We ended our first session a bit worn out but with lots of progress to show for. On Wednesday there was no class, rather there were exiting interviews and “home plans” to communicate to all parents but me, since Thomas and I were staying on. During the free morning, we drove into town for a scheduled chiropractor appointment. We came back to meet with Christina and exchanged feedback – mostly on the receiving end. A summary of Thomas’ accomplishments include:∙ Added flexibility
∙ Improved head/trunk control
∙ Improved attention span
∙ Acceptance to following instruction
∙ Learning to sit on a stool, supported with his arms by side
∙ Improvement in manipulation of activities (this is actually a big gains)
∙ Improvement in separating legs and putting heels down while walking
∙ Learning to use a Kaye walker with assistance at hips
∙ Improvement in advanced walking tasks (ie side stepping, parallel bars, stairs etc)
∙ More vocal in classroom (and not just screaming!)
∙ Improvement in use of potty
∙ Development in social skills
All in all a pretty accurate and lengthy list and definitely reason to carry on. Our next day ended with a graduation where Kevin handed out certificates and medals. We were then treated to a homemade Hungarian goulash lunch, which was delicious.
The final day was a shortened class with no hyperbaric oxygen since families had to leave and the camp needed to undergo a thorough clean-up for the next session beginning on Monday. Unfortunately the 401 was closed due to a severe accident and it created chaos for everyone. We were so thankful that we decided to stay in town for the weekend, esp. since the next two days we had a major snow storm. Despite staying on, I still had to pack up our belongings, only to unpack again on Sunday (not to mention the packing/unpacking in the apartment) so lots of work for me but so nice to finally be in our own devoted space. I was literally exhausted and coming down with what felt like flu, so most of the weekend I rested. Thomas surprised and delighted us when he refused the hotel’s pack and play and instead pointed toward the single bed – he was clearly telling us that he was ready to graduate to a big boy’s bed – a definite sign that he was growing up! Luckily I had packed a bedrail and he managed very well for naps and nighttime sleep, despite Daddy’s apprehensiveness and tower of pillows at every gap of open space (which I kept removing!)
To be honest, I returned to camp with mixed feelings about starting another session. I didn’t know if I had the same amount of energy/drive and questioned whether or not Thomas would continue to progress. Mostly, I think I just wanted to go home! I knew I was doing the right thing, just had to muster up the stamina that was spent during the previous session. On her way out, Adrienne hugged me and said “you are really tough mommy” and Rob reminded me that Thomas was lucky to have a mom who cared so much. I think I am the lucky one to have my family with me each weekend - they keep me going more than they know.
