Hi friends!

Julien here. No, I didn’t forget about you! I have been a busy boy over here with physical therapy, learning to eat different foods and seeing how fast I can crawl while mommy and daddy chase me…LOL. Physically I am making a lot of progress, thanks to my stem cell treatment, the ongoing use of my hyperbaric oxygen chamber, my amazing physical therapist (Sara) and for my parents for believing in me so much.

I decided I wanted to get a better view of life so I decided to pull to stand (or at least attempt to!) starting at 6 months. Apparently that’s a little early and my little feet weren’t quite working the way my brain was hoping they would so I’ve had a little trouble with my feet. I still have some “tone” issues in my feet which prevents me from putting my feet flat on the ground. Sara told mommy to get some high top sneakers with a hard bottom and you wouldn’t BELIEVE how hard that is to find in an infant size 3!!!! Mommy dragged me to some place called a “mall” where we went into a bunch of stores. After a lot of searching, mommy found a pair of shoes at Macy’s that almost worked…..they had laces but they weren’t adjustable. My little Houdini feet were able to pop right out of them due to the tone issues and over-arching in my feet so mommy knew this called for EXTREME MEASURES. She cut the laces out, bought new ones and tied them nice and tight at the top….she was clearly very proud of herself for finding a way to “contain” my wandering feet (I’m still working on an escape plan though!).

I still enjoy playing in my playpen but mommy and daddy moved it to the other side of the room so that I can crawl on the area rug and all over the family room. When they place me on the rug my eyes light up, I get into position and OFF I GO!!!! I zig-zag all over and crawl as fast as I can before they change their minds and decide to put me back in baby jail…LOL. These are usually the moments that I torment my dog Miso the most. You see, he’s a MAJOR licker….to the point where if left unattended together, he would lick me non-stop for hours if I let him. It drives my parent’s NUTS. I used to let them believe that Miso instigated these lick-fests but my cover has been blown. Mommy witnessed me trying to put my hand near his mouth to lick it and I like to pucker my lips and lean towards Miso to let him kiss me…..(this makes my parents totally insane!). They taught me to give kisses so why can’t I kiss Miso too?? The baby math doesn’t add up.

In any event, I am doing very well considering where I was months ago and I’m so grateful for that! In 4 days I will be 9 months old….can you believe that!? I have officially been on this planet the same amount of time as it took me to bake inside of mommy’s belly!!! It’s been fun catching up….but this is cutting into my crawling, drooling and eating with my hands time. Til next time!!

Julien…..ODonate towards Julien’s Hyperbaric Chamber