Fishing Rodeo

Thanks to AAPVI (Alabama Association of Parents of Children with Visual Impairment), Jack had his first fishing trip on Saturday. It was sweltering hot and Jack was having a difficult "allergy" day but we still had a blast!

Oaky.... so he really wasn't all that interested in fishing but he humored me for a bit and sat with me.

Uncle Noah WAS all about the fishing. This is just one of the many fish that Noah caught that day. Unfortunately the lighting, the lake, and the color of the fish did not combine to make great pictures so it was hard to see the fish in most of the pictures we got of Noah and his fish.

Jack and I caught our first fish when we had put our cane pole down to get a picture of Noah with his fish. Here I am trying to get Jack to pose with the fish. That poor fish had the misfortune to be spinning around when I put it in front of Jack so Jack gave it a whack with his hand and sent it spinning some more! LOL!

Oma and Opa took Jack for a walk and look what I did!

Jack's favorite parts of the trip were the interesting brick tiles in the stable, the drain in the stable, just generally running to and fro and eating hot dogs and COOKIES!!! All in all it was awesome. Each of these little adventures helps Jack to see how much fun it is to hang out with other people and try new things.

Introducing "Cane"

Jack has a new constant companion. No, no, Irish has not been replaced. Where Jack goes, Irish usually goes too but now you'll be seeing Jack, Irish, and "Cane". I read somewhere that it's good for a child who uses a cane to name it. As typical with Jack, he names things what they are [He's got a plush puppy named Woof woof, a barking plush dog named Barking Dog, etc.]. So his cane is Cane.

A cane? Why does Jack have a cane? He's not blind! No, he is not completely blind. I think my recent Life at Dusk post gives a fair analogy of what Jack's sight is like. The cane is for Jack like glasses are for a near-sighted child, it helps him to better understand what he sees. It helps him to better navigate the world around him.

But Jack already wears glasses! Yes, he does. The glasses protect his eyes. Jack's visual impairment is caused by optic nerve atrophy and cortical visual impairment. The problem is not the image that comes into his eyes. His eyes themselves actually do a great job and only need a slight amount of correction. So the glasses don't really help his vision in a functional way.

Here are a few more articles that might help you to better understand Jack's cane use.

Why Do You Want to Make that Child Blind?

STEP TOWARD EQUALITY: CANE TRAVEL TRAINING FOR THE YOUNG BLIND CHILD

Blind Enough for A Cane?

We introduced the cane late last week. David really got Jack's attention by taking the cane and walking around in our tiled bathroom. David didn't say a word but Jack heard that cane tapping and ran after David to see what was going on. Here's a shot of that first evening.

David's next step as Jack's orientation and mobility instructor was to take Jack on an outdoor walk. Jack is already familiar with our home so he prefers not to use the cane in the home. David knew that we needed Jack to see that the cane actually benefitted him.

David is carrying a bamboo walking stick to simulate a cane and showing Jack how to keep the cane in front of him.

It wasn't long before Jack got the idea.

Of course, he's a little boy and he wanted to have a little fun like his Uncle Noah.

Here's a short video taken during this first cane outing.

After walking around on the sidewalk for a while we decided to try locating and going up and down curbs. Jack is very used to having to stop and shuffle walk until he finds the edge of the curb with his feet. Here's David trying to help him realize the cane can help him find the curb so he can continue his normal pace.

Jack discoved on his own that the cane helped him to "see" that the white lines in the parking lot were flat and not elevated. He was fascinated by this and ran his cane over and over the area.

Here's Jack proudly posing with his cane. He told me "Achoo [it's how we used to get him to smile for pictures] take a picture."

Learning how to manage the cane in the grass.

Tap tap tap on the wall

Using the cane to explore the park

Fun fun fun

He's still a little boy so sometimes he has to be reminded that the cane goes on the ground not waved around in the air.

Still perfecting the technique for uneven ground

Crossing a bridge over the creek

Hey Daddy, come sit with us on the creek bank!

Click for more Wordless Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday posts.

How to Get the Perfect Posed Shot

Back in December of last year, I gave a tutorial on How to Get the Perfect Group Shot. So many of you laughed uncontrollably over my lack of skills found my tutorial to be helpful so I've decided to help you with another lesson. Today, we'll talk about capturing the perfect posed shot.

Step 1: Seat subject in front of lovely background and get him prepared for the shot.

*ahem* Prepared for the shot?

Alrighty then!

Step 2: Snap your lovely picture.

Uh....focus? Did I forget to mention focusing the camera?

Eh....if subject looks up at camera while sitting in front of lovely background and you've got him in focus, just snap the picture, his shirt got dirty before the photo session so you know you weren't going to send it out anyway he's so adorable he looks great smiling or not!

Gotta Know When...

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

Who doesn't get excited when a child surprises you with a new skill? And what kid isn't excited to learn a new skill? Most of the time kids are pretty excited to show off their new skills and we (their parents) are very excited to see them do it and will ask them to do it again repeatedly.

Jack has recently begun jumping with two feet off the ground. He was joyously jumping one evening and I was, of course, excitedly encouraging him. He did this over and over and over again. When suddenly I remembered that I needed to get it on tape so that I would be able to use it on the blog in order to preserve this precious moment for posterity.

When I reviewed the tape, it reminded me of something very important. Sometimes you gotta know when to stop asking for more more more more. Jack WAS having fun jumping and had been having fun jumping. Then I got the camera out and wanted him to perform even MORE so I could show off so all of you could delight in his accomplishments too because I knew that he would enjoy watching himself on video later. But really when the new skill is getting old or your kiddo is just plain old tired, give it a rest. The skill is not going to go away overnight and they'll be much more willing to do a repeat if you don't wear them out. So just remember, if it's not fun anymore and it's just a performance try backing off. You will get to see it again. Just give it a little time.

Jack's still jumping and getting better at it all the time. I'll get more video of it later when he's in a jumping mood!

Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
Going to the Movies
What Happens at Home
Try Something Old
For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.

Happy 2010!

What better time to reflect than New Year's Day?

We have had an awesome year. Jack only had one minor outpatient surgery combined with a couple of minor procedures, we made only one trip to Dallas and we have not been to the Children's ER at all this year. All those things are amazing and I want to thank those of you who prayed for us in each of those things.

Truly though, all of that seems to be icing on the cake. So, what's the cake?

Jack!

I know, I know. Each of those things is about Jack.

This may sound really strange but I feel so much closer to Jack now than I have in his other four and a half years of life.

What?!!?

The day Jack was born I got to meet the little guy that it seems I spent my whole life praying for.

I did not fall in love that day. I had already been in love with him. I did. I truly loved him. The fact that he was born different did nothing to change the fact that I was madly in love with him already.

BUT...I am a nurse and a former physical rehabilitation nurse at that. Because of that and my personality and predispositions, I viewed Jack from a medical model. The diagnosis was Apert syndrome.

I don't remember ever hearing of it until he was born. The night Jack was born, David researched Apert syndrome. He returned to the hospital with loads of information for me and the hospital staff. Within days of my discharge, I joined the Apert.org listserve and began gathering information.

My son had Apert syndrome. I was determined to learn everything I could so that we could be prepared to fix everything that we needed to fix.

We began physical therapy when he was only a few months old. We added occupational therapy and speech therapy as he got older. I watched the therapists work with Jack and I tried to do what they did at home. I constantly pushed for Jack to do more and more and more. He's a smart, resilient little boy and I knew he could do more.

I did not understand why he was not talking yet and why he began resisting any efforts at directed play.

Back in November of last year, I realized that my focus was not where it should be. Then, in the early part of this year, I had a breakthrough. I realized that Jack already had therapists and teachers and if we lost a therapist or teacher we could get a new one. There was one thing that I could do that noone else could. No one else could be this little guy's Mama.

So I took what I thought was a big step backward. I fought any urges that I had to do therapy at home. We simply went about our daily lives which included lots of play. Instead of directing Jack's play, I let Jack take the lead. I followed him and watched to see what interested him.

I imitated him. I physically got down on the floor and played the way he did. I quit pushing for more and tried to enjoy each moment for whatever interaction we had.

We grew closer. I understood him more and more. We truly enjoyed playing together. Rather than playing alone or just watching a video, he sought me out for more interaction.

As the year progressed, so has Jack's development. He attempts more and more speech and he is speaking much more clearly. His balance and coordination have improved. He is becoming more independent in all areas. He engages other people more and more. You can tell being around him that he is more confident than ever.

I firmly believe that taking the pressure off has been the best thing I've ever done as Jack's mom. I switched from the medical approach of fixing him to the mothering approach of loving him just exactly the way he is.

That's my cake. It's the best cake I've ever tasted and so each week, I've been sharing the recipe with you through the Life Is Therapy series. There is nothing more rewarding than truly enjoying exactly where a little person is while helping them to do just a little more.

Success breeds success. This year, I wish you much success and joy as you and your little (and big ones too) grow together.

Happy New Year! I have a feeling this one's gonna be a blur of activity....

Of course, don't forget to check out this week's installment of Life is Therapy.

Sometimes It Takes a Daddy

Jack and I go to the park alot. He loves to be outside and around other kids. I like the fresh air. But there are some things that Jack just won't ever get on when we're at the park. I've tried to show him how much fun the different equipment can be but he balks at the idea and heads toward more familiar ground.

David is usually at work when we are at the park but every now and then he gets to join us too. And look what happened....

Maybe this bouncy thing is not so terrible.

Yeah, no big deal. I can totally do this!

I'm holding tight!

Faster, Daddy, Faster!

Watch this!

For the readers, Mama, I know you're gonna blog this!

And here's something we never get when we are at the park without David (Daddy), a picture of Mama and wee little babe (hey, he's always my baby!)

Hope you enjoyed our evening at the park!

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of Life is Therapy.