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 :)     

Riddle of the Sphinx

Valentine's Day was a great opportunity for Caden to get some practice writing as he filled out cards for his classmates. He is pretty shaky with a pen, but using finger grips and weights on his wrists seemed to help. He was very excited to visit with his teacher and the school principals when we dropped the cards off; and being able to participate in a school function over the weekend reminded him why he has been working so hard.

Caden's fingers are getting a "work out" now.  Daily activities with the thera-putty, including cutting with a knife and fork, and now with scissors have been complemented by playing with clothes pins!  Caden's OT recommended playing with them as a way to improve his pinching - and it turns out it is kind of fun too :)

PT is going well, and Caden's homework is always enjoyed much more when we grab a couple of brothers to tough the exercises out with him too. We were all tickled last night when Caden led the boys in a round of push ups.  I think he may have outlasted a couple of them!

Walking with the walker is becoming second nature for Caden.  He is moving more quickly and only teeters or wobbles with it when the surface is rough or he tires.  The next step has been practicing around the kitchen with a quad cane.  Caden thinks this is pretty cool, and can really get moving with it; but will need a bit more practice before he takes the cane on the road.

So here you have Caden's rendition of the Sphinx's riddle:  what starts out on 4 wheels, then on 6 legs, then on 3 legs, and then....?  We'll have to hold out for the last part of the riddle, but we know Caden is hoping it starts with the number 2!

Hey Mr. Groundhog

Caden has not let all this snow and ice deter him from his therapy.  Not only has he made it to all of his outpatient appointments, but he has done some of his homework out in the elements!  Turns out snow tunnels are great for crawling, snow forts are awesome for climbing, and snow ball fights...well, those are just great fun.  Caden's most recent milestone on the PT side is getting to walk down stairs with support.  He had been "bumping" down the stairs, so this is a big step up :)

Pool therapy has continued to be his favorite, but he has also started OT "on land."  It has been great to see him working with his fine motor skills.  He is now using a tougher consistency of thera-putty than what he had been working with at rehab; and is removing/replacing small beads from the putty rather than pennies.  Cutting the putty with a knife and fork is another homework task for Caden.  A combination PT/OT task has been for him to use window crayons to write and draw on the kitchen windows.  It has made for some interesting window dressing, especially when his older brothers decided that was a pretty fun way to study for midterms!

Caden completed his speech evaluation last week, so we are looking forward to the start of speech therapy.  He is chatting more and will occasionally join in with songs playing on the radio just like he used to.  It brings a smile to all of our faces.

 



On the move, with a crawl

These have been busy days for Caden as we are finding some rhythm in the new routine.  PT has introduced new and more difficult exercises for him to practice, and he continues to work on stabilizing his trunk and strengthening his core.

Caden's favorites at the moment are his race track (where he has to crawl around the perimeter of the living room on all fours - two weeks ago he couldn't crawl more than a yard and now he makes it two laps!) and "Ping Pong Therapy". The latter is just playing assisted ping pong with his brothers, but brings lots of giggles and must involve PT (he stands) and OT (hand-eye coordination), right?

He is now able to use his walker by himself; and we have visited school hallways, malls and supermarkets to do some walking despite the snow and ice outside. The therapist noted this week how much he has improved since they did their initial evaluations.  Keep up the hard work, Caden!

We've tried to get out as much as possible, despite the weather.  It appears that Caden is talking a little bit more with people outside of the family; it just takes him a little while to get warmed up, literally! :)

Starting a New Year

The first week of the New Year was a busy one as Caden adjusted to being back at home. The PT and OT evals went well at the outpatient facility, and Caden even managed to squeeze in a pool therapy session. Caden enjoys pool therapy, and particularly liked trying out a squirt toy that he managed to spray both mom and dad with from some range ;) Definitely improving those fine motor skills!

Meanwhile, our home therapy sessions have gone well too. Caden is really making progress with his walker and needs much less support. His speech continues to improve (or we are getting really good at speaking Caden!). And nothing beats "brother therapy".

We have had fun getting out and about this week, including watching some basketball games. Caden was delighted to speak with the boys Varsity team and coach prior to a home game this week; and then got to help cheer them on to a great victory. The team autographed a ball for Caden that he takes very special care of so that the names don't come off. Thank you so much guys!