Pages

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Max can walk!!...sort of.

Imagine your grandmother's walker, but in miniature and with wheels. Now turn it around and place a toddler between the handle bars. Step back and give him room!


Today we met Lisa, Max's physical therapist, at Target for a marathon walking practice. The bright lights and wide isles are perfect for a meandering beginning walker. Not to mention, Target has proven itself inclusive of all children, so I thought it was a fitting setting.

Max found the sight of his own feet moving quite thrilling. Lisa kept yelling, "Max, look where you're going!" Here's one of the few times he did:


Our marathon session lasted about 40 minutes with a five minute break for masks in the middle.

Spidey!
RRRROOAARRRRRRR!
 As Max got tired his strong start eventually morphed into hollering, sitting down and occasional tears. Can you blame him? Who likes to work? Thankfully, Lisa doesn't doesn't put up with lazy, and and she successfully coaxed an unwilling Max to the finish line. The cheers and encouragement from his admiring audience certainly didn't hurt.


And into the arms of an exceedingly proud mommy! With every child's question, "What is that Mommy?" or "What's he doing, Mommy?", I thought to myself, "That's my boy! See, World, how fantastic he is? How could anyone not love a boy like him?" I felt like a peacock showing off my colors.

It was truly exhilarating. So much so, in fact, that I joined Max in his afternoon nap!

A quick word about Max's walker:
     About six weeks ago I told Lisa that I really needed Max to walk. He weighs almost 27 pounds (and has since his first birthday), and through picking him up and carrying him all over I have developed tendonitis in my elbows (also known as carpal tunnel syndrome). At it's worst, the pain radiates from my elbows all the way to my fingers and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to grasp heavy objects.
     At Max's recent evaluation Lisa gave us the walker. She recommended that we gradually incorporate it into his routine. As of today, Max uses his walker during transitions--to the kitchen for lunch, or to the playroom for puzzles. He doesn't use it to move around the room in search of toys or other diversions.
     It doesn't roll backwards so it helps to keep him upright. The only potential danger is a face plant, which he has done a few times. But live and learn, right? Now when he falls forward he lifts his head so he doesn't smack his face. Good boy!

Check out these other walking pics from a previous excursion with Daddy:


 

2 comments:

  1. this is fab! an Max is a teacher he shines in his role no doubt. my friend Jamie uses a small but cool keyboard to help him organize his words and communicate effectively. his parents always cheered him on and encouraged questions from family members to pedestrians passing by and he is PROUD that he brings people information that they may never have had the chance to get if they had not stopped to look or ask. he is a genuinely happy human (with all the frustrations of life thrown in)and feels best about his world when shining the light on his uniqueness.
    three cheers for Max
    three cheers for Jamie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Laura! You know, we are always learning. People don't give our kids enough credit, but they have more to teach us than we will ever know. Max is only 21 months old, but he already takes life by the horns and squeezes every bit of juice out of it (how's that for mixed metaphors!). We are better people for having Max in our lives, and I bet you feel the same about your friend, Jamie. BTW, it was really nice to see you last month. :)

      Delete