Special Needs Gear

Having a child that doesn't walk and has developmental delay starts to get a bit tricky as they get older, and specifically, as they get bigger. You have to think through how you're going to make something work and what tools you need to make it happen smoothly. I have a love/hate relationship with adaptive equipment. I love how it helps Lily and makes our life a bit easier, and I hate how using it can make me feel. Today we went out to Gig Harbor and put Lily in the wheelchair that we are submitting paperwork to purchase. It has good shocks (this is important to us because I don't want to be limited to parking lots and sidewalks). It also has a tray so Lily can feed herself anywhere. We've also opted for it to recline, have a sun shade (or a rain shade if you live in Washington), and hook ups that will let her get strapped into a bus if at some point we send her to school. (We're lucky that her school district is home schooling her--her immune system and seizures could not handle a public school at this time.) It will probably take a few months to get it...there's all the paperwork, Dr's letters, insurance approval, and it is custom made. All in all, I'm looking forward to getting it and will post photos of Lily's new wheels when it arrives.

Also today we bought a bath lounger. It was really becoming unsafe to give her a bath because she would throw herself back or throw herself forward. She's just playing, but she doesn't realize the dangers. Plus she is a slippery little noodle!! You literally couldn't safely let go of her to grab a towel. This will also keep her warmer and baths can last much longer--she loves being in the water!

Seizures are clinically pretty strong (showing strong signs of the seizure) right now, but are only about 10 seconds in length. We'll be checking in with neuro on Wednesday to see if they want to make any further changes to her meds.

Other than that, we're happy, having fun, and ready for Halloween!!!