I've been working with Sam's head control by having him lie on top of me so we're face to face, so I can get his arms under him properly without making him too mad.  Then he lifts his head up some - mostly he goes to sleep.  Yesterday, he did a few lifts and I told him he had to go to 10.  Well, he kept going and going until he got to 40!  He would have kept going, but I was afraid he'd overdo it and get mad and never do it again so I stopped him.  It's incredibly hard work for him.  It's hard to even imagine lifting your head being such hard work; I try to do it sometimes (because I don't torture myself enough) and it just astonishes me how hard he keeps fighting.  He wasn't getting angry when he was working at it, either, which is a change for him.  He was grimacing, but he wasn't angry.  He's one tough little monkey. 

 

On the other hand, Tim's not a tough little monkey and has been in bed since Sunday.    He's got some bug or something.  Today's our anniversary, but so much for that, huh?   We got married just seven years ago.  I'd never have believed the world could turn completely upside down in just seven years.  Wow.

 

But Sam is doing really well.  I guess maybe it'll right itself here again sometime.  

Today, we went out, just me and the boys.  That sounds so simple, but it's never happened before.  I always have another adult in the car to take care of Sam, but I just got sick of it and figured we would give it a go.  Everything was fine, and the three of us went to church (Tim had to work) all by ourselves.  Ben had to lug the suction machine, which I hated, but Ben has to do and know about lots of things that 6 year olds don't normally deal with, so that's okay.  It was a little bit of normal, and felt terrific. 

 

I'm noticing some changes in Sam, but I'm not quite sure what they are.  I think his brain is kicking in some with feeding, and he's starting to salivate when I feed him now (through the feeding tube, still).  Then he starts to gag.  Yes, it's just as lovely as it sounds.  It's miserable for him, but since the salivating is a normal thing that we all do (but he didn't) it's quite a step forward, and the missing gag reflex has been a huge problem, so once again, I find myself cheering for rotten things to happen to my baby.  No wonder he won't smile at me. 

 

Ben keeps saying that for Sam's birthday, we should have his baptism celebration ceremony thing, and then Sam should get up and just pop off all his medical stuff.  I guess like a super-hero coming out of his shackles.  Sounds good to me.  Maybe he knows something we don't.