Milestones

Last week marked 6 months since Caden suffered his brain injury.  Sometimes it seems like September 23rd was yesterday, and at other times we would swear that it was years ago!  In commemoration (ha!), Caden had an MRI.  If you ever want to witness an 8 year old boy fidget, lay him in a tunnel wearing a helmet that looks like a hockey mask, create clankety, clackety noises at incredibly high decibels, and tell him to be still for an hour :)

It has also been 3 months this week since Caden came home.  Therapy and school keep him very busy.  Our living room looks more like a gym each day; and I may have to clean out a china cabinet to store his school supplies.  To break up the home therapy routine, we've started to create some mini obstacle courses.  So far they are pretty simple, but seem to keep Caden amused.

Just as when you are with your child every day, you don't notice how much they have grown; when you are with Caden daily, you may not perceive how much he has progressed.  When he left rehab he was just getting used to his walker - now he can walk with his cane and/or holding hands.  At that point he was only beginning to speak again - now he likes to chat, albeit slowly ;)  Little steps, every day. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Caden wanted to share a little luck o' the Irish today!  He has been working hard:  the whistles, curly straws and milkshakes seem to be paying off as his voice continues to get stronger.  Another PT milestone was made as Caden took some hops on the mini-trampoline.  He is working on his handwriting workbook with the goal of catching up to his classmates :); solves a money math problem each morning with his breakfast; and is striving to be able to read and retell his reading homework. 

Last week Caden was able to participate with his classmates in after-school Bingo.  It was wonderful for him to see his friends again!  Caden enjoyed playing Bingo - especially when it was his teacher's turn to call out the numbers.  He can't wait to go in and visit his class again.

Although we have assured Caden that his injury could have happened at any time and anywhere, Caden was a little fearful of the school playground.  With the company of one of his teachers, the three of us headed out to the playground after Bingo so that Caden could see it wasn't such a scary place.  Confronting his fear was a great success:  Caden even went down the slide and decided the playground is A OK!

A Hop and a Walk

Caden continues to make progress in therapy, practicing some old things and trying some new ones.  For example, his PT has been encouraging him to try and jump.  Nothing big.  Just a little jump.  He has stood on a mini-trampoline a few times and tentatively bent his knees.  It is obviously a little scary for him, and the motor planning is hard as well.  As he was navigating an obstacle course, the therapist asked him to jump down from a mat while holding on to her hand.  Caden gave it some thought the first go around, but stepped off instead.  The second time, off he went with a little hop.  Hurrah!  Since then, I have caught him practicing jumping when he uses his walker -- some times he is a little more successful than others :)  

This week also brought an addition to the schedule:  school!  Caden started home instruction with 3 wonderful teachers.  He looks forward to their arrival each day.  They have brought whistles, manipulatives, and wonderful stories.  By the end of the week he was logging in more school time than he had at rehab. 

One of Caden's favorite things pre-injury was taking weekend walks with his dad and his dog.  We reminded Caden of those walks often during his hospital and rehab stays--both to bring back happy memories, and to remind him that with hard work he would go on those walks again.  Well, the weather got a little warmer this week and we were able to venture outside a little.  First, Caden and I ventured around the block; then on Saturday, off we went with Carl and Scout.  The walk was a great success:  Caden made it out and back, and got to visit with a friendly horse and donkey along the way.  While Caden was petting the horse, the donkey slurped Caden's hand resulting in at first surprise, then a whole bunch of giggles :)