Milestones are continuously being achieved here at the Bower residence. Jake has been bringing himself to his hands and knees and holding the position for up to 10 seconds. He starts by first sitting Indian style and then rocking himself forward, extending his arms and falling forward placing his hands on the floor. Sometimes he will go back to the sitting position and sometimes he will rock back and forth with a smile. We encourage this new behavior by incorporating toys to win his focus while in this position. We are very proud of this new achievement.

Jake has another new development that is very exciting too. Jake has stood without the assistance of anyone a few times. He did this for the first time on August 11th and was very proud of himself. He’s able to hold himself in a standing position for approximately 15 seconds if he has something to help him balance. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see that he's standing with only the assistance of leg braces and knee immoblizers. We are so proud of him and all of his accomplishments.

Jake had a dentist appointment this month. He surprised us once again. We had no idea that he would be so cooperative for his first thorough cleaning. He let the dental tech clean and examine his teeth and even opened his mouth for her when she was ready to go back in for more. We feared Jake would have to be sedated in order to have a complete cleaning. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t a fan of the cleaning he was just a perfect patient. We left there with a clean bill of health. The dentist said Jakes teeth looked great!

Jake, Mom and Dad attended a birthday party at Bounce U (an indoor playground) and Jake had so much fun there that Mom took him back 3 times the week before school started. He loves the slides and the bounce houses were great for therapy. It’s a great way to reward Jake for all of his hard work and keep him busy at the same time.

If you are reading this, please pat yourself on the back. We could not have these wonderful reports if it were not for all of the support that we’ve received. Some days we feel like we’re hanging on by a thread and then one of you comes through for us with financial support, just a phone call and many thoughts and prayers. Thanks for all that you do! Stay tuned for next month's report. Jake is progressing so well!!