Reggi is making a big effort to help us figure out ways we can help Maddy maintain the strength in her right hand, without necessarily taking time out of our day to do specific "exercises". I know from experience that it's really hard to find time in the day to work on these skills (especially with a two-year-old in the house!), even when we have the best of intentions. Chores are a great way to do this and since we've been here, we've had Maddy set the table every night using her right hand. Using the dish sprayer is another way to get in some weight bearing or to practice squeezing, depending on which way she holds the sprayer.
Most days this week, bike practice was part of our day.
Moving game pieces around are a great way to work on her pincer grasp.
For the end of the day, when motivation is waning, Reggi usually whips out the big guns, literally. Maddy very willingly loads this ball cannon...
...because it's so much fun when it goes off.
On Tuesday, Corey had a cute idea for a painting activity.
And now Maddy has a nice piece of art for her bedroom.
Later on in the day, Maddy was very excited that Reggi and Corey finally agreed to play "restaurant". Little did Maddy know, as creative as they are, they found dozens of ways to make "restaurant" a great right hand activity, in addition to working out her core (stomach) muscles which will help her as she tries to learn how to ride a bike.
Maddy had to do a sit-up for every single patron at the restaurant. And being that "Maddy's Super Pizza Restaurant" is a very popular place, that was a lot of sit-ups!
And helpless patrons that they were, Maddy had to open the menus for every single one of them! Despite all the work she was doing, Maddy had a great time.
Thursday was cast change day this week as it's coming off for good on Monday. But before the cast came off they did some weight bearing.
And Reggi had Maddy build a bridge out of markers as a way of getting her to lift her wrist many many times.
After breakfast they took the cast off. Stinky!
After a quick shower, they practiced getting dressed. Now that Maddy's a little older, we want to get her completely independent including putting on her own shoes and brace.
With both hands available, Reggi and Maddy practiced shoe-tying. It's really hard, but Maddy is so proud of herself when she gets it right. Our mission this weekend....go buy some new (non-velcro) sneakers so that we won't lose this skill when we get home!
Then is was time for some super-fun two-handed activities like batting practice!
Poor Reggi forgot that Maddy is a lefty batter and put herself right in the line of fire. I don't think she'll make that mistake again!
With two-hands free to grip the handlebars (and after all those sit-ups) Maddy really cruised on the bike on Thursday. She's learning how to shift her weight from one training wheel to the other which made pedaling a lot easier!
Back inside for some practice zipping her own zipper....boring! (But I was so proud of Maddy's ability to focus, even on something so tedious and hard.)
But all that effort paid off as she earned five minutes of soccer. (I think I need to start a donation fund to cover all the lamps we are bound to break.)
As our month is coming to an end, once Maddy gets the hang of something (like sit-ups) they make it more challenging, like making her reach for objects and twist as part of the sit-up. Sometimes it feels like Reggi is running a bootcamp! Though commands given in a sweet Alabama accent do tend to go over just fine with Maddy.
Apparently, Friday was tie-dye day here in Birmingham. Maddy was so excited when Corey showed up wearing tie-dye.
Again, once Maddy gets the hang of something Reggi and Corey switch it up to make it harder. Reaching for stuff...easy peasy. Reaching for stuff on a balance board...much more challenging!
At snack time, Maddy had some cereal and showed off her pincer grasp
This week, Maddy's Friday special treat was to make a pizza. She had such a blast...she loves anything having to do with cooking. Today they broke down the tasks in the easy steps and Maddy made the whole pizza by herself. She got the crust out of the refrigerator, opened the bottle of olive oil, spread the oil on the crust, scooped the sauce, spread it on the crust.
And the best part...spreading the cheese. And miracles of miracles, Maddy even found this pizza acceptable for eating (she's pretty picky about her pizza) so this became her and Audrey's lunch AND dinner. Score!
At the end of every day we have "circle" time where Maddy tells us what she was proud of herself for doing today. Reggi, Corey and I also tell Maddy the tasks that made us the proudest of her. And she gets a sticker and a treat (usually a Reese's Cup). It's always interesting (and often surprising) to hear the things that Maddy is proudest of. This experience is clearly something that is giving Maddy a better idea of all that she's capable of. Her pride in her accomplishments is something that she is definitely enjoying. And the candy doesn't hurt either! This week, there has been no shortage of things that I am proud of!
Next week is bilateral week. Then onto the houseboat!
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