I want to brag on my daughter today. But Murphy's Law of Motherhood says that as soon as I say something, we'll backtrack several steps. Hold on while I check our current status. Then I think I really will tell you what's been going on here this week. I'm so excited!
...
Well, the news wasn't what I had hoped, but it's partly my fault. I should know better after working with my son.
OK, here's the scoop. For the last 6 days I've been working on potty-training with Elli. She has done remarkably well and I'm so proud of her. We've been in real underwear 5 of those 6 days, going to church, two doctor's appointments, and this morning's technology camp successfully!
We've had some misses, but that seems to be primarily from her communication challenges. If no-one is around to hear her say she needs to go potty, no-one can take her. And if she doesn't have her Dynavox, all she can do is vocalize at us and hope we ask her if she needs to go. I have to be on top of when she last had something to drink, ask her at the right times, and have her try even when she says she doesn't have to when I know that she probably does.
Even now, I have to ask Sam if he needs to go potty if he's dancing around, and I remember him protesting that he didn't need to go even as he started wetting himself last year when we were first working on it. So I have to realize that Elli may do the same thing even though she's older.
She's doing great and is so excited to be wearing underwear during the day. Everyone cheers when she uses her potty, even Sam, and it tickles me so much to see her beam. She's really blossoming this year and showing us over and over how smart she is and how much she grasps of life.
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Today was the first day of technology camp. Elli was SO excited to go. I think she's been bored since school got out. Every hour of every day since, she has been pestering me to go swimming, go to the park, take a walk, go to the Children's museum, go to the library, and on and on and on. She wants to be on the go constantly. We've had some car problems and doctor's appointments so some of the days have been decidedly contrary to her idea of a good time. She has been unequivocal in her disappointment on those days.
However, I am thrilled to be able to give her ways to communicate her desires and the reasons for her grumpiness. The Dynavox has been such a blessing. She is a much happier child now that she has a way to communicate with us.
So... camp. She will be attending this program two days a week through the end of July. Her class has 6 children with similar challenges as her, along with a teacher, an aid, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, and a speech therapist. Right now, the PT has a student working with her as well, so they have a 1 to 1 child to adult ratio. I REALLY like that.
They work with the kids to find the best way for them to access various kinds of technology. They work on using personal computers (using a joystick, track ball, switches, or head array -- electronic pointer attached to the person's head), driving power wheelchairs, and using communication devices like her Dynavox. They also look at the kind of physical support each child needs in order to best access the technology. Many of these kids need to be held in specific positions to stabilize their bodies so they can concentrate on making their arms, hands, or heads do the specific fine motor tasks required to play a computer game, ask a question, or drive forward in a power wheelchair.
Elli eats every bit of it up -- she loves computer games and talking with her device and we hope she takes off with the driving piece this summer. We also need to get her a better walker (or gait trainer -- holds her upright in a wheeled frame so she can practice walking, do some weight-bearing to strengthen her bones and joints, and improve her overall strength). I have no idea where we'll put all the equipment -- it gets bigger as the child gets bigger, but we'll figure that out this summer.
When we got home this afternoon, I watched a half-hour show on the Discovery channel while the kids were napping. An ad came on for children in third world countries who desperately need wheelchairs and can't afford them. Watching these poor kids drag themselves around dirt streets just broke my heart. I can't imagine the heartbreak of being unable to provide these things for my child.
I am SO thankful to God for the blessing of living in a country like this where help is available. I'm thankful that He has blessed my husband with a good job with good benefits. Between his job, his benefits, and the programs our daughter has qualified for, we've always been able to get her the equipment she needs. (We're working on some things that we want for her, but I'm sure we'll be able to get them eventually, even if it takes 3 years of car washes and bake sales!)
