Edwin's PT appointment and such

Hey there...
Man I've been busy fighting against negativity. It's refreshing to come back to my blog and write about my Serena and Edwin.

So PT came yesterday, and without me even having to ask, she said she would be coming weekly...great news.
So, PT saw the concerns I was having about Edwin's lack of sitting. Lately he has been arching backward in the typical "preemie extension." He'd rather stand, and is not comfortable being "rounded" in a sitting position. The reason for this PT explained was because he has poor range of motion in his back and in his neck. Because of the "preemie extension" his muscles are too tight in the extended position, and he needs to loosen them. So we have 2 new exercises that he is tolerating well so far. The first one involves putting one hand on his upper chest (rib cage) while he is on his back and taking your other hand and lifting his pelvis up and hold for 30 seconds...something typical developing does on their own say when they are on their backs and put their feet in their mouths. Edwin needs to get into this position frequently to help with his range of motion. I have already seen an improvement in his sitting. Just this morning I did his exercise and then put him in a sitting position, he sat longer and with more trunk control than previous. If he arches and straightens his trunk, we are not to give resistance back, this only enforces the extension. Instead we wait for him to get out of that position (he usually does it so he can stop sitting and get back to tummy time), we hold his belly and support his back while he uses his belly muscles to sit up. The other exercise involves us bringing his chin to his chest while we drop our leg so his legs are slightly above his head...that might not make sense but I'll video tape us doing his exercises so you know what I mean. This will help with the tight muscles in his neck that have developed as a resulting of the extending he has been doing.
Now told us she believes this is preemie extension, but their is a chance it is CP. Either way, these exercises will help him with his range of motion and trunk control and she expects him to sit and crawl appropriately with time. If it's preemie extension we should see quicker results, if it's CP it will take longer. Either way I feel good about having exercises to help EJ that we all can do with him multiple times per day. And now that PT is coming weekly and we still have EI to reinforce these exercises also coming weekly, I'm hoping to see EJ getting stronger soon.
In other news things are going well with eating, although EJ has been throwing up sometimes. Nothing like when we first came home, but since we reintroduced Zantac again I'm wondering if the two are related, or if it's just coincidence. I'm keeping an eye on it. In the one sense he still refluxes even without the vomit, and I don't want it to be painful for him, on the other hand I hate when he "loses his lunch" so I'll have to gage it over the next couple of weeks.
They are both eating everything I try with them, for which I know we are so lucky. I'm wondering about white fish (not shell fish) and am unsure when I should introduce that. Yes, they are 9 months adjusted age, but they have been digesting food for over a year and they do great with eggs (one of their favorites) so I'm not sure. I'm waiting on peanut butter though just because peanut allergies scare me.
Serena is babbling more and more and seems so proud of herself when she copies the sounds I make. I think she made a "da da" noise but I'm not certain. She is going through separation anxiety, although she is currently playing with her brother on the floor and is ok with the fact I'm not right there with her. It gets worse when she is tired. I have to put her in her high chair in the bathroom with me when Edwin Sr. isn't here and I have to take a shower. She's so sweet, I can't deny that I love her wanting me so much especially since we were separated far too soon with their early birth and 4 months in the NICU. When someone else holds her and she stretches out and reaches to me it really melts my heart. Edwin has also started to consistently reach for us and when he combat crawls and we are sitting on the floor he comes right over and lifts his hand which means "pick me up." It's adorable.
The pictures are from my cousin's wedding. They looked soo cute and I'm so mad at myself for not taking more pictures. The photographer took some as well as the fam so hopefully I can get my hands on them. Here are the only ones I have :(