Gradview Trick or Treat

Grandview had a trick or treat at a local high school.

The kids had fun, and we got to trial the Death Star

 

The kids had so much fun!
Running around the school and go to different classrooms.

 

Alejandra was there too and we all trick or treated together

 They also had some games to play. Like bowling for ghosts

 

 

There was also crafts to do (Nick was off racing with Alejandra)

 

It was a fun party for the kids to go to, and it was fun meeting with the other kids and parents.
The death star tolerated everything well. So we are all ready for Halloween on Monday!

Grandview Ambassador

Nickolas was a Grandview Ambassador at his school this year!

He got to wear a Grandview shirt and go to all of the classrooms and collect their toonies for Toonie Tuesday. He also got to make an announcement to the whole school.

He didn't want to talk by himself, so Katheryn came and talked with him.

This is their script

Nick: Hi. I'm Nick. Grandview helped me learn to walk with my walker. I wanted to walk like my sister.

Katheryn: Thank you for donating a toonie to Grandview Children's Centre. I am so proud of my brother. The money will make a difference in helping other Grandview Kids.

They sent some black and white pictures home, but the above picture was posted on the school board site.

Summer weekend

Katheryn had Sparks camp this weekend!

2 days and nights of fun (all by herself)

Katheryn wasn't worried about leaving us, grabbed her stuff and was off with her friends!

She had so much fun! And at the end of camp graduated from Sparks with the rest of her troop.

She got very annoyed with my picture taking when we picked her up.
I expect I will see this face in my future... I just thought I had another 8 years or so...

Nickolas got to have his parents all to himself this weekend. So we went to a picnic at Grandview!
Queen Elsa was there

And Nick got to show us his accessible play ground

And he had a blast swinging on the swing!

And showing off his Ninja moves. He played with his friends from school that were there.

We did find out that Katheryn fills in a lot of the empty space. I don't know if I have ever heard Nickolas talk so much!
We sat and watched a couple of movies and he talked through the whole thing (until he fell asleep).
What is this, why is that happening, who are those people...

Having each child by themselves this weekend just shows Kyle and me how much they are growing up!

Swimming lessons

We signed Nick up for swimming lessons for the winter.

This is the first alone lesson. We have always done mom -child classes, but he has outgrown that.

 

Group classes, and even semi-private classes are out of the question. He needs someone one-on-one who is there with him all the time.

So we booked Grandview special needs private swim lessons. So it is individualized and with people who have experience with different needs and abilities.

 

 

Nick has been very interested in swimming. He loves being in the water. He swims every week at school, and in the summer at the cottages.

He is independent in the water with his floaties on.

These pictures are from parents day when we were allowed to take pictures (and sent Katheryn out with the camera)

 

 

I want to see how we can get him out of his floaties. And he doesn't use floaties in his swim lessons.
He still needs support to keep up and concentrate on his kicking, but not too much support.

Nick has been using pool noodles to give the support but still let him put his face in the water and move his arms.

 

 

And he can balance in the water with this decreased support to move himself.

 

 



 

Putting his face in the water is one of the goals. Nick will do everything to try to trick and not put his face in the water.

He is getting stronger and more comfortable in the water. He isn't relying so heavily on his floaties and in the shallow water he moves around without anything on.
Nick has also been floating on his back and front, kicking and swimming. His arms he doesn't move so much still.

 



We got Nick's report today, he is in the Sea Otter level in the preschool Swim Kids, and has a couple of things to complete to finish it.

 

We have signed him up again for the spring swimming session. His goals that are left for the Sea Otter badge (or sticker) are front float and recovery, front glide, back glide and 1m front swim.

 

 We have signed Katheryn up for swimming in the spring as well. Unfortunately on different days (Grandview swim is only on Friday). Seeing how well Nick is doing with private lessons, we decided do private for Katheryn as well.

The kids are looking forward to all the swimming the will get this summer!

Testing out some bikes

Grandview Children's Centre had a bike fair today.

The kids were very excited to go and buy some new bikes. We had to explain to them that we were not actually buying a bike, just looking.

We weren't really sure what it was that we were looking for.

Nickolas has really enjoyed riding a bicycle in physiotherapy.

 

 

The bike that he has been riding in PT was the right size, with some of the right features that he needed, but also had features the were not needed.

Some things that we felt were important were:

• direct drive - this makes it easier to Nick to pedal by using momentum and not working so hard to start to pedal, he can also go forwards and backwards without the brake
• pedal plates - he needs help to keep his feet on the pedals to be able to use
• seat - he needs a bigger base, not necessarily full trunk support
• parent handle - gives us a bit of help and control, and so we don't have to bend
• training wheels (instead of the large tricycle model he was riding in)
  

 

So that was where we were when we walked into the bike fair.
We looked at some of the adaptive tricycles, brought by Durham Medical but everything looked like it had more support than Nickolas needed. And of course they are significantly more expensive. So we kept looking.

And Nick liked this bike.

They had Bay Cycle Sports to help with modifications and pricing and ideas. Everyone was extremely helpful and eager to help

Nick really liked that this was a big-boy bike. He loved turning the wheel and wanted to get going.

We didn't buy anything, that wasn't really the point. This wasn't to buy, it was to look and see what was actually out there and what can be done.

To make some modifications to a bike

• direct drive seemed to be an easy fix and the Bay Cycle guy could modify it himself (hopefully) about $20
• pedal plate, we need something at the front and back. We tried just the front support and his feet kept slipping out and making him upset. So we need something that will hold his foot at the front and the back. Moulded plastic with velcro about $100
• a seat upgrade. Something that is wider so he is more stable. We don't want anything with full back and side support, but more stable than a regular bike seat. $30-$50
• seat belt. Bay Cycle said that because of liability issues they do not actually add seat belts, but that we could add something ourselves.
• Training wheels. If we are looking at a 2 wheel bike and not the larger tricycle then we need to have wider training wheels. It was suggested we look at fatwheels, which run about $180 + S/H, except that it looks like this company just ran out of business and these wheels aren't available (either ebay, amazon, or a google search). Amazon has wide training wheels for $12.75 though...

A larger bike with the handles reversed would also give us some more room to grow.
This red bike is 14" wheels, we tried him on a green bike but didn't get any pictures. The actual bikes cost about $130. But they said we didn't have to purchase the bike from them and Bay Cycle would still make modifications.

The approximate total for what we are looking at is probably $300 at it's least expensive and up to maybe $600 at the most expensive.

Nickolas was very excited to see the bikes, but once that excitement finished he was much more excited to race Katheryn around the room.

And crashing into her as well. The number of times we had to tell the kids "don't crash into each other!"

Katheryn enjoyed showing off her bike riding skills, and of course making us aware that she has outgrown her bike that we got for her last year.

So we are hoping to have some bike riding kids this spring and summer.
We just need to investigate for some funding to try to see how we can afford a bike for Nick.

Voice of the Family

I was approached at the beginning of the summer about an opportunity to talk to the Board of Trustees at Grandview Children's Centre about our experiences there. It is a program called the Voice of the Family.
Of course I jumped at the opportunity.
I had a 'interview' with a representative so that the board had something to read ahead of time. And then I made notes (like a blog post) from there. I couldn't just read off my notes. So what I brought with me were just point form that I wanted to talk about. But these are my original notes/post.

It went great. They were very thankful to hear about our experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

Thank you. My name is Amanda and I would like to talk to you about our experiences with Grandview Children's Centre. My husband and I live in Oshawa with our 2 kids, both receive services at Grandview. Katheryn is 4 1/2, and Nickolas is almost 3. We primarily come for services for Nickolas.

Who am I?

Nickolas is a very happy and easy going kid and he loves to make people laugh. He loves his family and especially his sister. Nick also is very, very stubborn. Which he likes to show during physiotherapy or when we try to get him to do something he doesn’t want to do.

I found out that Nickolas was going to be born with spina bifida when I was 22 weeks pregnant. (In their read-ahead-of-time stuff it explained what spina bifida and hydrocephalus is. Nickolas also developed hydrocephalus when he was 2 weeks old and has a vp shunt (which was not unexpected). We were scared by the doctors about what to expect with a child with spina bifida. I researched a lot online, and found online support and hope from other parents that had children with spina bifida. I found that there is a whole blogging community. While I was pregnant I started my own blog to share our story and provide hope to others. I also have an educational blog to help explain what spina bifida is, in simple and easy to understand language. And I talk to students at Centennial College to educate them about what spina bifida and hydrocephalus looks like.

There was also links and the actual address for the 2 blogs.

 

 

Nickolas was born November 2009 and immediately transferred to Sick Kids, where he had surgery to close his back at 24 hours old. He stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks before being discharged home. While we were there he was referred to the Infant development program in Durham, as well as the spina bifida  clinic at Holland Bloorview, and the program at Grandview.

 In February 2010 we had our intake assessment. I found it stressful for that initial visit. We sat around in a circle in one of the treatment rooms and everyone asked me about what he was doing. But Nick was only 3 months old, and he wasn’t doing very much. After the visit we were told that he was going to be admitted to OT and PT, but that their wait list was about 9-12 months long. Speech said that right now he was age appropriate and there wasn’t any need to admit him. (This changed by the time he was a year)

In the meantime we also had our initial visit at Holland Bloorview and found out about a monthly mom/baby group where it offered support to parents, education and an hour with all of our therapists (nurse, PT, OT, ST, SW). In May/June I talked with the physio at Holland Bloorview who offered to take us weekly to Holland Bloorview until we get picked up at Grandview.

It was hard to make the journey weekly through the summer and fall. It took about 1 hour to get there, 1 hour of therapy and 1 hour to get home. But we did it to get Nickolas what he needed. It felt like it took a whole day. We weren’t able to take Katheryn with us, so she stayed in daycare on those days. It was hard on our family because we were still trying to adjust having an infant, getting him what he needs, but balancing it with what the rest of the family needs, especially making sure that Katheryn didn’t feel left out.

It felt like we were making very slow progress, even though I knew that Nick had the ability to do things he just wasn’t doing it. He rolled over for the first time at 10 months. He stood up for the first time at 15 months.

 

When we found out that we had finally got picked up at Grandview I was really happy to get 2 hours of our lives back. But I was still afraid of losing someone who was so versed in spina bifida.

 

For the first 2 years Nickolas showed his stubborn streak. He hated therapy. He cried and screamed and often wouldn’t last the whole session without needing a break (or 2 or 3). Some days he refused to do anything by ‘hugging the floor’.

We had an assessment in the fall of 2010 and started a block of PT/OT in winter 2010/2011 when our block unexpectedly ended. Right when Nick was starting to do things (sitting unassisted, standing by himself for the first time). We were told we had to wait 6 months for more therapy because of restructuring – after 5 sessions since being picked up. I was furious, and upset. I didn’t know what to do.

I felt abandoned and lost and didn’t know where to go or who could help.

We started to investigate private PT services (and maxed out our benefits very quickly) as well as alternative therapy such as conductive education. We also had the opportunity to talk to PT and OT monthly at our mom and baby group. Nickolas was just getting used to having his AFO’s and standing frame, but at home we didn’t have the structured time that PT provided.

We were picked up again in July 2011, with a new PT, and I wanted a concrete plan and something to continue with at home. I wanted a walker. Together Melissa and Sheka worked with me over the rest of 2011 to get a walker that worked for Nickolas, we trialed a variety of different types through the preschool lending program. And in April 2012 Nickolas brought home his own walker, and he is now functionally walking with his walker.

Only in the last year or so Nickolas has started to click with therapy and realize it helps him to be independent. This year that he started to show some interest and went a whole therapy session without crying. He is starting to enjoy himself, to actually laugh! During physio! This last session has been the best yet, Nickolas is having fun and playing while working. No tears. Katheryn has also been able to come and join us.

It is as if something has finally clicked. Realizing that he can do the things that we are asking him.

Last July I had a goal to get Nickolas a walker. This was after our initial block ended. I wanted to have something to work on at home, a plan. Worked well together to help me to reach my goal and by April we had our permanent walker, so that the real fun/work can be done.

Currently we are completing a block of PT only therapy. We have been working with Sheka from OT from the beginning of our experience at Grandview, but she left us this past spring. Nickolas is doing very well with his PT-only sessions and has begun to enjoy himself. We saw our new OT in August and have been cleared to be reassessed in 4-6 months.

Over time I have found it difficult when we have an issue with services, or to know what the proper protocol is. There isn’t one person for us to go to with problems. If we are between services I need to find the letter that was last mailed, to find the most appropriate person to call if we have questions. We do not have a social worker at Grandview, but there is one at Holland Bloorview in the spina bifida clinic. A lot of times I use our infant development worker as the go-to person.

Through the SB clinic at Holland-Bloorview we would see our team monthly at groups, as well at have a clinic visit every 4-6 months. Now that Nickolas is almost 3 years old our clinic visits are going to be annually. They also cancelled our monthly group, so this summer I have lost a vital support network of families and professionals. I don’t see how Grandview would be able to fill in this gap. It was through reaching out online that I found about this opportunity to share our story.

During our initial intake meeting in February 2010 we saw the developmental pediatrician, Dr Hunt. We were told to follow up in 1 year. In January 2011 I phoned for an appointment and was told that we would be put on a waiting list “because of summer vacations”. I was still put on the list, but we were never called. We see the developmental pediatrician at Holland Bloorview in December 2011, as well as Nickolas’ own pediatrician. I was concerned about doubling up on services and talked about it with our pediatrician and never followed up.

 

During the summer of 2010 we also used the Audiology program. I started to get concerned that Nickolas wasn’t turning to look at me when I was talking to him. We were seen and assessed fairly quickly. And after 3 tests he was finally able to show that his hearing was appropriate.

Speech has been a journey. In February 2011, at 15 months we were reassessed for after noticing that Nick’s speech was severely delayed in his language (I don’t remember how long the wait was), and we were admitted to the service. March 2011 we were involved in a speech group. This group was difficult for us, as Nickolas had mobility needs and seemed so much younger than the other children that had more advanced issues. In the fall of 2011 we started some weekly individual sessions with Sabrina (sometime between the spring and fall we had a turn over of speech therapists).

Nickolas had always shown comprehension, but just didn’t talk. At all.

During the winter of 2011/2012 was when Nickolas really started to talk. And we just finished a reassessment in August with Sabrina and we are cleared for 4-6 months.

 We have already had experience with the speech services with Katheryn. I referred her to the speech and language program at 18 months old. At the time there was a 9 month waiting list. We have seen 4 or 5 therapists between both kids over the years. It wasn’t until the beginning of this year that Sabrina (Nick’s S/L) asked why we didn’t have both kids with one person. It made a huge difference to have one single speech person to see. We know that Katheryn only has 1 more year of service before she ages out. At the moment she still has what is categorized as a severe speech delay and waiting for a reassessment this month.

 

We have had a number of different experiences with Grandview. Katheryn has received good care with the SL program and I’m nervous about when she ages out.

I have been satisfied from the actual care we get from PT and how they really listen and respect what I want and work with me.
I have felt isolated through our experiences with Grandview. I only recently discovered that they have an orthotics clinic which would help us from needing to go to Bloorview for our new orthotics in November. The PT/OT combined therapy helped for continuous care. But the services don’t seem to work together for a team approach to our care. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of overlying person or group that helps to put everything together.

 

If I had a wish list to add to what we currently are receiving at Grandview:

I have looked into recreational programs but there has not been many opportunities we can participate in. I have looked into skating last year, and looked at swimming lessons but find dates difficult.

I wish there was more opportunities for support for parents through Grandview. When we first started at Grandview I contacted someone about the Parent to parent feature offered, but I never heard anything back. Through online support and the Bloorview group I know of 4 families who live in the Durham area who have children with spina bifida.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk to you about our families experiences.

 

They really enjoyed hearing my story. They told me about some changes they are making that would hopefully address some of our past issues. I'm happy that I was given an opportunity to have a voice.

 

 

 

Happy Talk

In all the excitement before our vacation I forgot to blog about our speech reassessment.

Nickolas did great!!!

We played bunny bowling - which he loved, of course!
And he talked and talked and talked.

Even his pronunciation right now is good. We just have to continue to work with him on the things we are working with Katheryn. Only Nickolas is age appropriate to be working on it (Katheryn is not).
Speech with Nickolas is one thing right now that I feel we have a good handle on.

He was not discharged at this time from speech. But maybe in 6 months when he is reassessed? He'll age out in 18 months anyways (like Katheryn is going to do within the year).

Sabrina (our S/L) didn't re-test him, she said that if he did the exact same as he did on his test last time he would still be age appropriate!
If I had heard this one year ago I'm not sure I would have believed it!
How fast he has caught up with his speech.
Every day he is still come up with more and more words and phrases. I'm still sometimes shocked with the knowledge and awareness that comes out of his mouth. And he is always saying things to make people smile.

My newest favorite words to hear from Nickolas?
I love you
Nickolas is a very loving child. Nick right now is on a "I love you" kick. Every night before bed, "I love you mommy, I love you daddy, I love you katara (Katheryn), I love you hammie (Sammie - our dog)". Katheryn was never this expressive with her 'I love you'.

It melts my heart.

The Letter

After I wrote last week about the end of our spina bifida group and posted it on my facebook (what I do for some of my better posts). I was contacted by someone from media relations at Grandview Children's Centre. She offered support, if possible, but also presented me with an oppurtunity to have a voice.
I have not been the kindest with my feelings about the care we have received from Grandview. Especially when I was furious when we lost our physiotherapy at the beginning of 2011.
But talking back and forth I have agreed to do a 20 minute presentation to the Board of Trustees at a Grandview  meeting in September. To talk about our experiences, triumphs and difficulties. It is called Voice of a Parent.
I can't wait!

But I started of my blog to post my letter.
This letter is what I am sending to the manager of the spina bifida and spinal cord injury department, as well as a couple of other people at Bloorview. (What is it with all of these -view names?!). I am also planning to email it to our team at our spina bifida group.
I hope the letter is compelling.

›š

May 12, 2012
To whom it may concern,

I am writing to tell you about a wonderful program at the Holland Bloorview Children’s Rehabilitation Spina Bifida program. To relate to you our experience with the Spina Bifida Parent-Child group that runs the first Thursday of every month. I want to tell you how this unique and valuable program has changed our lives (which we were notified of last week). I want to implore you to reconsider the permanent cancellation of this program. I would like to work together to problem solve ways to keep this program running to benefit my own family, but also other families following us, who are affected by spina bifida.

My son, Nickolas was born November 2009 with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. We first started attending Holland Bloorview when Nickolas was 3 months old. For more than 2 years we have been making the trek to Holland Bloorview every month for spina bifida group (taking the summer off). We only missed one group when Nickolas was hospitalized.

Spina bifida group is a group for children who have spina bifida and their caregivers to attend a 2 hour session each month. The session begins with a 1 hour opportunity for team members to assess and discuss current progress, the second hour allows caregivers/parents to have an education session with one of our team members, and also have the opportunity to talk as adults amongst ourselves. It is amazing how much 2 hours a month has had on our journey with spina bifida.

My first concern when we were told about the cancellation of our spina bifida group is the loss of social support that I get from meeting with other parents who have been there, and are still here. It is the parents who know the terminology, they have received the same words, been offered the same choices, have waited the same wait, and hope the same hope. There is nothing to compare sitting down every month with families who just understand. I belong to a number of online communities and forums but it doesn’t compare to actually sitting in the same room with someone.

 Last week when we were told by management that our group was going to be cancelled we discussed ways to continue this aspect of group through a support group. Parent mentorship was mentioned, but it is the group aspect not one on one that was important to me. As a parent I find that a support group is such an important part of keeping myself connected. But as a parent of a child who has special needs it is hard for me to do things solely for myself. I don’t know if I can make the same commitment to go to a support group that I can to go to spina bifida group. Because spina bifida group is much more than just parent support.


Nickolas would not be where he is today without our spina bifida group.

This is the place where we have monthly face-to-face contact with our professional team. It is in a safe, leisurely environment that Nickolas trusts. It allows myself, as a parent, to ask questions and voice concerns in an atmosphere that does not have a time limit.

It is an environment that provides an opportunity for rapport and a relationship. This is truly where my parent-professional relationship flourishes and where Nickolas’ client-professional relationship has started. This is a relationship that has slowly developed over time as Nickolas has started to trust his team. This is something just isn’t possible in an appointment time in a clinic room every 6-9 months. I am terrified to lose this relationship and the trust that Nickolas has built with his spina bifida team.

This group provides the opportunity for Nickolas to be seen and where I could go with questions on concerns between treatment. The team is who I went to while we were on a one year PT/OT waiting list at our local centre, Grandview Children’s Centre; and again when we were on a 6 month wait list last year. They are the ones who addressed my worries that Nickolas was losing valuable therapy time and opportunity.

I did not realize that Nickolas had outgrown his first pair of AFO’s until Kim, our physiotherapist, at spina bifida group noticed. I have been worried about different bruises and red marks on Nick’s feet and have been able to get Julia, our nurse, to look at it after we have seen orthotics.

The idea that Nickolas could benefit from a wheelchair was first brought up in spina bifida group. Both Kim and Beth, our occupational therapist, noticed how Nickolas was outgrowing his stroller. And I was prepared for my child to be in a wheelchair after an education session earlier in the year. The idea had never even crossed my mind. And the wheelchair has given Nickolas his independence in a way I never would have imagined. We would not have this without our spina bifida group . There just isn’t the time allowance, relationship or subsequent realization, in a clinic that is 6-12 months apart.

Spina bifida group has also been an outlet for Nickolas (and me) to try different assistance devices that I didn’t realize was needed. From the corner chair to castor cart and different walker options – posterior, anterior, cart etc.

Nickolas was struggling with his speech last year, and I knew that the spina bifida group was a place to strategize with Sukaina, our speech-language therapist. I was encouraged and hopeful that we would eventually get there. And when Nickolas started talking – we could celebrate together.

When Nickolas was starting solids I had the opportunity to discuss this with Julia, our nurse. When constipation subsequently started I felt comfortable to email Julia, right before a long weekend, with my concerns. This relationship started in our spina bifida group. When a similar situation occurred this past winter we had face to face, personal contact to problem solve together. This spring we are working on bowel management and Julia’s input and problem solving has been invaluable. When issues come up, I know that I’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and deal with concerns, in person, at least once a month

 I strongly believe that Nickolas is where he is, and doing so well because of the time, relationship and assessment that we have gained with our spina bifida group.

The education component is helpful, but it becomes repetitive after a while. But as a new mom it provided a lot of helpful knowledge. It has given us an opportunity to be presented with knowledge and information in a group setting that is specific for the needs of my own child. It has also provided a chance for my spouse to come and learn and ask questions. This is not possible during clinic. Online or paper education modules are already available if you know where to look. But it does not compare to personal education about someone who knows your child and can teach what you want to know.

I think that losing this educational aspect of group would be disadvantageous to families who are following us in our spina bifida journey. The knowledge I’ve gained has helped me to feel more confident with different aspects of spina bifida. It has also given me an understanding of what questions or concerns to address during our clinic visits.

I implore you to reconsider the cancellation of this spina bifida group. I believe that it is necessary for the continuing care and future abilities of my son. It has provided us with a family-centered partnership. I am terrified about the detrimental effect on our lives and abilities with spina bifida after the permanent disbandment of this spina bifida group.

I was looking forward to continuing group for one more year before the beginning the next step of our child as Nickolas enters the school system. I was anxious for the knowledge, experience and support that this monthly group provides when it is time to make this transition.

I have a regular blog in which I discuss our journey with spina bifida. I have discussed the impact that spina bifida group has in our lives on my blog, as well as writing about my initial worries and fears and experiences after learning that the spina bifida group is being dissolved. I encourage you to visit my blog to read about our experiences and link into specific experiences in which spina bifida group has positively impacted our lives. http://www.riddingfamily.blogspot.ca/2012/05/end.html

I ask for time and opportunity to problem solve to maintain this service which is so essential for our care. If parental input is needed before such a drastic change in our care I’d like to offer to work together to come up with a positive plan that will not have such an impact on my child.

I have some ideas that I would be willing to discuss further including meeting every other month, decreasing times between clinics (i.e. every 3 months instead of every 6-12 months) this would allow the support component and the relationship to continue to flourish. Fundraising for a financial need, contacting the SBHAO to assist in problem solving, setting up a supplementary support group through the mentorship program. I know there are other ideas out there and would propose a focus group with other parents and management to attempt to explore other opportunities.

Thank you for your consideration,

Amanda Ridding

Mother to Nickolas Ridding

Walking the Walker Journey

We are on the walker journey again.

Nickolas has started to scream and cry when he's in his front one. That was walker #4. Every time I think it might be the right one, and he likes it at first, but then it stops meeting his needs and we move on.

We are moving on again.

It's time for four wheels. He needs something faster that moves when he moves.

So 2 weeks ago we tried something new at the end of physio (which he is doing so great! Exceeding goals!).

Walker races!

Poor Nick had very wobbley legs - but he still wanted to get that sticker!

So we had some ideas of what to do the next week.

Posterior walker, something that is deeper - so he can't rest his bum against the back. And 4 wheels.

We did it at the end of physio again, but his legs are stronger even from the week before!

Now the bad news.
We didn't have one that we could borrow.
We're going to try to problem solve again this coming week, but I don't know how we are going to decide to purchase one if we don't have the ability to bring it home and try it out.
But the plan is to put the order in for one before the end of this PT block.

Katheryn LOVES coming to physio with us at Grandview. She says that this is where all the fun toys are. Like for example when everyone is watching Nickolas climbing the stairs up and down, she is free to go and check out all the fun boxes!

This was our last session with Sheka :(
She has been with us consistently since we got picked up from Grandview. She is great! She loves coming to see us and have a quick little visit with Nickolas and see how he is doing. She's moving to another section in Grandview. But we will really miss her!