Acquire: Week 3

I can't believe that week three is over! Time seems to accelerate the longer we are here, and I know next week will be a blur! Maddy definitely sees the light at the end of the tunnel She's so ready for the houseboat, but her focus and determination are holding strong.

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!

Acquire: Week 2

After a couple days off, Maddy and Reggi (and her assistant Cory) were back at it Monday morning, bright and early. They continue to work on bearing weight through Maddy's hand.
   
And working on her grip in lots of ways, like zipping a zipper.
This week Reggi brought her own six-year-old's bike for Maddy to practice on. Biking in a cast is challenging! Biking in general is very challenging for Maddy. Balance, gripping the handle with her weak hand, pushing the pedals with her weaker leg, keeping her right foot on the pedal....the list of challenges goes on and on. But Maddy is always game to try!
 
On Tuesday morning, they eased into their morning with a book and some stickers. Maddy did a great job turning the pages.
 
Connect Four was a big hit later on that day. Maddy loves any kind of competition. With every game they play, Reggi finds a way to make it more challenging. Like sticking the chips into Play Doh to make them harder to pull out.
 
Shoe tying continues to be a big part of every day. With the cast on, Reggi acts as Maddy's "left hand" and Maddy has to tell her all the steps to take. Cross it over, pull it under two times, make a loop, through the tunnel....I'm trying to take notes because it will be my job soon to keep this up!
 
To help with balance (and therefore the bike riding) Maddy spends a lot of time on the balance board, like playing a whole game of "Peanut Butter Sandwich" on there. Sometimes it's hard to watch how hard they push her. Her stamina is amazing.
 
I don't even thinks she realizes how hard she's working.
On Wednesday she hit another milestone, holding her own juice pouch! She's very happy about this one. Maddy really doesn't like being dependent on others for help eating and drinking.
Thursday they played a lot of UNO. Cory was Maddy's "left hand" holding the cards. But Maddy had to select the cards with her right hand, then push them to Reggi along a "road" (made out of a piece of tape, her middle finger has to stay on the tape) that Reggi made on the table. This exercise is meant to strengthen Maddy's wrist by forcing her to keep her hand straight and control it as she pushes the card.
Even with all that secret therapy going on, all Maddy cares about is getting to throw down a "Draw Four" on Reggi!
 
By Thursday, all that hard work on the bike was clearly paying off!
Friday was another break from the cast to check Maddy's skin and a shower. A break from the cast means a chance to learn to dress herself independently, making sure that both hands have a chance to help. She did a great job pulling her socks on.
 
And tying her own shoes, doing all the work herself. It's still really hard, but we'll keep practicing...and she's so proud of herself!
 
Doing a zipper independently is another of Maddy's goals. It's very challenging, but we're hoping by the end of the month she'll get the hang of it.
 
For a treat she got to make some chocolate chip cookies.
And they closed out the day with a contraption (Maddy's new favorite) they are calling "the Stomper". Right hand loads the rockets on, and right foot stomps it so that it takes off and crashes into the ceiling. Thank goodness we don't have any upstairs neighbors!
 
Two weeks down, two weeks to go!

Acquire: Week 1

Maddy's first week of Acquire is in the books now and it was really successful...zero meltdowns! Monday was a pretty short therapy day, but the rest of the week was six hours a day, with barely a few minutes break here and there. From Maddy's initial evaluation, Reggi determined to focus her energy on strengthening Maddy's wrist and thumb. She's "ulnerly deviated" meaning that her right hand cocks out away from her body, making it hard for her hand to function properly. Most of the exercises Maddy does involves her pushing things with her palm flat and her thumb in a good position. Drawers are one way to do this.

 

Pushing a bucket of beans around is another way. (I'm always impressed by Reggi's ability to use every part of our apartment to give Maddy lots of changes of scenery. They spend a lot of time in the hallway in Grandma's room.)

 

Or toys on a vertical surface, which requires Maddy to maintain more control over her hand.

 

Making a pile of Play Doh pasta noodles is another fun way to build strength.

 

On Wednesday they tackled one of Maddy's own goals of learning to tie her own shoes. All week, Maddy's focus has amazed me.

 

And she even did some drawing with her right hand. I was so impressed with this rainbow that she drew!

 

Reggi's found a million different ways to motivate Maddy...like pushing the water sprayer.

 

And somehow loading the dishwasher is motivation as well. Hope this carries over when we get home!

 

By mid-week, Maddy's wrist was strong enough to carry a bucket with a little water in it.

 

Maddy was particularly proud of herself on Thursday when she could pull a bin of beans on a scooter, pulling peg by beg. She is so determined!

 

By Friday, Maddy's eating with her right hand had gotten so much better. She was able to eat a lot of her oatmeal without any assistance from Reggi.

 

Friday was cast change day, so Maddy got to take a shower. And after we washed the stink off, Reggi left the cast off for a couple hours to work on some some two handed activities. Reggi usually gives each hand a different job to keep Maddy on her toes. Left hand holds the bucket, right hand picks up the balls.

 

Or, right hand holds the bucket, left hand throws the balls at the window. (I suspect this way was slightly more fun!)

 

Before the cast came back on, they also worked on Maddy dressing herself and putting her own shoes on.

 

The cast came back on before the end of the day, and Maddy was amazingly cooperative putting it back on. As a reward for all that hard work, they did an activity that Maddy even loved as a three-year-old the first time she came to Acquire....throwing bouncy balls into the shower!

 

It's been a great week. I'm so proud of how well Maddy did. She worked so hard and always with a great attitude. I'm so grateful to be back here for another round with a therapist that has the amazing ability to get Maddy to push herself so hard, while having a lot of fun at the same time.

 

Here's hoping week two is just as successful!