Thursday, April 14, 2011

Pushing limits ..

I mentioned a few posts ago that we were going to try to get the Kiddo some smaller wheels. We went and picked them up Monday afternoon.

4-11-2011 smaller wheels

He loves them! It is so much easier for him to move around (he can even push himself now). We ended up with a size 14 instead of a 12 so he still needs a pillow at his back but other then that he fits in it fairly comfortably.

4-12-2011 ready for school (1)4-12-2011 ready for school (2)

Mrs. S practically danced for joy when she saw that he fits under the desk at school so that he no longer needs to use the special laptop computer table. Before (with the large wheel chair) he was set to the side, he couldn’t really see the board and wasn’t able to “sit” around the rug with the other kids. Smaller wheels means he can now be in the middle and actually feels like he’s part of the class again.

4-12-2011 first dat cast off in class (2)4-12-2011 first dat cast off in class (1)

We have two rules for the chair. At school he is never allowed to get out of it, and he is never allowed to push himself. Out of school he can push himself but he is not allowed to try to get out without help. That isn’t really a problem though because we are leaving the chair in the car, he shouldn’t ever need it in the house and we want keep him trying to move around by himself.

The Man had the great idea of buying a child sized soccer ball. He thought it would inspire the Kiddo to move his leg more frequently, and help with his at home version of physical therapy. The kiddo LOVES soccer, I wish he had been physically ready to join a team this year, it would have helped with his social skills as well as his coordination. Maybe next year.

4-12-2011 physical therapy - playing soccer (1)4-12-2011 physical therapy - playing soccer (3)

He has bruised the bottom of his feet by being so motivated to stand and move. The doctor said that heel pain is completely normal but that if it doesn’t go away or gets worse then we should call on Monday for a follow up xray. So far the pain seems to be worse but it’s hard to tell (the kiddo wont admit to any pain at all). To help with it I have been trying to keep him crawling (rather then walking), and of course he gets daily warm baths to ease the muscles. A little couch cuddle time doesn’t hurt either…

4-12-2011 couch time (2)

2 comments:

C said...

Thank you for the update. I've been wondering how the smaller chair worked out. Now you just have to get some muscle on those legs ... light exercise and plenty of protein (mmm mmm, peanut butter).

Gwyneth said...

heck yeah peanut butter!! He's been on a sandwiches for breakfast kick lately so he's getting plenty.

Course I also went and bought a couple bricks of cheese, cut it into 1oz cubes and give that to him for snacks... mmmm cheeeeeeese :D

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