Christina and Daddy choosing flash cards.



Playng in the gait trainer.



Christina likes to talk on the phone.



Wagon rides are a favorite.

Christina has been swinging, she learned how much fun it is to spin around in the swing. As christina pushed herself with her legs and pulled with her arms the swing teetered. When she let go and the swing spun around there was a look of surprise and scared. But not for long; a smile quickly came and a laugh followed. So i spun her around more winding the swing and we counted and let go. Christina was a little worried when it first started spinning but liked it enough to do again. 

Christina has also been continuing her walks in the gait trainer. It is difficult for her to move it by herself again. After the phenol and botox christina went backwards with using the gait trainer. She is getting it back and I expect she will leap ahead soon. 

Daddy's Log : 20100808

It was a good weekend overall. The weather was too warm for Christina and I so we only ventured out in the morning. We went for walks and played for short periods and then would go inside to cool off and get a drink. Then back out for something else. By afternoon it was inside only.

This gave me the opportunity to try other ideas with the swing. To avoid caring on, I will describe only one. Christina wore her harness(a child size mountain climbing harness) and we hooked to the rope and up she went. I can not describe the feeling I had of her accomplishments. Christina did not cry or have a look of dispair. She waited for this new activity with patience and I think was even a little eager. Christina held her head up beautifully. She spun around a little and I gave her a little push when I got the OK.

I was overwhelmed by Christina and will get a picture up soon to show what I am talking about.

Reminder: Miracle Treat Day Aug 5th

Get a Blizzard at participating Dairy Queens.

Reminder: Miracle Treat Day Aug 5th

Get a Blizzard at participating Dairy Queens.

Daddy's Log : 20100801
Once again Christina has proceeded to entertain. I had the idea that we could switch from using the flash cards to using the switch. My thoughts were not shared with Christina. Christina was tolerant of me as I placed the cards into the slots and recorded the messages. The setup: Christina was in her chair; I was on the floor in front of her; the switch was on her tray; the button choices with cards for visual are 'All Done', 'More', 'Sing', 'Bubbles'.

Christina's fun then began. With a straight face and determined movement Christina pressed all done as soon as we started. I asked if she would like sing or bubbles. Christina continued with pressing all done. After several times of pressing all done, Christina then took it to the next level and also signed all done. I continued my inquiry of sing or bubbles. Christina then started to crack a smile. After a few more presses of all done with the sign to go with it Christina began laughing. She could no longer hit all done without laughing. With a smirk Christina agreed to make a selection between singing and bubbles.

As a note to adults, be sure you can pull the bubble wand out of the bottle when you tell a child you are going to blow bubbles. Why the bubble wand is so short in respect to the bottle is beyond me. And why is the opening so small. The econo size bottle is not user friendly. And do not leave paper out that you do not want to get drenched while bubbles are floating everywhere. The bubbles can get everywhere and when they pop they leave a lot of residue.

My difficulty getting the wand out of the bottle of bubble solution made for a good time for Christina. Nothing like getting laughed at by a four year old because you are unable to complete a simple task. The more frustration I showed the harder Christina laughed.

Daddy's Log : 20100730

I am pleased to spend time with Christina this evening. It seems that I have been missing Christina more lately. Although it is sad for me, that is the way it is. After some suggestions from others I have begun looking for differences in Christina's behaviour. I did not know how to take that at the time. Now, still unsure how to feel about it, it has me more concerned about Christina.

The Junior Fair was this weekend. Christina enjoyed the kid's tent and petting zoo. Christina did well waiting her turn in line for the games. We also went for a few wagon rides this weekend. Christina is a huge fan of the wagon, she tries extra hard to keep her head up.

With the warm weather it was a good time to go through the sprinkler. A nice way to cool off from the fair.

Christina and I also experimented with the swing. Daddy got some ideas from Peg and we tried them on Sunday.

Christina has been playing with flash cards and her switch for awhile. It has gone well, but Sunday she showed off. Christina displayed how smart she is and her four year old attitude. We had a blast. She couldn't keep a serious look for long and busted out laughing every time she hit the switch to tease me.

Daddy's Log : 20100729

Today was a busy day. We started with a walk by the river. Christina picked flowers and held them until ST started. Christina had ST today, then we went home and Mary and Peg came over for a home visit. Christina was not happy, but showed them how well she eats lunch. Barb also came over today. Three appointments today; one for Christina, one for myself, and one for the two of us.

Peg brought us a wagon to try. It works great with Christina's seat2go. THANK YOU Peg. After the smiles today, I am on a mission to find a wagon that will fit her chair.

Christina even slept for nap today. A good sign it was a busy day.

Marley is missed. Here is a link to a tribute.