Stimulate to Communicate

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Andy Chrestman

As time goes on, Kohl’s ability to “coo” becomes more refined.  It is amusing to watch his surprise as he discovers that when he opens his mouth, noise can come out of it.  Incidentally, noise has not stopped coming out of his mom’s mouth since she made the same discovery approximately 29 years ago.  Here is a brief video of Kohl giving a half-hearted effort at communication.  He is usually a bit more talkative, but he seems to be a little camera shy.  Or maybe he just derives pleasure from not cooperating with his parents.

In the panoply of doctor and therapist visits Kohl has had, one common theme is that given his brain injury and our desire to maximize his neurological development, it is paramount that he get as much stimulation as possible.  We talk to him constantly (again, this presents no issue at all for the likes of Kohl’s mom and his nanna), sing to him (presents no issue for his dad), and read to him.

The last time we opened up the floor for some suggestions on this blog on how to calm a crying baby, we did not receive many, but the few that we did receive were of exceptionally high quality.  So, this post is another plea to our vast readership for advice.  So what are the best ways to stimulate your child?



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Talking to Angels

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Andy Chrestman

Grandmas like to say that when children smile in their sleep, they are talking to angels.  It makes sense, really.  If you were an angel, wouldn’t you prefer to talk to babies with their simple-minded innocence instead of adults with their complex thoughts and flaws?

If that’s true, Kohl has had numerous conversations with our winged friends.

The angels seem to like him too because now they are telling him jokes, and he has moved from smiles to full-fledged laughter. Neither his parents, nor his friends, nor any of his acquaintances have been able to make the little fellow giggle during his waking hours, but he must be talking to some pretty hysterical angels during sleepy time.  My guess is it was this angel.

Other than frequent conversations with God’s celestial attendants, the little man has had an active several weeks with its ups and downs.  His parents embarrassed him during Easter by taking a family photo with a live bunny and placing him in an Easter basket.  He also had to stay overnight at the hospital because of a fever.  But he got to go to his first French Quarter Fest where he enjoyed all the sights and sounds.

It’s a giant, flesh-colored peep
This picture is undoubtedly embarrassing for Kohl’s parents.  But it pales in comparison to the level of embarrassment Kohl will feel when he sees this photo repeatedly as an angst-filled teen.
Dreaming about the days he can eat solid foods so that he too can enjoy a cochon de lait poboy from “Love At First Bite”
Mesmerized by the hypnotic sound of Trombone Shorty

And of course, he continues to enjoy quality time with his family, including all of his grandparents who so graciously offer to babysit at the drop of a hat.  Grandparents, as it turns out, make outstanding baby sitters.  As the picture and video below demonstrate, the elderly, despite being advanced in years, still can be playful and energetic.

Leave a comment if you are interested in hiring these two.  Their rates are quite reasonable.



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Smoking Some Developmental Milestones

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Andy Chrestman

Life is full of tests.  They start on day one when you are poked and prodded and given an APGAR score. Then you go to school and take thousands of formal tests.  Then you get tested for the rest of your life in more informal ways, such as the “listening” test, which Kohl’s dad frequently fails. This is the one that is administered just about every day by Kohl’s mom that measures the ability to listen to and correctly process long-winded stories rife with superfluous detail.  There are many ways to fail this test, such as asking questions that were previously answered 32 seconds ago, not making eye contact and muttering responses that suggest that the listener was not actually listening.

But whereas Kohl’s dad continues to miserably fail the listening and numerous other tests, Kohl continues to excel at the game of life.  He will be three months old in just a few short days, so we recently pulled out our chart containing some “loose guidelines” for developmental milestones and were pleased to see that Kohl is hitting all of them.  The list of milestones is somewhat long and boring, but here are a few highlights of milestones that Kohl is dominating:

  • Holds head up approximately 45 degrees while on stomach
  • Brings hand to mouth (In fact, not unlike Abbie the dog, he tries to put everything in his mouth)
  • Makes eye contact and follows objects with his eyes
  • Coos and gurgles spontaneously
  • Smiles (This is his dad’s favorite, especially since his smiles nowadays are mostly non-fart-related)

While not laughing in the face of developmental milestones, Kohl enjoys taking time out of his day for photo shoots with G-Daddy in their matching tiger tuxes and traveling to north Louisiana to meet his great grandparents, which is always special.

Lastly, Kohl’s mom went back to work so he had to start day care.  Instead of getting sad and missing his mommy, however, he has developed an interest in a dashing 8-month old gem named Lois.  It is no accident, therefore, that with Lois as his love interest, one of Kohl’s favorite activities is flying around the house, Superman style…

A tiny little hero



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