Many, many things

I was practicing my flashcards. All the cards I identified correctly went into one pile and those incorrect into another. The following day, after a cram study session, I had already learned some cards from the "I didn't know" pile. Oh, how quickly I learn. Then, after having practiced it a few times, I get bored. I need refreshing, interesting activities. I need to be kept entertained. Otherwise, I begin to wander.

I returned to therapy today, after the big trip to St. Louis. Last time I was here, everything seemed to be going well. That all changed after St. Louis. We told our PT, Ms. Greta, that we had been prescribed more PT. Lots more. Right now I receive 30 minutes, twice a week and I will now requite 60 minutes three times a week. She advised that she does not have that availability.

We did some preliminary searching for new a new therapist to see what else was available. It takes a lot of time to research and review our available choices. Luckily or unluckily, Sarasota is still a somewhat small town and there aren't that many options. That's all there is to report for now.

The evaluation in St. Louis also noted that I don't have a stander. This shocked and puzzled the therapists evaluating me. How can I have a gait trainer and not a stander? Standers come first and build strength and endurance of your legs. On one site, it even says "prepares for gait training." They gave me a prescription for a mobile stander. It is serious equipment and though it requires its user to be genuine, it does not require its user to be humorless. Please click on sidebar to see what I mean.

St. Louis prescribed us a McKie splint for my thumb. It provides thumb extension and supination of my right hand. My old glove never even had a chance. I guess it had premonition of what its future might be (laying in a dark drawer) and took off. I haven't seen it since before my trip.

The McKie splint had never been heard of or seen by my therapists. Needless to say, they will not be ordering it for me. We contacted the company today and will order it ourselves tomorrow. Our to-do list keeps getting longer.

My toys have to come off of the floor and onto tables if I want to play with them. This was more advice from St. Louis. We got a train table this weekend. We are training my brain to think "up" for everything. They give good advice.

I have to gradually increase my standing to two hours a day. I was working on that earlier this week when my dad and Oma were here. Today, however, I took a 3.5 hour nap and refused to stand at all. All that hard work (and nap refusal) must have caught up to me. My right leg was really tight today.

Lastly, I had a pediatric ophthalmologist examine my eyes and they were able to obtain measurements for my strabismus/eye strengthening surgery. They used Elmo to help distract me. How did they know? We have scheduled that for September. Apparently, I can travel back home the day of surgery after surgery.

At the CP center, the doctors all share information regarding their patients. They also all specialize in CP. We're glad we went.

I had Conductive Ed. with Zsuzsi on Saturday. It was my first session and it lasts 1.5 hours. I learned how to scoot myself across the floor while laying on my back on top of a skateboard. It was like driving, only on my back, on a skateboard, and with no license or vehicle. This will definitely be a valuable skill that I can apply to everyday life. But seriously, I have already learned a lot from Conductive Ed. I like the way Zsuzsi thinks. She always moves from one activity to the next and she sings to me! I'll do anything for a song. I snapped and unsnapped beads together with two hands; stood with my back against the wall for over five seconds and no hands; rolled down the ramp (both sides) by myself; learned how to get down from a stool onto the floor (falling down). We did all kinds of cool stuff. My friend Talan watched me and now he wants Conductive Ed. too! Everybody was impressed.

On Sunday I met my CP friends Talan and Jake at YMCA Splash Park. We had a lot of fun. I crawled around in tub deep water and under sprinklers. I was upset about leaving, even though it was way past lunchtime and I had not eaten much. Maybe next time I can visit the slides and food court there.

I am having more issues with sleeping and separation. Maybe it's because I have been with both of my parents continually for many days and we all slept in the same bed in St. Louis. Now, even though I appear sound asleep, I wake up every time they leave my room. We're readjusting now. It involves a lot of screaming and crying to myself once it's bedtime. I even wake myself up for a session, but it's gradually getting shorter as the days pass.