Redefining MommyhoodJourney of a mom whose son is overcoming hypotonia

How sad is it that Luke is almost two and we had never been shopping at Toys R Us?? We have done plenty of shopping at Target, Wal-Mart, the local consignment shops, and online, but we don’t have a Toys R Us in our city. We drove the 35 minutes to the closest Toys R Us today and made it our weekend family outing.

I hadn’t been in a toy store in forever, so I was overwhelmed! I think I had more fun looking at the toys than Luke (and Daddy) did. He loves to help me in the kitchen and is fascinated with my KitchenAid stand-up mixer, so I got him a cute little toy mixer w/ utensils, a toy microwave that lights up and spins, and a toy Dirt Devil vacuum (he’s also obsessed w/ my vacuum). All of these toys were part of their special “Buy 2, get the 3rd free”, which of course didn’t ring up correctly at the register.

We got home and Luke helped me vacuum. It was so cute!! It was also great because I actually got to vacuum without him trying to catch me. He went behind me (butt scooting) and vacuumed too:)

One of the main reasons I wanted to start this blog is to share my experience with my son’s hypotonia, also known as low muscle tone.

He is a normal boy in every way except that he is 20 months old and is not yet walking. He can stand along tables etc when he wants to get at something. He just starting getting into a sitting position on his own in June (from laying down), and he just started to crawl about 2 weeks ago. His primary form of transportation since December has been “butt scooting.”

Luke has been in physical therapy through early intervention since May of this year. He has progressed quite well. His therapist is happy that he met her 6 month goals in only 3 months!

He has also been through various tests to rule out causes for the hypotonia. He has had an MRI done of the brain and lower spine, both were normal. He also had extensive bloodwork done to rule out metabolic disorders and genetic conditions. The only thing that showed up was a vitamin B12 deficiency, which may or may not cause hypotonia. He is taking a B12 supplement just in case. A trip to the orthopedic surgeon also ruled out anything wrong w/ his legs or hips. They did a hip xray to be certain.

I guess our only “diagnosis” from a doctor is hypotonia which really isn’t a diagnosis at all. My diagnosis is a subborn boy who will do things in his own time, no matter how frustrating it is for all involved:)

Phew!!! Ok, now that I’ve filled everyone one in on Luke’s medical background, it’s time to move on. He is still a normal (whatever that really means) toddler with the same issues etc. as others.