Helping her get walking

(PIC- Practicing)

I was on a forum and there were a few people asking for advice for getting their 2 year olds walking so I thought I'd put my response on here, in case anyone wants to check it out.

Elena, who's almost 3, didn't start walking independently until about 2 months after she turned 2. In fact, we were at a Halloween store looking for costumes and she just started walking about the store! Everyone was right when they said one day she'd just up and start walking. Just like that. She had the physical strength to walk long before that but was scared. I did tons of exercises with her that made her VERY mad but was worth it. Start very small with letting her hand go while she's standing. Let go for only a couple seconds. Gradually add time. Keep doing this and then add distance between you. It sounds simple but it will take a long time to get her to do it. I know it did with my daughter. Every physical therapy session was filled with screams because she would cling to me for dear life.


(PIC- More practicing while holding onto adult cane for support and child's cane. It took her a long time before she'd hold her cane in front.)

One thing her therapist said to try was to have her hold a ace bandage or something else that stretches and you have the other end. That way she feels some support and comfort but you are still helping. Once she's comfortable with that, try having her hold a toy with no support from you. With Elena, just holding something, even if I wasn't on the other end, made her comfortable enough to try walking. You can also try holding her elbow instead of her hand. The elbow has very few nerves so she'll feel like she's not getting a lot of support but will be. I did this a lot while playing on the floor with her.

We also used musical toys or snacks to motivate her to walk to me. Making a big deal about her walking or even standing is important. You might feel silly at first, I know I did, but I've found it really helps. For Elena, this works better than a treat. I clap and yell "YAY! YOU DID IT! You stood up" and give hugs and kisses. Make sure you tell them what you are praising them for. They might not understand it yet but they will.


(PIC- Walking with the ring gave her confidence to walk by herself.)

I remember, before Elena started walking, I honestly wondered if she'd ever walk. I thought about it all the time and worried constantly. There were times when she didn't seem to be making any progress. I thought I must have been doing something wrong. Thank goodness for Elena's therapists. They kept telling me I was doing everything I was supposed to. They kept me sane! lol.

Questions?

So looking back on my blog I've noticed a lot of talk about Elena but not so much about her blindness or the early stages of raising her. This blog is supposed to be not only about Elena, but also her blindness so I guess I'm looking for any questions from anyone about raising a child with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia or any kind of blindness really. I have so much stuff in my head it's hard to know where to start. So please, any and all questions you have, just let me know!

New Park

Elena and I went on a walk today and had a pleasant discovery. About 2 streets over is a great little park. It has several small slides which is perfect for Elena. There's almost no one there so I don't have to worry about her getting trampled. And no waiting in line for the swings. Most of the playground is shaded and there's even a drinking fountain. That's the first park in a while that I've seen a drinking fountain. Elena hasn't gotten the hang of drinking from one though. At least she enjoys playing in it. :)





I met a nice woman who was there with her husband and son. Her son is only 2 weeks older than Elena. She said they go to that park all the time. I hope I run into her again. It was nice to have an adult conversation. I love Elena to death but she's terrible at conversations. lol I'm so glad the weather is finally warm. There are many park days ahead!

Playing Catch!

My baby girl has learned to catch a ball! About a month ago, the weather took a break from winter long enough that we could go outside for a bit. After about 15-20 minutes of practice, Elena caught the ball! I couldn't believe it. I had her stand up and told her to put her arms out. I took her arms and showed her how to hold them. She kept putting them down so it took awhile to get her to hold them out. She does pretty good at throwing the ball but sometimes throws it behind her.

Elena already knows how to roll and catch the ball while sitting down so the concept was already there. When we play, I either say "One, two, three..." then roll the ball or say "Ready, set, go..." and roll the ball. She loves having me count in English and Spanish. I have her say it too when she rolls or throws it back to me. I encourage her by saying "yay", clapping and making a big deal. I'll say "You caught the ball!"



After she learned to catch the ball standing up, she got so excited and stomped her feet and shouted yay. It was very cute. When the ball hit her face (don't worry, it's soft rubber and full of air), she grabbed it and said "I caught the ball with my face!" It was so cute. She kept doing that with every body part it touched. "I caught the ball with my ear....with my tummy...with my arms...with my nose...with my eyes." Now all she wants to do it play catch. Crossing my fingers these storms stop coming through and it will actually feel like summer.

Side Note

To anyone who is reading this, if you have any braille books that you don't want anymore or even any regular books (preferably children's) that are in good shape but don't want PLEASE send them to me. Email me at imcollegebound2006@hotmail.com and I will send you my address. Put "braille books" in the subject line. Thanks in advance!

Transition

Today Elena had her transition meeting. This meeting is were I meet with district preschool people and talk about her starting preschool. They talked about services she'll get like braille help and O&M. Since she's already getting most of the services they talked about, not a lot will change. We'll have another meeting once she starts school and make goals for her.

I'm excited for her to start preschool but don't think she's ready yet. She won't be 3 until the end of August so she has some time. I'm sure her dad will want to start her in August but I think we should wait until around January. Since it's preschool, they don't care when we start her as long as she's 3 so if we think she's not ready we can wait. We'll see what happens.

Sunny days are here!

Winter has taken a short break and now it's starting to feel like it's supposed to, Spring. Elena and I have been going to a local park and she loves it. Well, she loves the swing. :) There is a duck pond, tulip garden, playground and swings. All she cares about is the swing! lol. She'll do the slide a few times but as soon as she hears someone say "swing" it's all over. She needs the swing NOW or there will be a tantrum. She's always loved the swing, even when she was a baby. When she was a baby, her swing was sometimes the only thing that would make her happy. I don't know why she likes it so much. I'd think that, being blind, she'd be afraid of moving that way while not being able to see what's around her. No matter the reason, she loves it and laughs and sings the whole time. What a cutie. I can't wait for more sunny days at the park.