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Nathaniel is able to move his right hip and knee by himself enough to "walk". The first time he "walked" in his apartment with the help of a caregiver holding him for balance and support, he was so proud of himself. His smile was the biggest I have ever seen.   It was time for grace after meals, but Nathaniel was falling asleep. We suggested that he go to bed. Instead, he held onto the tablecloth and wouldn't let go. He seemed to sleep through the blessings, but he smiled aft

Until now, when washing hands before saying the blessing over bread, we would put a bowl into Nathaniel's lap and he would pour the water over his hands. However, now he refuses to sit. He insists on standing to wash by the sink like everyone else.   Nathaniel is becoming much more communicative. We now have a gesture for him to request his iPad so that he can tell us what he wants or needs, or he can just decide what song or shiur to listen to.   He loves math. Using his fin

Nathaniel's verbal vocabulary is expanding. He is even bilingual. He can say "hello" and "hi" in English. In Hebrew he can say "amen". He can also say כן (pronounced 'ken'), which means "yes" and לא (pronounced 'lo'), which means "no". It's not so clear yet, but he is getting better.   While traveling on the highway, Nathaniel snapped his fingers every time we passed a car or a car passed us. He also snapped when we were traveling on a 2-lane road through town. It seemed like

Nathaniel is learning how to cough on command. Next he will learn how to clear his throat (ahem). This shows that he has gained the ability to control his throat which he wasn’t able to do since the attack.   Continuing with his mouth area, Nathaniel is working on saying, "la, la, la". The sound takes a lot of coordination between moving his tongue to the roof of his mouth behind his teeth and down again, as well as exhaling air past his vocal chords just right.   Nathaniel h

13 December 2018 is the seventh anniversary of the terror attack. Wow! So many miracles and wonderous actions in those years!   It was time for a meal so Nathaniel wheeled to the table. His "table chair", which he is transferred to so he can eat, was in the way of his wheelchair. Nathaniel reached over to the table chair and moved it out of the way on his own so he could be at the table before being transferred from his wheelchair.   We put Nathaniel's 2-year-old nephew on hi

Nathaniel has an app on his iPad with the morning prayers written down while a recording reads the words. Nathaniel follows along with his finger. Sometimes he loses concentration and looks away from the screen. Still, when he looks back at the screen, he easily finds his place and continues to follow along.   Traditionally, we cover our eyes with our right hand when reciting the Shema prayer. Since Netanel is not able to move his right arm yet, he would cover his eyes with h

Nathaniel is modulating his voice to laugh in a more common way. He laughs, but it sounds a bit odd.   He is making more jokes and teasing more. He has a perfect poker face so we are often caught off guard.   His swallowing is getting a lot more efficient. He still needs thickener for drinking water, but can't get enough fluids this way, so he still has the PEG for water.   Nathaniel is becoming more impatient. When he wants something, he bangs on his chair two times to get o

A few weeks ago, Nathaniel got a new electric wheelchair, which has a joystick. I was a bit skeptical that he would know how to use it,...

Nathaniel was at his physical therapy gym and even with weights strapped to his ankle, he was able to lift his right leg a bit. The coach...

The war was not easy for anyone, and the same is for Nathaniel. He moved to the safe room in his apartment, which meant that he had to...

Nathaniel had his first Aliya since the terror attack. He was called to an Aliya to the Torah for the anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah. The...

Nathaniel wanted to congratulate someone by saying, "Mazel Tov". He opened his mouth, closed his mouth, and then moved his tongue up to...

Nathaniel was able to participate in the Passover Seder this year. He has a communication iPad. He had a program for the Seder. He was...

Lately we've noticed that sometimes when Nathaniel looks to the right, his pupil seems to stick there for a few seconds. I told everyone...

Happy Tu B'Shvat. Birthday of the trees. One day when Nathaniel was resting in bed, I went to see him. The lights were off, and I was...

On the Hebrew date of the 6th anniversary of the terror attack, Nathaniel's yeshiva hosted a celebration. They do this every year. A lot...

In speech therapy, Nathaniel said his first word: mama. He hasn't been able to repeat the feat, yet. However, if he can say a word once,...

Nathaniel is sitting with more stability. We still must monitor, but he can sit on a therapy table without holding on to the seat all the...

Rosh Hashana was busy for Nathaniel. He went to shul, ate new foods, and enjoyed being with friends and family.   With the help of the...

In music therapy, the therapist displays pictures of a few instruments and then plays some music. Nathaniel points to the instrument he...