Ducks & Dominoes

Happy to be getting a nice massage again! Thanks Mel!

Another therapy dog came in today. Emily was in love with him. She was kissing and hugging on him. He was so gentle and soft. Such a cute little boy.

Em was a crazy cage dancer today. She was jumping and dancing and running!

They make therapy fun by turning everything into a game. She got to throw workout balls at me!

While she did her walker today she was playing Human Dominoes knocking over Katie & Rachel! What good sports!

After therapy we found a nice park to go to on a river. We walked the trails and fed the little duckies! So much fun! Maaaaaybe there was a sign saying not to feed the ducks... but we are REBELS!

Ready, Set, Repair!

It was quite a hassle but after an entire morning of phone calls, emails, and a 30 mile drive, we found a place to fix Em's chair. Whew! The technician who fixed it was such a nice guy! We were so happy to have a working chair we could have hugged him!

Sorry for the lack of pictures today. Since we were dealing with wheelchair issues the whole time Emily was in therapy there wasn't much time to snap photos. She worked on her peanut ball, crawling, walker, and biking again today. She got back into the UGL cage and she is already working with more weight than last time. She loves to blow kisses to her therapists... What a lover!

 

Here she is grunting as she pushes those weights! Her motivation today: see how hard you can kick Rachel!

Busted Bolts

Another shopping day. Today we found an outdoor mall and it was actually DRY outside long enough to shop and walk around for a while. It was nice to get some fresh air, finally.

We were sitting around the kitchen table at 9 o'clock tonight with Emily in her wheelchair. She was looking a little uneasy in her chair and then pulled on her seat belt and the whole thing came right off. Turns out her chair had lost a bunch of parts and the back of the frame came unbolted from the bottom of the frame. It was holding on by only one bolt. In Michigan. On a Sunday. 9 o'clock at night. No Reliable Medical Supply company to be found in the state. We started making phone calls but have to wait until Monday to do anything about it. Bummer end to the day :(

Water & Wardrobes

The weekend is here! Emily got to sleep in today so we had a late brunch. We went to the Great Lakes Crossing outlet mall and did some shopping in the afternoon. There is a Disney Outlet store here and she found some Cinderella Bride dolls. They rode home in seat belts so they were nice & safe just like Em :)

We went into Children's Place and she discovered the full length mirrors where she spent most of her time dancing and kissing herself!

Our hotel this year has a pool! When we got home from shopping we got suited up and went for a swim. Emily splashed and kicked for almost an hour. With all that exercise we thought she would be exhausted, but instead she was an energy-filled giggle box the rest of the night! Quite entertaining for us.

Pirates & Princess Parties

We can't catch a break from this precipitation! Mostly rain but if it's not raining it's snowing or sleeting.The Euro-peds parking lot is under about a foot of water in certain places.

Today Mel put Emily to work crawling everywhere she went. Her crawling posture and endurance have already improved a whole bunch in just one short week. She is getting stronger! She's doing a lot of exercises with the big peanut ball too. She walks out on the ball and pushes Katie over and then "saves" her by pulling her back. She is strengthening her glutes and pelvis muscles with this activity. She is also continuing to work on tailor sitting and goes on bike rides around the building. She gets to bike into the elevator and take a ride!

While we were at therapy we got an exciting invitation. A local high school girl named Mikayla organized a Runway Show Fundraiser for Euro-peds and Emily got to be the "poster girl" for the event. They got her two tiaras to decorate and made her the guest of honor. They were modeling prom dresses and Emily clapped for everyone as they came out! After the show all the models came over to meet her and take pictures. She was in heaven being the center of attention!

 We found this sweet pirate in the hallway. Maybe he is their school mascot? Not sure, but we thought he was pretty cool!

Cages & Comedy

It's been a rainy trip so far! It has rained every day that we have been here. Luckily, Emily has Mel & the girls to brighten up her days! She has been working really hard but enjoying every minute of it.

 

She worked in another cage today. This one is different from the UGL she used yesterday. She wears a harness and gets hooked up to the cage in all four corners with big bungee cords. She is actually able to stand on her own in here. She works on reaching for things and bending down. They work all different parts of her body while she is in the cage.

They tied Barneys to the cage so Emily could reach for them. Barney's foot got stuck and wouldn't come off the bungee cord so Emily was trying to launch it at Katie! Katie played along and was very theatrical so Emily had a great time making everyone laugh.

 

Peanuts & Pulleys

Emily starts out each day at Euro-peds with massage and stretching. She gets heat packs placed under and over her legs to warm up and relax her muscles. Mel lets her play with Barney books and watch Barney movies to keep her occupied during stretching.

 

Today she did a variety of workouts including walker, crawling, peanut ball, and a weight lifting system called UGL. This consists of a table that Emily lays on surrounded by a big cage which uses cords and pulleys to facilitate weight lifting with her legs. Barney played a key role in motivation!

She has so much fun at therapy that it is hard to get her to leave! She just wants to stay and play all day. Kudos to our therapists Mel & Katie for their extremely high energy level and ability to keep Miss High Maintenance so entertained! Katie lets Em push her around, for therapeutic purposes, of course ;)

 

Since Emily's surgery in September 2011 she has not been able to tailor sit (cross leg.) She had hardware brackets placed in her hips during surgery which prevented her body from being able to get into this position. When she had the hardware removed in September 2012 we tried to work on getting back into tailor sitting. She was very nervous to try since it had been a year of not doing it and her muscles were also not used to it anymore. They have been working on this and have already made great progress!