Play day

Last night I pulled out the parachute for us to play with after supper.  We hadn't used it in a couple weeks and Sophie was very excited to see it, as was Lucas!  It is a great sensory experience for Sophie with all the colours, noises of the fabric as it is moved up and down as well as running under the parachute which puts the wind in her face.  Lucas was pushing her under the parachute and she thought that was the best part, she may not have even cared that the parachute was there at that point lol.

I asked Sophie this morning if she wanted to play with the parachute again and she said yes with big smiles, so we had another go at it.

I managed to find the parachute at a garage sale just by luck early this summer and it was only $10!!!  I have always wanted to have one so I was very excited when I found it.  Lucas loves it as much as Sophie and everyone loves getting a turn being the one to be under the chute.

Sophie was concentrating very hard, she is always mesmorized by the multi-colours.  Sophie has a severe cortical vision impairment and I think that these bold bright colours that are constantly moving really help keep her attention. 

Later today we decided to try and get Sophie's Wike trailer set up.  It has been sitting in the garage for most of the summer so I figured it was about time we got it out for a ride!  Thank goodness for the internet because we were able to watch a video on how to attach everything since I had forgotten all the instructions.   So we got it all together and the four of us headed out on our first bike ride as a family.  :)

The helmet was a disaster, Sophie moves her head around so much with her head back that it kept coming down over her eyes and was strangling her from the neck part.  It was basically crushing her nose as well after a short time.  So part way through the ride I ditched it.  She was happy because she could see (and breathe) and we will just have to figure something else out.  We just stayed on the sidewalks and the quiet streets in our neighbourhood.  If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them, the helmet fits her properly but her body movements are the issue.  I was thinking I could prop her shoulders more forward but I don't know how comfy she would be. 

 I put the cover over her for the ride so at least she has the roll bars and she is strapped in a car seat.  Anyway, she has to have one on by law so we will figure it out. 

The trailer itself was definitely a success,  the car seat rigged into it worked great and I LOVED seeing her out on the ride like that.  I was so happy :) and I think she was too.  I am pretty sure it was a bit overwhelming for her as she was very quiet but she didn't get upset and loved seeing me on the bike near her and of course she got to see daddy straight ahead.  Hopefully we will get lots of use out of this over many years to come.

Running like the wind

Lucas has been waiting to be on the cross country team at his school since early in grade 2.  It was such a tease to see all the grade 3's practicing after school through the fall.  He joined the running club that the school held at lunch last year as a sort of warm up to being on the cross country team.

So needless to say he was there the first day of cross country this year now that he is old enough.
They have been holding practices four times a week and the first pre-season meet was supposed to be last week but got cancelled due to rain, Lucas was so disappointed.  Fast forward to today, the sun was shining and the runners were ready!

Lucas was so excited! I was excited for him and proud of him too because I never joined the cross country team, I am a track and field girl, no long distances for me! 

The novice age group runs 1 1/2 kilometers and Lucas did great!  He came in 8th!!! 

There were well over 100 runners, one teacher estimated 150, so 8th was amazing for his very first race!!  Lucas was of course hard on himself and stated that it wasn't the best because it wasn't first place, but he was happy with 8th.  And as it has sunk in through the evening I think he is very proud and impressed with his effort to have done so well.  He has a goal of being at least in 6th for the next race, I bet he does it!

Playing with light

We are all pretty sick at our house with bad colds, Lucas and Sophie are needing lots of ventolin to keep the asthma attacks away and Sophie's chest sounds pretty awful at times.  So we watched a movie this afternoon and just laid low. 

We watched Rio, which is awesome by the way and Sophie seemed to pay attention to some of the singing and action scenes.  This is pretty big because she has never paid any attention to any big movie before that wasn't the wiggles.  We were going to switch it at the beginning because we discovered Lucas had watched it with his Oma last week but he insisted that we watch it because this was Sophie's first real movie.  He had remembered that I thought Sophie would like it because of all the colours and great songs when Lucas and I saw it at the theatres.  I was really proud of him for thinking of her like that!

Tonight I was feeling like Sophie and I needed to find something new to play with as she was getting a bit bored with the regular stuff we often play with.  So I grabbed some random stuff and rigged up an active learning board for her.

You can use anything to put the black felt on, I used a book stand.  I use black felt because it helps the items in front of it stand out.  Sophie has a severe vision impairment and this type of activity is great for her.  She didn't disappoint, Sophie was very interested in the items I chose which we play with often, but not with the light box.

I found a light box at the salvation army this summer for 25 cents, it was great for lighting up the shiny objects against the black background.  The colours cycle through slowly and you can use this to project on the ceiling or wall as well.  I also have a light box that is activated by noise but the batteries were dead :p

I used some shiny beads, a wind catcher that is shiny and a bell shaker.  All these items make a little noise on their own or when knocked together.  Sophie reached for these toys for over 10 minutes while I held the light box towards it.  It was dusk outside so the effect was quite good.

The above photo shows how the light box catches the reflection of the shiny objects.

Sophie was concentrating very hard!

The next thing we tried was a bin full of glass beads with the light shining on them.  I got this idea from the home page photo at play at home mom.  She uses a full size light box but the one I have worked just as well (Christmas lights would also be great!)

The pictures aren't great because I didn't use a flash and I don't have a tripod but it shows the effect.  Sophie was very curious about the bin and did try to put her hand in it once or twice with a little encouragement. 

I bought the glass beads (on clearance for 30 cents a bag) at Michael's last week.  I found a bunch with glitter in them so they were perfect and added an element of reflection.   I just stuck the light box on it's side right in the bin and lowered the whole thing beside her mat so that she could get her hand in it.

 Kids with CVI need slightly different toys to peak their interest and I think these were a success.  I will try again soon with different items from our play bin.

Growing again

Sophie had an appointment to get new AFO's (ankle foot orthotics) this week because she had grown out of her old ones.  We don't use them alot because I am really bad at remembering to put her in her standing frame.  They get used at her treatment program in the child life room and she tolerates the stander ok for them.  Sophie's hypotonia causes her ankles to collapse when she is bearing any weight.  So the AFO's keep her foot and ankle supported so that she can stand safely and comfortably in her stander.

Sophie did really well while the orthotist did the casting, there was some laughing which meant that it was uncomfortable for her, but she was so curious about what was going on that she got through the whole process by being a bit distracted.

These new AFO's are Sophie's 3rd pair and I was shocked by how much she has grown. No wonder we couldn't wedge her feet in them anymore.  This photo shows just how much bigger the new pair will be!

As it turns out Sophie's orthotist is going on a mission trip in October to Jamaica where they have held a few clinics in the past.  So we donated Sophie's AFO's for another child to use who would not have this equipment otherwise.  They change the straps and and padding and remold them as much as they can to fit the child who is the best match.  I hope another little girl or boy will get lots of use out of them!

If anyone that is in my city has a pair you would like to donate just let me know.  They also take shoes on this trip because children in Jamaica cannot attend school unless they have shoes and lots of children there don't have any.  One more reason to realize that we are so lucky and blessed.

A different path

The first day of school is always a very exciting day at our house.  It has been talked about alot over the last few weeks, we shopped for a first day of school outfit and bought new lunch bags and backpack and all the stuff you need for a new year of school.

Lucas is in grade 3 this year and luckily he is in a class with many of his good friends and his teacher seems very nice (although Lucas said he thinks she is too organized :) , she makes them line up by their tribe number and that cuts into recess don't you know).

Sophie is SK age this year, but we decided with much debate that she will not go to big school until grade one.  She is continuing on her schedule of daycare 2 days a week.  Sophie loves her days at daycare because she is a social being, just like her brother.

It was an extremely painful decision for me to not send her to jk or sk.  I mean, her brother went so why wouldn't she?  Unfortunately things are never cut and dry with our Miss Sophie and I know realistically that we made the right choice but in my heart I ache for her missing out on Kindergarten.

Having a child with special needs is so complex that you never know what is going to throw you into uncertainty and make you second guess every decision you have to make.  But, we are 3 days into the school year and Sophie is very congested and not well.  Physically, medically, I know we made the right choice for her. 

We are having issues with hours for All Kids Belong.  AKB is a government program that provides funding to daycares to have assistants with children who have special needs so that they can attend daycare.  Apparently, now, all kids do not belong as the government has slashed funding for this program.  Our day care lost 10 hours, they are down to 16 hours a week now.  So Sophie will not have one on one assistance when she is at daycare anymore because there are two other SN children at the day care and they need some hours as well.    She will get 3-4 hours a day for her 2 days at care and what this means is that her safety could be in jeapardy if the teachers get busy with another group of children.  She cannot hold a crayon or turn pages of a book or do anything but watch if she does not have one on one care.  You get the idea.  We have asked for a meeting, I'll keep you posted.

We were able to celebrate that Sophie was moved up to the biggest pre-school room at the daycare, she is with all her peers again and with many of her friends that had moved up months ago.  It was the right time for her.   She is curious about the class and hopefully she will thrive and learn new things when we get everything sorted.

I was out shopping with Sophie and my mom last week when I came across a lunch bag and messenger bag that was so cute.  It is covered in adorable little owls and is pink and brown.  I have been using the same diaper bag for Sophie wherever we go for the last 5 years.  I decided that she is a big girl now and needed a big girl bag.  When she hits grade one she will be ready, we may even have to buy another one. ;)

Explore the Bruce

This summer we have headed up to the cottage twice when Sophie was inpatient at her therapy program for a couple days.  When Sophie is away from us we try to spend quality time with Lucas doing things that we are unable to do when Sophie is with us.  When we are at the cottage that involves big hikes in rugged terrain.  Lucas has found a love for hiking over the last few years as we have gone on more and more adventures.  Jason enjoys it because he has no choice ;p

This year for the first time we decided to attempt the Explore the Bruce Passport.  We had been to many of the stops before (they change each year) but had never actually done the stamps.  So Lucas decided that it would be a fun thing to try so try we did.

On a rainy weekend at the beginning of August we headed out and came to our first clue at a little garden nursery that had a beautiful garden you could wander through. It was, of course, pouring rain when we arrived and the owner ran up to our car when we arrived and handed us all these little kids umbrellas. It was so funny to see Jason with this little teeny umbrella, but man were we glad we had them!
The gardens were beautiful with lots to see.  Sophie was keeping an eye on us, I always happen upon a butterfly when we are out and about without her, but it was pouring rain so I knew that this sculpture was there for her to be with us.  Corny I know, but it gets me through my days without her physically near me.

I know, I know.  I got kind of artsy lol.  My first try at changing a photo in PS, what do you think?  I thought this photo was just begging for it :)

This picture doesn't really do the mud involved justice. The sides of the car looked like we had a taupe coloured car. It was definitely a dirty day to be on the back roads of the Bruce.

This wetland was another stop on the Explore the Bruce passport. It was so beautiful and very serene. There was only the sounds of the frogs and the crickets.

As we headed further along the road we came to Colpoy's Bay on the Georgian Bay side.  The boys had a swim which was a bit chilly but not bad.  We found a couple great fossils.  This one had a real obvious footprint in it so it was a keeper.

We stopped by Big Bay and also went to the Bruce Caves again. It is a pretty short hike but the caves are really interesting. This time we came across a bird that was up in the top of the cave and it was sending us some pretty nasty warning cackles. She must have had some babies up there with her.

We also took the boat ride to Chantry Island, it is not accessible by wheelchair and you have to climb the lighthouse so we decided to go, just the three of us.  Times like this make me very sad that Sophie has to miss out on certain experiences just because her body doesn't work the same as ours.  We do make sure to take her everywhere that is possible, and that is all we can do I guess.

Lucas enjoyed the boat ride and the island was beautiful.  It is a migratory bird sanctuary and I swear it looked like we were looking out over Africa from the top of the lighthouse.

Last weekend we went all the way up to Tobermory and did the longish 3 hour hike at Burnt Point Loop trail.  Lucas did awesome as always (why does he need to be carried in the grocery store but can hike 7 km no problem in the woods).  I will save that for another day's post.

Happy back to school tomorrow!

It's the most wonderful time of the year........you know you're singin' it ;)

Masterpiece

I thought that it would be fun to try some painting this weekend before the rush of school starts and all the busy-ness.  So Sophie and I got down to work yesterday and got messy, as did the rug and her chair lol.
I taped down a large piece of paper to cover her tray and then placed the canvas on top of that.
She was curious and thought it was pretty funny to hear the tape ripping.  She helped me put a few foam stickers on the canvas and I just randomly placed some tape on the canvas.

At first I tried to have her hold a little sponge applicator (it is actually a toothette sponge, we used to use them for cleaning Sophie's mouth) I have a thousand of them so it was good recycling lol) but the handle was way to small for her.  So I got out her large handled paint applicator. 

It was much better, but Sophie would toss it right after I let go each time.  In the end I just dipped her hand in the paint, definitely the easiest and Sophie loved the feel of it. She moved her fingers back and forth in the tray, great OT!  I wanted her to do this herself though, so fingers it was.

This is all about active learning and Sophie has a severe vision impairment so I tried to make it very textural for her.  The paint was cold and slimy and we used a bunch of different colours.  I think that Sophie really enjoyed the glitter paint that I put right on her fingers for her to smush around (the glitter also helps catch her eye) and she can feel the foam stickers as she moves her hand around the page. 

Sophie's favourite part might have been helping me pull the tape off when we were done.  It had been a while since we had done some messy painting so I am glad that we made this little effort.  I think her finished painting is quite the masterpiece. 

My favourite things on the web-0-sphere right now for moms of kids with special needs (or any kids!)

I have been rather unfocused on my blog and website searches over the last few months and it has enabled me to happen upon some of the most excellent resources.  You know when you click on one blog link and then you see a blog that they follow that catches your eye, and so on. 
Most of these appeal to me as a mom of a child with special needs, but it need not be.  These are awesome for all kids!

These are not in any particular order........drumroll please...

1.  These two blogs are my new favourites for crafty/sensory play ideas.  They are so awesome that you just have to go to them instead of wasting time reading what I have to say about them.  Do it.  You know you wanna.

http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/

http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/


2.  This is an awesome resource of a plethora of kids books that deal with issues such as disability, worries, illness, all the way to losing a tooth, bedwetting or adoption.  It has it all and it is awesome.

http://www.littleparachutes.com/


3. Counting Coconuts.  I just love saying it lol.  This mom has the. best. sensory tubs. EVER.
Her whole blog is cool so you must check it out.  Here is the link specifically for all her sensory tubs.

http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Sensory%20Tubs

4.  My go to blogs for special needs apps and education.  They are all fabulous.

http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/

http://momswithapps.com/

http://www.snapps4kids.com/


5.  I read all three of this mom's blogs but this one has incredible ideas for adapting things for children with disabilities.
http://adaptions4kidz.blogspot.com/

Another brilliant blog that shows how to adapt items.

http://adaptingcreatively.blogspot.com/


6.  This is the best e-magazine out there that deals with issues of and about children with complex needs.  Actually, I have never found one as good in print either!  It is a must read.

http://www.complexchild.com/

7.  This is a Canada wide access guide.  It has extremely detailed information about what is accessible in destinations within the city of your choosing.

http://www.abilities.ca/agc/index.php

8.  A great blog that celebrates the ups and downs of raising a child with special needs.  Lots of great ideas and inspiration.

http://kidzorg.blogspot.com/

What is on your list??