Progress Report

About a month ago, when put in the BOSS car at PT, Q first looked at me and then just took off. This had been a struggle for him because he has a hard time holding his head up, level, and doing so consistently. All part of variable tone. But this time he'd nailed that button with his head and didn't look back. He was holding it down for 20 or more feet at a time, then shorter bursts, then 50 feet at a stretch. I was sort of jumping up and down, on the inside. If I'd actually jumped up and down, he'd have had to stop driving and wonder: what's up with mom, anyway? This would slow him down.

The next week in OT, his therapist put small switches up on either side of his head. He had been using 2.5" buttons, but he's now using mostly the 1 3/8" buttons. His first attempts were with the 6" model, so this represents real progression, probably in his vision as well as proprioceptive function. At the following week's visit, the boy nailed those buttons every. single. time. with the now familiar computer games -- which made the OT clap, hop in her chair and nearly shout with approval. I, meanwhile, was far more contained, merely tearing up while smiling and choking and wanting to leap right out of my skin with pride. He took a little longer when starting new games that required him to wait and push the switch (button) when asked to. This, of course, is part of his motor planning issues. Still, it seems that he's gaining on it because the next week, even the barely familiar games were much easier (!) and he was getting the "wait... push" responses right better than 70% of the time. Even when he was getting tired, he was still making the effort at the appropriate times.

(More jumping up and down.)

We now have our own BOSS car loaner at home. No coincidence, I think, that it became available the week after he seemed to totally synthesize the whole thing -- pushing the button = going, and going means food for the inner adrenaline junkie, which he totally is. Which must just stink -- craving movement and being stuck in an uncooperative body.

The week after we got the car, his interim PT (our first and favorite therapist is out with back pain, preceding her maternity leave) put switches on either side of his head in the BOSS car and hooked them up so Q now turns the car when he presses with the corresponding side of his head. Yesterday, when he was driving the car at therapy, he was turned about 30 degrees away from me and was pausing for just a second when I called him: "Q, whatcha doin'?" He popped his head up and turned to face me and stopped when he was head on.

This little battery operated vehicle is not a precision operation, ladies and gents. It may well have been an accident or coincidence, sure. Then the PT called him: "Q, did you find mom?" And the boy turned another 30 degrees to face the PT.

So.

WAHOO!!!

He proceeded to maneuver himself around the room, playing with the turning/spinning actions of the buttons, going straight in small bursts before turning some more, all without much in the way of bumping into stuff. Sure, it's a big open space, and you bet he can run over toes with the best of 'em, or bang right into whomever is crazy enough to pause and stand in front of the car. But his learning curve, while still providing plenty of agony for a mama anxious to see transformations and gains, has changed shape a bit. Goodness knows mine has been pretty steep over the last few years, maybe he's trying to catch up. (grins)

Let's hope and pray that as the curve changes shape, he can continue on a similar trajectory. He's got lots to tackle, that's for sure. But when the interim PT introduced Q to his new (also interim) Speech therapy lady, the PT told how Q is a smiley guy, fun to work with, has a good sense of humor, good attitude and is a very hard worker, always going after the next thing.

May we all be so gifted.

Still more later.

Stuff

So I'm on the phone with the pharmacy, trying again for the fifth time since Christmas to get the durned basket ordered for the silly Bingo chair. Argh. Let's imagine the nice hold music playing shall we? Do-do-do-wah....

The kids are safely delivered to their daddy. They're probably pulling their swimsuits out right now, ready to go jump into the pool, whether the water's warm enough or not, as any good, sturdy, authentic child would try to, threats of pneumonia and hypothermia be dashed. (grins)

The pharmacy apparently did not manage to link the size of Q's chair with the size of basket and so were too confused to call me back. (banging head on keyboard) I'll be driving over an hour round trip, over a toll bridge (banging head) to pick it up because I need it before it can get here via sales guy or delivery.

It blows my mind how different the cleaning process is with vs. without the kids. I tend to just sort of put my head down and not notice these things when in the midst of doing them. Then when they're not here, I notice. It's much more time consuming to teach while doing than to just do it all oneself. I've gotten enough stuff put away this morning (following the mad dash of packing) and the living room vacuumed so Q can have SpEd with his nice teacher at one this afternoon and now we're off to PT. More later.

Prizes

A million trillion dollars to the first person to come up with self-matching socks. No baloney about "just buy socks in only one color." Nope. In order to take the prize, the socks must attract themselves to their proper mates and then fold themselves. Ready? Set? Go!!

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E, reading through an intro to yet another aspect of fractions, amused and bemused: "That's weird. You know, fractions are one of the few things I like in math."

What? Woohoo!!

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Q slept badly last night and then this afternoon managed to wind his finger into the elastics of his "little room." With nary a peep from him, the finger turned dusky, dark and scary. When he finally did complain and I saw what had happened, I was fumbling, I couldn't move fast enough, he began to shriek because by then it had to have hurt terribly. It scared me so badly, I'm still a little nauseous at the potential implications for the poor little guy. The color popped back nicely and he has only a small red line there now. Still. Yikes.

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E cut herself on a can lid a while back. Though not a long cut, it was deep and gaping. She leaked through and popped off four band-aids which had been butterflied over it to keep it closed. What to do, what to do. Shall we spend hours in ER waiting for a couple of stitches while we all collect the icky bugs left behind by other patients or stick another band-aid on it?

I super-glued it shut. (!) The pediatrician looked a smidge startled when we explained the next day when I took E in for a tetanus shot. (Since I confessed to using plain old super glue vs. the prescription Dermabond stuff that's medically approved and all.) After reminders about what signs of infection to watch for, we were off without further ado. I think it looks pretty good, all things considered, but I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, nor would I advise that anyone else follow a similar course of action.

Her daddy will have an opportunity to check it out for himself and have the last parental/medical word when they go to see him next week.

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That's it for now -- lots to tell again about Q, later, when I've slept again. Please do work on that sock-matching business. I and my sanity thank you.

XO,
me

Fun Resource

Disney is having what looks to be a very cool two days of fun specifically for homeschoolers. Check it out.

Chinese proverb

Those who say a thing cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Art

A friend sent me this link. How very cool.