Gearing up for the holidays...

Between snow days and Row catching a cold our schedule has been crazier than ever! We did manage to squeeze in time to get Row something to ride around in. We've searched forever for what we felt we could adapt for Row that would give her the extra vestibular we think she's been needing in the safest manner possible...and we came up with the Pathfinder Radio Flyer Wagon! It can be used as a flatbed wagon for lying or as a one or two seater by way of fold up seats with lap belts! We did add the industrial velcro up the back , and along the sides to hold some make-shift laterals ( borrowed from the Squiggles Activity System by Leckey ) and to hold Row more solidly in place. All in all I think we made a great decision for the price...100 bucks! Beat that in a catalog!

MMmm!! Chocolate!!!

Rowan has been having great success in the speech/swallow therapy department! Just goes to show that a little patience and a lot of love go a looong way with any child!!!

Row learns to color!!!

Another use for VELCRO! We've been trying to get Rowan to hold the little fat bodied crayons...and she will...but just for a few seconds and she lacks the strength to put enough pressure on the crayon to make much of a mark. So we slapped some velcro on the bottom of the crayon casing and stuck it to her benik glove. Now she's learning to push the crayon around, allowing its own weight to make the marks!!! Still loving that velcro! :)

GO ROW GO!!!

Rowan surprised mommy at Milestones last week when she managed 3 steps all on her own in the KID WALK Gait Trainer. Ofcourse she was no where near as thrilled with this particular piece of equipment as mommy was...it was a lot of work for Row...but an endless supply of hope for mom!!!

Orthotics

We've recently made a trip to Shriners Hospital in Lexington Kentucky to pick up Rowans custom orthotics. These include her AFO's for her heel cords and a TLSO vest for scoliosis! Now we just need to convince lil' Row that she must wear them!

Industrial Velcro!!!

I cannot count the times I've walked through a toy department looking at all the cool little wagons and cars that are out now thinking they were totally out of the question! I mean they have no latterals, no 5 point harnesses...but then Rows physical therapist introduced us to INDUSTRIAL VELCRO!!! Which sounds terrible but works great! Especially with a Benik vest. And has brought to light a whole new world of adaptable possibilities! :)

Soft Sensory Play

September has been a whirlwind of activity for Lil' Row. She's had several appointments and evaluations, made lots of new friends through Milestones Therapy Clinic, and successfully transitioned into the Cabell County Homebound Preschool Program. YAY!! Earlier in the month we attended a birthday party for one of Rows little friends at an alternative therapy clinic called Tangible Alternatives. One of the favorite activities there was a big pool filled with a wide variety of softly textured stuffed toys. A lot of the children seemed to enjoy the pool...almost as much as the Snoezelen Room! So we thought we'd try something like it at home! Although it is visually busy it's also very soft and quiet. We're hoping it will provide Rowan with a bit of calm after the September storm!

August Field Trips

This month we took Rowan on two field trips where she met up with her favorite little friends! First we took her to The Pottery Place in Pullman Square where she, her sisters, and her friends from our support group "Moms In Common" painted plates, tiles, ornaments, etc. Our next outting was to the Clay Center in Charleston where we visited the Avampato Discovery Museums Gizmo Factory, Science Gallery, Kidspace, and Earth City! Rowan and I both had a great time...next time we hope to catch the Planetarium exhibit!

Sad sad baby girl!!!

Today I made my precious lil' Rowan soooo sad! And very mad! She's never been a fan of "tummy time"...but since the placement of her g tube she flat out hates it. She throws such a horrible fit over the Creepster Crawler (seen on her blog) that we've given some serious thought to alternatives. This is what we've come up with...that was reasonably priced , ofcourse... a hammock purchased at Gander Mountain for $30, and an Iron Man Chin Up Bar purchased at Dicks Sporting Goods for $20. And you have a crawl trainer with a combined weight limit of more than 300lbs. Row can use this, albeit unhappily, for quite a while!

La La La La!!!

Rowan has had a very busy week this week! She's been all around the world school shopping with her older siblings...managed to throw her hearing aid out in the road and get it run over! But hey...just think of the fine motor skills it took for her to take it out and then to throw it?! Way to go Row! hahaha And with her oldest bubby going off to college we've moved everyones rooms around...and Row gets the green room! Her new favorite color! That's something to sing about!

The Great Outdoors!

After spending the better part of a week practicing indoors with the Traveltech Backpack from Evenflo, we finally gathered the courage to venture out into the yard. We showed Row the differant trees and let her feel the textures of all the leaves. She did so well that next we plan to tackle one of our beautiful state parks. We will be bringing along a spotter ofcourse...the additional weight throws off moms center of gravity a bit! Our hopes for the Traveltech are to use the cotinuous movement and shifting weight to help strengthen Rows trunk and neck muscles. Moms too while we're at it! haha

ABC's and 123's

Rowan has reached the age where most typical children begin preschool! However after much deliberation her father and I have decided she's just not ready! In addition to her daily therapies at home she will receive physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech from a local childrens therapy clinic . We will provide peer socialization through field trips and playdates, and hopefully be able to introduce Row to all of the same info/input she would be exposed to in preschool!

I Feel Pretty!

We've just introduced Rowan to what the over priced catalogues would call the "Infinity Corner"! Four 5 dollar door mirrors fixed into a corner with a reflective toy suspended from an eye hook in the ceiling above! We also intend to place lighted switch toys on a table in front of Row, and maybe try hanging visually stimulating things from suction cups attached to the mirrors themselves! We hope to encourage Rowan to look at herself and eventually identify the parts of her beautiful little face! Wish us luck...

A really great day!

Today was a great day for lil' Row! She tolerated all of her daily activities very well, including tummy time which is her least favorite thing in the world. She also seemed to enjoy our latest addition to messy play time...the sand box. Or in this case sand pool! We've hidden small brightly colored foam shapes, fuzzy balls, red and yellow toy frogs etc. in the sand for visual acuity/ fine motor/ tactile play. We were a bit concerned this might be a little overstimulating for Rowan but she handled it well! Go Row! Now for a BATH!

First time...

Well this is day one of lil' Rowans blog...we're all set up n ready to go! I've spent some time posting a few pics to show what she's been up to until now...a little bit of everything! lol And a lot of therapy...thanks to her wonderful Birth to Three team! You may notice some rather interesting equipment?!? We're all about creativity and trying new things so please if you have any ideas or see something we're trying and you think you might be able to improve it drop us a little note! Thanks so much and I'll be posting again soon...