Today was a big day for us...Savannah got her first bicycle! As I've written about in the past, this purchase/milestone was a tough one for us. Pre-accident, when J was involved in all the cycling events, we talked a lot about Savannah's first bike, and all the great things we could do with her once she got it. Obviously, things are a little bit different now. But, she's wanted one for a long time, and was promised that she'd get her very own bike once she was potty trained....so we headed out to the toy store today (I'm still not up for visiting the bike shop at the moment) and bought a tricycle and helmet (our girl is fearless, so this was absolutely necessary). It was assembled during nap time and waiting for her when she woke up. Were we to do something like this again, I'd wait til she was a little more awake before presenting her new toy to her...she was really confused by there being a bicycle in her living room! She's still getting used to it and, as the photos below show, she's not entirely clear on how to sit on it?
Contemplating the bike...Jason's KAFOs and walker in background
I'm sure she'll be zooming around on it in no time.
In SCI-related news, Jason had a great session with his PT at Santa Clara last week. She's really impressed with his walking skills using the KAFOs....we set some new goals, one of which is for J to be able to walk into the restaurant (using braces and walker) for his 30th birthday in February. Amazingly, this is a realistic and reasonable goal at this point. As he was walking around the gym on Tuesday, one of his PTs from his inpatient days came to chat with me. She asked if, one year ago, I would've thought this possible. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought this was possible a few months ago...Jason continues to amaze and impress me. His quiet determination and resilience is something to behold. On the way back to work, I told him that I could plan a big party for his 30th with all our friends and family there (something I've wanted to do since he's come home from the hospital, since I firmly believe he deserves to be celebrated)...and then he could walk in and it would be incredible and people could clap for him. At which point, he looked at me and said that if that was my plan, he'd forego the braces for a while. He's not a fan of the spotlight...or parties. So, I'll just have to videotape it and post it here :)
This week was also big for me...I interviewed to become a peer mentor for the Christopher and Dana Reeve foundation, and the class I'm teaching met for the first time this semester. The interview went really well..I'll be finishing up training in mid-September for that, and then I'll be able to help the spouses/partners/families of those who are newly injured SCI-ers. There's a lot the doctors and hospitals can't tell you, so I'm hoping to be, at the least, a good resource for those new to this life. Teaching also went well, but first days generally do. Nothing too hard about handing out syllabi and making introductions. I did have to do a mini-lecture on the succession issues that caused the 1745 Jacobite rebellion...none of my students have had any Scottish history...but last week was light on teaching. This week will be different. Hopefully, though, it'll be just as good.
Tomorrow, we're off to the waterpark. Savannah is a HUGE fan of our local park, so we're hoping to enjoy it a few more times before summer comes to a close. Hope you all have a great day too.
Love you all,
Ashley
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