Equipment

Sophie has a new bed! She's been working so hard to get her core strength built up so that she can handle getting in and out of her bed without falling. Last night we set it up and she loves it. Unfortunately, she flops around quite a bit in her sleep and the safety bars are no match for her. So, for a while, we'll be pushing up a toy box and pillows next to it to help contain her. For us, this bed is a big deal. We even had it written into a few of her IFSPs as a goal.

The 2nd new item in the house comes to us from our new Physical Therapist. Until this month Sophie had been getting PT off site. We loved it because it got us out of the house and they had lots of great equipment. Our PT moved in June and our new PT is going on maternity leave. So, we are now having Mr. B come over once a week to do therapy in the home. We'll be going outside when we can and even other places, like a local indoor playground.

Today Mr. B delivered a pediatric walker. Kids benefit from these walkers for many reasons. For Sophie, having Ds has meant lower muscle tone and loose hips, both things that make learning to walk quite a challenge. When we were going off site for PT, we couldn't get Sophie interested in using a walker. Now, she's walking pretty well (getting stronger, more confident, balanced, and choosing to walk vs. crawl more and more every day) Actually, her walking and scooting on the stairs today blew Mr. B away.

Still, though she can use the walker at home with ease, I think the challenge will come outside of the home. Sophie prefers to be barefoot as even socks can bother her. That means that when we leave the house in socks and shoes, she usually needs to be carried or ride in the stroller.

It will be interesting the first time we take her out in public with it. Maybe we can even see if she can do a little bit of the Buddy Walk with it. Now that would be something, walking the Buddy Walk.

For another mom's perspective, be sure to read Amy's post HERE.

and yes, those are Halloween mats on the floor. I just had the carpet cleaned and I figure, if you can't beat 'em - join 'em. So far they've worked out quite well.