. He worked so hard and was so motivated - even when he was tired and crying he was still trying his best. The intense therapy has definitely made him stronger - he has better head control and is bearing weight better with his arms and legs. NapaCenter is an amazing place; from the advanced technology and equipment, to the family friendly (yet very hardworking) therapists - it is truly a goldmine for special needs children like Noah. Thank you all!!!!!

Our last night in L.A.

The last week up in L.A. we stayed at the Westin Hotel. Check out Noah in the "Heavenly Beds"! (Napa Center had a great discount program with them and they were right across the street from the center).

Napa Center Graduation Ceremony

Did I mention what an amazing staff Napa Center has??? At the end of the 3 week session the group of children gather to form a band, each playing a different instrument (Noah on the bongos). All the kids and parents sang together. Then the therapists congratulated each student and shared their greatest accomplishments throughout the 3 weeks. So beautiful! (Note: even though Noah missed the second week they allowed him to participate in the ceremony b/c they knew he was going to finish two weeks later). Noah also received a Certificate of Completion for the Intensive Therapy and a Certificate of Recognition for the Tomatis Program for his efforts.

Magical Hands

Noah also had the priviledge of seeing Dr. Charlie Martone (http://www.dedicatedwellness.com/ ) at NapaCenter. Dr. Charlie is a chiropractor but specializes in cranial sacral techniques. Noah was in heaven with him!!!

Tomatis Based Auditory Program

Noah spent 1 1/2 hours a day participating in this program (in addition to the 4 hours of therapy). You can see he has head phones on - listening to either music or myself (mom) reading stories and singing. But the Tomatis program enables the sounds to come into the ears in such a way to specifically strengthen the inner ears. The inner ear stimlates the vestibule which controls balance, muscle tone, coordination...... very fascinating. While Noah is wearing the headphones he is usually also participating in some type of sensory or motor play which you see in the pictures (Check out the Didgeridoo!!!!!)

Not So Happy Moments

Just had to show a few of these....