UVA Constraint Therapy ~ Day 2

Another great day ends with two very tired kiddos.  Therapy wasn't until 1pm today so we spent the morning at the local Bounce-n-Play.  Reagan ran into a friend she met last August.  They had a great time playing and have already setup a play date for next week.  I was able to take a few phone calls for work while Emily watched the kids.  After playing for a couple hours we headed to the hospital for Day 2.

Therapy today was with Sue and started with lunch.  It's a great time to focus on a really tough skill.  Primarily the therapists are working on supination.  Which in layman's terms means rotating her wrist outward.  This is close to impossible for Reagan but she worked really hard today.  One of the lessons I always have to be reminded is that therapy is about the PROCESS not about the OUTCOME.  So where I am used to helping Reagan open her lunch bag, helping her clean up the trash and pushing the chair back under the table, she must do everything by herself or ask for help while we are here.  She has to open and close all doors and get things out and put them away all with her left hand and by herself.  And given this is about PROCESS I am always surprised by how long everything takes.  Eating every chip one by one and slowly and deliberately raising her hand to her mouth.  There is absolutely NOTHING better than seeing her struggle through a task, accomplish it, and see that smile at the end when she realizes she CAN do it.  Trust me, there are many failed attempts, many chips on the floor, and many disappointed looks, but the determination in our child makes me so proud to be her mother.

In addition to lunch and cleaning up the table, Reagan played several games to help strengthen and improve the dexterity of her left hand.  She played Cranium - but as with everything else while we are here, it's about GETTING there NOT about BEING there.  So she has to pick the card with left, crawl to the board weight bearing on left, using the key to open the door with left, and putting the ball in the right hole with left.  She also started lifting weights!  Yup, it's true!  This is a move I've seen many times at the gym.  She placed her arm on the table and had to lift a one pound weight to strength her wrist.  She was barely able to lift her wrist, but we will be working on this over the next month and hope to see some progress!  Right now during her "at rest" position her wrist is bent forward and our hope is to see her being able to lift her wrist and "see wrinkles".  This is a homework task I'm sure we'll take home with us tomorrow!

After therapy today we decided to take a trip to Barnes and Noble and I let Reagan pick out two books.  The kids had a great time followed by a trip to Toys R Us to get some games for Cole.  Unfortunately we are struggling a little keeping him entertained while Reagan is in therapy.  So we bought two games we're hoping he will play during his time here.  And I finally gave in and bought Reagan the Brave bow and arrow set she has wanted for a while now.  It's all the name of therapy right?  I'm sure her dad would prefer the "real" set from Dick's that she asked for last weekend, but I figured this is a good start to see if she likes it.  I was a little worried about it being too hard, but she did GREAT!  SUCH a great two handed activity!  Rotating her left hand and stabilizing the bow while the right pulls will definitely strengthen her wrist.

In closing, I want to share a picture from the new hospital.  It is a really cool mural on the wall in the waiting room of the therapy facility.  It is comprised of 40 triangles (about 1' x 2' each) that rotate to create one large image/mural.  The kids can go up to the wall and rotate the images to change it and create whatever picture they want (using the three sides of each of the 40 triangles).  Today when I walked out it read, "Adventure" and had a picture of a boat sailing in choppy waters.  I couldn't help but think how much that mural described our lives. This is an adventure and we're along for the ride.  We didn't choose this path and I would give anything to not be walking these halls, but here we are.  And if we can face every day as an adventure it will make the journey that much more bearable...manageable…dare I say fun?  It's ironic because I often tell the kids we're going on an adventure.  And many times they will be in the backseat as I'm thinking through where we are going and what we're doing and I will hear Cole say, "Mom, where are we going?"  And Reagan will chime in, "We're going on an adventure Cole."  It may be to a hospital or it may be to a park.  But really…everything in life can be seen as an adventure if you just open your aperture to the possibilities.  Some days are easier than others, but I have come to believe that it really is all about perspective.