She has one at home, at Nanny's, and at Grandma's. One day when I was picking her up from Nanny's, she came out of the bathroom with the Dora seat on her head. I kid you not -- I don't know why she put it on there, but once it was on, it wouldn't come off. Liar, you say? I have proof:
I had to try really hard not to laugh, because she was so upset. It obviously hurt whenever we tried to pull it off. In my defense, I didn't take the pictures right away, but it was too good to pass up. Finally, Pop Pop had to cut it off. She recovered pretty quickly and even used the seat again for a while. So far, it hasn't gone back on her head. I wouldn't put past her to try again, though...
And the other PT -- physical therapy -- it going pretty well. Oliver still hasn't rolled over, which apparently is the gateway to mobility. So that is what we gear all of our time towards now. He's close, but still not getting it. I guess that all of his movement issues are related to the spina bifida, but it's kind of weird how it affects things other than just his legs. He still has a tough time sitting up on his own, and he kind of leans to one side more than the other. So we continue to stretch, roll, and play on the belly. Yesterday, I talked with the PT about what to do when Oliver hits the age where he should be crawling or walking. She gave me a really good idea: to go get one of those little flat scooters (like we used to use in gym class) to lay on/push. The idea of him wheeling away, out of control scares, me. Clearly, I mastered neither the little scooter, nor the bike, when I was younger. She said I could also get a little toy truck or even a package of diapers that he can lean on to scoot across the floor. She also told me that I might be holding him too much, and I should just let him hang out on the floor more. So we have all sorts of exciting things to try.
Our PT also recommended that Oliver see a physiatrist. A physiatrist "Specializes in clinical and diagnostic use of physical agents and exercises to provide physiotherapy for physical, mental, and occupational rehabilitation of patients: Examines patient, utilizing electrodiagnosis and other diagnostic procedures to determine need for and extent of therapy." Um, I just found this definition online-- there will be no electrodiagnosis. But anyway, this doctor would be able to prescribe special equipment and other therapy. Not that I'm looking forward to adding another doctor to our repertoire, but I do like the idea of getting Oliver all the help we can. And this doctor would be in New Jersey, which is always a bonus. Kind of like the Little Gym, but more intense.
