Ryder's First Day of School!

Today was the big day, Ryder started Stepping Stones. The morning was a little different being the one waking up Ryder instead of him being my alarm clock. I got a huge hug right away and the first thing to come out of his mouth was " I love you Momma cat..." Love my boy!  Drop off was successful, he was very excited to see all the other kids and hit it off with his Autism support worker right away :) How could he not when she had a big tub of toys with lots of cars in it. Each child has a worker and they have their own little cubical they work in. Then there is a big play area where the kids can all play together. We got Ryder settled in his little desk and chair watched him play for a couple minutes then said our good byes. No tears and he didn't seem to care one bit that we were leaving. Tyler and I stuck around in the waiting room for about half hour just to make sure he would be okay. Of course he was so off we went.

We left to pick him up a little early to beat the rush (and I was very anxious to see him.) His worker suggested we actually keep doing that from now on to avoid the chaos of everyone coming and going. We will do a early drop off and early pickups which actually works better with Tyler's work schedule. Ryder's worker said he had an AMAZING first day! He didn't cry at all!! Got a little sad a few times when he was asked to share with other kids but that's very typical for Ryder and I'm so glad he has the opportunity to work on it daily. She said he didn't ask for us at all! I guess there were enough distractions that he didn't miss us too much. He got to play with one of his best friends that also goes there and he was very polite and used his please and thank-yous when talking to the other kids. All in all a very successful day! YAY!!!! My baby is growing up and I couldn't be more proud of him. ♥

Way to go RYDER!!!

I have lots of updates as I haven't posted in a while but they can wait! I am so excited I cant stand myself! So extremely proud of our little man!!!

link to book here

I'll start off by saying the last couple weeks my main focus has been on balance and finding new fun games for Ryder to play that will work on this area. I get all my home exercises from a book my mom bought me when Ryder was first diagnosed with CP. It has always been an awesome resource but I don't think I have ever seen results like this, in such a short time! Everyday we have been playing these 3 little games to work on balance. Ryder loves them and actually asks to play each one all on his own. The first we play "Bad Guy" he sits on a foot stool and Tyler or I will pretend to be the bad guy and knock him over. He has to use his core strength to stop himself from falling down. He laughs the whole time. Another "Cars" he sits on the same stool and has to bend down pick up a car, pull himself back up, then he reaches over to drop it in a bucket. He'll do this one for a LONG time - again loves it. The last one "Engine's" sitting on the same stool we hold up a train above his head and he has to reach up with both hands and grab it. This one sound fairly easy but it's a lot of work for him to not lose his balance while reaching up like that.

Not sure if it is just these games on their own as we have also started to use a stander for an hour everyday to help stretch his hamstrings. And we also bought him a new walker that is a light frame like his Kaye walker but has four wheels. It does require more control so I'm sure all of the above are factors in doing this today....

Ready to cry? haha Well maybe you wont but I sure did! 

Last time I tried these canes with Ryder he could only take a few steps then would fall. I gave up on them for a while because I thought I was just getting way too ahead of him. I pulled them out again a few weeks ago and put a harness on him but it was the same thing he would take a step then just rely on the harness and he was ALL over the place. Today I decided to take the harness off and let him show me what he could really do knowing that he had nothing but himself to rely on. Of course I stayed behind to catch if needed (this being why the video kinda sucks and you cant really see how far he actually travels.) When I get an extra set of hands I'll take another from the front :)  But wow! WAY TO GO RYDER!!!!!!!

More updates to come shortly :)

Casts on.... Casts OFF!!!

Ryder like many kids with CP is constantly facing the challenge of his muscles getting tighter as he grows. Everything that we are able to do for him is just a band-aid solution until his next growth spurt. We work so hard to stretch him and get him the exercise he needs but his body is constantly working against us and sadly it will never be enough. 

Last week we went in for our third set of castings. Ryder was again, unable to get his feet flat to the ground when walking. His major tightness comes from his hamstrings and heel cords. Since it's impossible to cast to stretch his hamstrings we went ahead to see if stretching his heel cords would make the difference he needs to get back walking with flat feet. Luckily one week was enough to loosen them but boy was that a LONG week!! No kid, no matter how old they are wants to be stuck in casts for any amount of time during the summer. The days were long and very repetitive with lots of tears for mommy to take the casts off! He went from sleeping solid for 12+ hours every night to waking up 3-5 times before Tyler and I would even have the chance to head to bed ourselves. Needless to say it was not fun for any of us.

Still smiling :)

Ryder's funky "Walking Shoes" I made him out of women's crocs! lol

He LOVED them!! 

Today we went back to the hospital for the nice man to take his casts off. Ryder was very excited. He even told a lady in the elevator all about it! Yesterday and today I explained to him over and over how the nice man would use a very loud saw to cut the casts off but that it wouldn't hurt and might even tickle. (Our experience last year was very traumatic for him and I really didn't want a repeat. He cried this cry that I had never heard in my life, the pure fear that something very bad and painful was going on and I was just sitting there letting it all happen.) This time however he did AWESOME!! The whole time the first cast was getting cut he laughed and kept saying "that tickles". By the second he was ready for it to be done but still only let out a couple whimpers. Two nurses came in directly after gave him cookies and said how brave he was and that he had been the most well behaved and quiet out of all the kids they had seen this week. 

After a week of sponge baths he was VERY happy to have a nice soak in the tub tonight :)

Unfortunately even though his heel cords are now loose enough to get his feet flat, he is still unable to walk flat foot with his AFO's on. He's still way up on his toes because his legs cant get straight. His hamstrings are just way too tight. Not exactly the results we were hoping for but at least we tried. So now we enjoy the rest of our summer and wait until September for our trip to Montreal. Hopefully then he will get the Botox injections in his hamstrings and possibly heel cords (which means more casts!!). Besides major surgery the Botox and casts are our only option right now.  

update :)

It's been a while since my last post and I think I am finally at a place of acceptance with Ryder's latest diagnosis. The "A" word doesn't seem so ugly anymore and I honestly don't care about the label at all. Ryder is such a smart, funny, happy little boy and there is no possible way that this could ever stand between him and his dreams. He will be getting the therapy he needs but really nothing else will change. We are still the same happy little family with a lot of love and support to give!

Ryder has been doing amazing with his one on one time with his early intervention worker that comes to the house. He loves her and talks about her quite often. She is impressed with all areas of his development including his social skills!  I told her how differently he acts with her compared to his other therapists and it comes down to her coming into Ryder's comfort zone where as his other therapies are in a clinic setting. She was very surprised with the Autism diagnosis but again he acts so differently depending on where he is. She understands why it may be so hard for some of my family to accept this diagnosis. 


On the physical side Ryder has been struggling a bit. As he grows he's getting tighter and tighter. His muscles just can't keep up to the rate his bones are growing. He is still unable to wear his AFO's because of how tight his calf and hamstrings are and he is once again struggling to get his feet flat on the floor. I contacted our physio therapist in Montreal and she compared measurements with our physio therapist here and Ryder is extremely tighter now than he was at our visit in January. They decided he could benefit from the Botox injections now but unfortunately the earliest he could get them done is in July. He would need to have casts  put on immediately after for min 4-6 weeks but I just couldn't do that to him. He spent all winter being cooped up with the nasty weather and I couldn't take the fun summer away from him.  With the casts there would be no swimming, no walker, no beach.... Basically all the things he loves to do :( Anyhow I agreed to try just doing one set of castings here for about a week without the Botox to see if that would help temporarily. We are still waiting for the prescription for that but it's looking like it will be a week in July (hopefully a rainy one). 

We recently bought Ryder an adaptive trike and he LOVES it :) At first it took him a while to warm up to the idea of "working hard" on our walks but now he chooses it over his car that he just sits in. Every day he seems to be getting better and better. The first while it took a lot out of him just to hold the handles while I pushed it. Now he's able to make it go on his own for small periods of time. It's funny i'll be pushing it slowly and as soon as there's a little dip in the sidewalk he'll start whipping his arms around making it go super fast and say "weeeeee down the hill!!" lol It's such a great workout for his arms and getting that full extension he so badly needs is really helpful. The reciprocal movement for his legs is also really great. 

I didnt think he was actaully using his legs much but he surprsied us at physio today on a regular trike!! He was doing all the work his P/T was just trying to steer his crazy driving. We were both shocked and SO proud of him!

Some other changes over the last month: Ryder got a cool new Big boy bed which just happens to be a awesome race car bed! He is over the moon happy and ever since he's been sleeping through the night!!! We also stopped his Melatonin supplement which I finally figured out was making him sleep worse because it was giving him nightmares :( He doesn't get a nap during the day to insure he will be sleepy at bedtime but as long as i can keep him entertained he does pretty good. A combination of the no nap, no Melatonin and the race car bed has been quite delightful! On the rare occasion if he does wake in the middle of the night, I can reason with him and say "Your a big boy now and we bought you this cool new race car bed because you can sleep all by yourself now!" I give him a kiss and leave and it actually works. He stops crying and goes back to sleep! I am still in shock about this one but it hasn't failed me yet!! :) Where did my baby go?!?!

Another "Label"....

I feel like I have been completely blindsided. I am left confused, shocked and mostly numb. I will probably be in complete denial until I just come out and say this and I know until I do I wont be able to accept it. I am in no way ashamed of my son, it's just sometimes you feel you need to hold onto "labels" to protect your child. You worry about how these labels will affect them in the ways of others words or actions. But in all reality when you get a diagnosis like this, you already feel isolated and all alone. It doesn't help you or your child to keep that part of them a secret. So as hard as it is to say, here we go...  

When Ryder was first diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy our hearts were shattered. I had suspicions, worries and totally saw the diagnosis coming but it didn't take away from the harsh blow of being told your child has a life long condition.  I held onto the diagnosis and only told family and close friends. It took a long time before I was ready to let the world know that my son had CP. It took me months before I could say the words without having a heart wrenching pain in my chest. And when we first got his walker I was SO afraid to take him out in it in public fearing what people would say or think. My once perfect child is now going to be perceived as different, disabled ..... handicapped and that plain out hurts.

Yesterday we had an appointment with Ryder's neurologist. It had been brought up at one of Ryder's regular therapy appointment's that it had been some time since we last saw her. I had some questions about future surgeries and we all felt it was a good idea for her to come and see us. I went in (alone) thinking we were talking about CP and came out with a brand spanking new diagnosis of AUTISM?!  Yup, there it is. I said it, it's real. Autism. Maybe your thinking the same thing as me. Maybe your not, if you have a child or have worked with children on the spectrum. But I feel like it was/is just a bad nightmare. 

Ryder Autistic? No freaking way!! He's smart, he talks, he's funny he's just a normal little boy with CP. Well Apparently not. 

So many confused thoughts running through my head. How could I not have had any concerns about this? Why no suspicions? Why no warning signs? How come his therapists never brought this to my attention if they had concerns? Why didn't they tell me what they were thinking? Why does this crap always happen to us? Why can't Ryder catch a break? 

So he has a huge label over his physical abilities and know your gonna hang another one over his mental/social abilities too????? *****SIGH********

Wow what a blow, we honestly had no idea ANYTHING was wrong.  

Trying really hard to stay positive and I know this label does not change my son. He is still Ryder. The cute, funny, adorable little boy that I love with all my heart. He is strong willed and has determination that will pull him through anything this world throws at him. 

Cerebral Palsy doesn't stop him and neither will Autism. 

AF-NO's!!!

Yesterday was finally the day we got to head out to Fredericton and pick up Ryder's AFO's. We were given the go ahead from Shriner's to get Ryder's them made in Fredericton quite awhile ago. Had I known it would have taken so long to actually get them and that two weeks would turn into four, we probably would have just made the trip to Montreal and come back with them four days later.  None the less they were finally ready so we made our third trip out to Fredericton.

As soon as we put them on Ryder's feet he cried. He wouldn't put any weight on his feet, would just collapse to the ground every time I tried to stand him up. I even brought his walker in which he loves and he wouldn't even hold onto it. I thought maybe he would try at home in his own environment and toys to distract him but nope. Nothing. He was actually worse at home. He would just lay flat on the floor sulking until I took them off.

I had been so excited to finally get them and had such high expectations of what they could do for my little guy. I went to bed feeling frustrated and defeated. I have never heard of anyone having such troubles with new braces and kinda just figured he'd like them as soon as he realized how much better he could stand and walk. Not the case seeing how he wouldn't even try. I could handle him trying and whining because they felt funny or a bit uncomfortable but for Ryder to not even TRY is just not like him. I get that he's only two and this is somewhat regular behavior for any typical two year old. But the thing is Ryder isn't just a typical two year old. He has to try and work harder than typical kids. He always has and always will. Sucks but those are the cards that he has been dealt and I wont ever let him slip between the cracks because he can pass it off as typical behavior. I probably sound like a total hard a$$ but someones got to push him to reach his full potential. I honestly believe he will thank me someday for pushing him the way that I do.

Today was a new day, first thing I tried putting them back on and asking him if he wanted to show daddy how big and strong he was with his new braces and how Daddy would be so happy to see him stand. That didn't work one bit. Tyler and i both tried to encourage him and get those collapsed spaghetti legs to stand up but no luck. Then I tried explaining to him that his friend Jordan from camp wears braces just like his. He got pretty excited about that and agreed that he wanted to be big and strong like Jordan but still wouldn't try when it came to standing. I put them on a few more times during the day just for him to get use to them but the only thing he would do is lay flat down on the floor and sulk. Sigh****** I thought i was done for the day but decided to give it one more go before bed and the most amazing thing happened..... 

Slowly he started to put weight on his feet and he stood!! What a relief! He still doesn't like them but he kept them on for over half hour and stood with a little support for half that time.  I was beaming with excitement and he could tell. He was very proud of himself too. Already I can feel how much more support they give him. He cant toe walk and he needs way less support to stand. He took a couple awkward steps with my hands but I figured he'd done enough for the day so he relaxed with a treat :) I am very hopeful that he'll muster up the courage and start walking with them in his walker any day.

On a side note: Never put AFO's over fleece jams!!! What a sweaty mess! lol poor guy! Gonna need to go find some toddler sport socks that wick away moisture! 

Ryder's stepping!?!

The snow is back and unfortunately it's once again too cold to be outside with the walker. We had to stick it out inside today so I thought we better make the most of it. There are many things we are working on these days but the newest is standing with his new Walk Easy Tripod canes. I have been hesitant in letting Ryder walk with them because were trying to focus on him standing first. I knew once we started walking, he wouldn't want to just stand anymore and didn't think he had the balance or coordination to walk just yet. Today I decided to go for it and walk together with them around the house. I would pick them up with him and guide him through the whole motion. He shocked me earlier in the day when I let go and he moved one of the canes and took a step! He fell when trying to move the second one but wow I got so excited!!  We continued to use the canes together on and off all day, going both upstairs and down. About a half hour before bed I decided to let go and just see what he could do solo. 

Here it is Ryder's very first steps with his Canes!!!!

It's short, blurry and of his backside but it's one of the best videos I have to date of him wowing me!

Way to go Ryder you make Mommy and Daddy SO very PROUD!!!!!!

Good things come to those who wait.....

I started this post in the airport last week but didn't get a chance to finish....

Today we were up at 4am to catch our 6am flight to Montreal for our long awaited appointment at the Shriners hospital. Ryder did amazing on the flight and I give all the credit to the new car seat we bought that fits on the plane seat. What a difference to have him strapped in and not freaking out trying to escape from his seat or my lap. He knew he had to sit just like he does in the car and there were no tears. YAY! We arrived and were greeted right away by a Shriner and brought straight to the hospital. We were there by 8:00 and our appointment was not until 1:00! The staff and social worker were amazing! I was able to leave Ryder's car seat and our jackets in the office and we were giving a food allowance for the two of us for the full day. One of the staff members gave us a tour of the hospital then our waiting began. 5 hours seemed like forever trying to keep Ryder occupied. There were toys and t.v.'s but not the best set up for little kids like Ryder who can't walk and just want to crawl around on the floor. His knees were disgustingly dirty and I had to wash his hands about every ten minutes. Not that it was a dirty place at all, just like any public place not the best for a little guy crawling all about. During our appointment we saw a occupational therapist, physio therapist and the Doctor on his case. The therapists seemed to be VERY impressed with all the things he is doing. They were very excited to see him crawling with reciprocal movements and pull to standing the "proper" way (pushing off with one flat foot). When they gave him a walker to test out they got even more excited and said he has such strong potential to walk INDEPENDENTLY one day!!! It felt really good to hear such a positive predication for the future. Before then it has always been "he's so young that it's too hard to tell". They also said they strongly feel he's going to take off in the next six months. I also feel that way, I mean just look how far he's come in the past 6 months! I left feeling really good, tiered but good! He needs AFO's made and they were prepared to put me up in a hotel and get them made right then but it was Thursday and with the weekend they would have needed me to stay until Tuesday. I didn't come prepared for that so they said they will contact our Physio therapist and decide if it's cheaper for them to fly me back and put us up in a hotel for two nights or just pay to have them made here in Saint John. I am really hoping they get made here so we don't have to make that trip again but I'll do whatever needs to be done. After his appointment a Shriner then drove us back to the airport where we waited another five hours for our plane!! Sucks living in such a small place that there aren't very many direct flights per day. Anyhow Ryder was amazing!! No fussing at all and he laughed the whole flight back home. A man sitting in front of us even complimented Ryder on his behavior and said how impressed he was. He mentioned that he saw us earlier on our first flight and what a long day that must have been for him. Yup id say a 20 hour travel day for a 2 year old with only a 45 min nap is a pretty LONG day.

We were very happy to get home and we both passed right out. Still waiting to hear whats going on with the AFO's. Hopefully we can get them made really soon, it will be great to give him that extra stability.

                                          

The new car seat is a life saver (lol) and the new car seat cart is more than convenient! :) 

Cat nap :)

Wow!

We seem to be having a warmer day today. So when Ryder asked (like he always does) to go outside I decided to give it a go. The snow has been melting and the exposed grass is very soggy and there are puddles and muck everywhere. It wouldn't stop any other two year old, so why would i think it could stop Ryder?!

Man I LOVE this kid!

Ryder's Ability Camp Progress

Yes, for those wondering Ryder did indeed graduate from his first go at Ability Camp!! I am a bit behind but have some photo's and info to share.

Ryder received a progress report of all the things he achieved at camp:
He became more flexible, developed more trunk control, he has better coordination of his movements, he learnt how to change directions using a kaye walker, he learnt how to stand up from the floor and from a stool with his walker, his speech improved, he is more independent and will go for longer periods of time without me, his social skills improved, he eats more solid foods, he can stand with canes for a short period of time and he now uses the POTTY!!! :)

As a very proud mommy I think this is an awesome list and so worth all the hard work. We left with some great tools and have been implementing them into our daily routine. Ryder had an amazing time, met some great friends and misses them ALL dearly. He talks about them daily and when asked what he wants to do he usually replies with "I wanna play with Jordan" or "Dax" :) They also sent us home with a before and after video that I would love to share with everyone but there was a mix up and we got half of someone else's. I will share it as soon as it come in the mail!

Yay!!! We did it! :)

Where I (Dana) am at right now...

Well as some may have noticed I am way behind on keeping up with this blog. I had been having a bit of a rough patch but I feel like I am finally starting to get back on track. I have been feeling so overwhelmed and really not knowing where to start, so I am just going to go for it the best I can...

Ability camp really took it's toll on me. I spent most of the time being either really sad or REALLY angry. I was forced to deal with a lot during my time there. It was the first time since Ryder's diagnosis and even Wyatt's passing that I really had time to myself. Too much time if you ask me. Although we were kept very busy and worked our butts off, as soon as Ryder went down for the night I was alone. No cell reception, many times no internet and just a stupid calling card that I was too cheap to use. I learnt a lot about myself and I really do believe I came out a different person. It became so aware to me that I have lost "myself" completely. Perhaps I am still here a little in the physical sense but for the most part the old me has vanished. Losing a child then learning your surviving child has a life long disability is a hard pill to swallow. Then you throw moving away from everyone and everything you have ever known and loved really puts a spin on the already sensitive situation.

I use to enjoy being me.... Going out with friends, finding fun things to do, listening to music etc. I use to care how I looked and tried to do things for myself that made me feel good. I would get my hair done, go out with my girls, go shopping for myself. Now it seems I don't do anything. I haven't done anything in that list in a very long time and that really needs to change. I have absolutely no balance in my life anymore. I have condensed all my time and energy and put all the focus on Ryder. Nothing else seems to matter to me. I cant even describe the immense pressure I have put on myself to make sure I am doing EVERYTHING in my power to make sure Ryder will walk some day. I want so badly for him to lead an as "normal" life as he wants to and not have to be excluded from anything he wants to do. When I think of doing something for me then look at him I just dont care about me anymore. He is the very most important person in my life and I need to somehow learn how to merge the old me with the new to become the very best Mommy/Wife/Friend/Daughter/Sister/Auntie/Granddaughter possible.

I apologize to anyone who I may have neglected in some way in the past couple years. I know that's very broad but trust me when I say, the guilt lies very heavy on my heart. It has been suggested and now I am starting to believe that maybe I was/am "stuck" in my grieving process. I bounce around a bit but I have never fully came to terms with the (to me) recent events that life put on my lap. I believe I am also just "stuck" on me. I am constantly feeling sorry for myself and comparing every situation to mine. I find myself unable to have any empathy for anyone whose story isn't as sad as mine. Who is this person?! UGh!!!! I am SO ready  to move forward and  accept that this is my life. I know first hand how short this life can be. There is no time not make the best of it.

Wyatt will always be in my heart and I wont EVER stop missing him. Ryder will always have CP and we will always work our butts off to provide for him and push him to be reach his very best potential. I will always put my needs somewhere below the others I love but I just need to make sure to take some time for myself to make sure I don't do another disappearing act.

Feels good to get that out :) Now back to Ryder!!!

2 more sleeps!!

Day 32 at Ability Camp, which means only 2 more sleeps!!! I am SO excited to get home and have our little family together (well as together as it can be). Ryder has been fairing out pretty good. He has his bad days but also switches it up with some good. I feel like he got the most out of the first three weeks and by the fourth he was done. (or maybe that was just me....)  With his age and his stubbornness it's so hard to keep him focused on tasks he has no interest in. I haven't been able to get any video clips of him because unless he's in the mood he just won't do it. Walking in the parallel bars and through the ladder are now categorized in the hard work, not so fun section...He has come a long way though and when he want's to do something boy does he do it! I can't wait for Tyler to see him!! Yesterday they did his progress video and we had to bribe him with potato chips just to do the simple drills he has been working on for the past five weeks. It will be interesting to see what they ended up with. He now has the nick name Mr.Chippy from the instructors!

Last week Ryder was my little potty champ. He went everyday in class and even on the weekend too :) They have little charts made up and they get stickers for each part of the day they complete, they also get extra stickers for using the potty. Ryder loves checking out every one's stickers so I think I'm gonna make a potty chart for home too. Good incentive and it doesn't involve chips :)  I'm so proud of him! Also I need to reclaim my comment about Ryder being traumatized and not using the potty until he's 40!!! lol

The top stickers are potty stickers :)

This week as everything is coming to an end, our schedule has been a bit different. We had no class yesterday because they were making our final progress videos. They also put on interviews to give us all opportunities to have one on one time to talk with the conductors. We had a big potluck dinner which was a really nice break from all the hard work. The kids had an awesome time all playing together outside of class and I think the parents did too :) Tomorrow we have our graduation and Friday is only a half day then we hit the road!!!  As happy as I am to head home, I truly am going to miss these people!!

3 down 2 to go!

Day 21 today and tomorrow we enter our fourth week! It feels so good to have the bulk of this behind us. I am trying my very hardest to keep positive and just take it all in. I am still really homesick but I am choosing to switch my focus.

Ryder is doing great and already, I can see so much progress. Today I watched his Ability camp application video, that I made just a few months back and I am shocked at how far he has come.  Since getting here he has gained a lot of balance, the first few days in their backwards walkers he needed someone to steer him around. Now he just takes off down the hall all by himself. He can steer into doorways and even throw his weight to completely turn himself around to go the opposite direction. He can even walk backwards!! lol I have also noticed he can stay up on his feet for longer periods of time. Before he would prefer to crawl and now if the walker is there he will crawl to it pull himself up and just go! His vocabulary has probably quadrupled and he often talks in sentences now too. I know Tyler is just going to be blown away when he sees him. Will be an exciting day for sure :)

Wish us luck for a great week!!

Over half way done!!

Day 18 at Ability camp and we have now finally passed the half way point! I have been hesitant in writing a post because I am beyond homesick and I don't want to come across that we aren't grateful for this experience. Ryder is making good progress and I know this is worth every second. The days are hard and I am the only one here who doesn't get to have their husband here with them at some point. I am finding myself getting really mad at the whole situation and what we have lost then at other times I look around and am just so thankful for what we have. A lot of emotions, a lot of energy and for Ryder a LOT of hard work!!  We'll be fine and we will both come out of this stronger for sure but I will be very happy to finally go home.

Ryder has been having some really hard days in class during the beginning of the week but it seems to get better towards the end. I am finding his muscles in his legs and especially his arms are extremely tight right now. I am pretty sure we are having a growth spurt working against us. It's tough and he screams through all of his stretches and anytime he has to have his arms straight (which is a lot). It breaks my heart to hear him scream out in pain and I wish he could understand that I am only trying to help. After class however Ryder has a blast with all the other kids. I know he is going to miss this place when were home. He has a friend every where he looks :)

Oh and I must share the great news! Ryder has peed on the potty TWICE!! :) haha

I have been really bad for taking pictures but this is what we are working on right now...

Standing with Quad Canes!!! He can do this for about twenty seconds or so and he's getting better everyday and I am so proud of him!!

And because I know my mother will not be satisfied with a single shot of his backside... Here's a cheesy smile :)

 

Day 10

Day 10 at Ability and I think we are finally in the swing of things. I know I have a lot more energy and Ryder seems to be happier too. Ryder's speech has improved so much since we got here. He is now making four word sentences, saying a lot more full words and can count to ten without skipping any numbers. His favorite thing right now is to talk about is what he "see's". lol He'll say " I see a tree or I see a cat" ect... He picked up my phone the other moring and said " I wanna call Dad!" It's so great to hear his little voice and the funny things he comes up with :) He has been doing pretty good with daily camp activities, still has his moments but really what two year old doesnt?!

He had a bit of a rough day today as he got himself so worked up during the parent break that he made himself throw up. Then he had to continue the day until lunch with an empty belly. Really hoping that doesn't happen again tomorrow but if it does I gave them his warning signs to watch out for so they can make a run for it if needed. Aparrently he's not the first one they have worked with that likes to pull that stunt, which makes me feel a bit better. Everything else has been going well. Mom left on Monday and everyone was sad to see her leave. She was a huge help and Im so thankful she made the trip out. Ryder still asks if she's sleeping everytime we go in our room. A toy lending truck came by today so we could borrow a toy or two for the next two weeks. Neat idea and Ryder was very excited about the little train mountain set we borrowed.  Not much else to say just that we are all working really hard and can't wait to see the end results :)

Even though we make it look fun, camp is A LOT of WORK!!

Ryder walking the hall



Practicing with the ropes

Week 1..... DONE!!

One down, four to go! Ryder had a good day and I finally feel like I have some energy at the end of the day. The past few days I have been in bed by 8 p.m. because I literally can not stay awake any longer. The days are extremely physically exhausting for the kids and mentally exhausting for the parents. Hoping Ryder and the others will all settle in to the routine for second week and we can start seeing some results for all this hard work.

Don't have much to say just that things are going well and I have a few video's to share that I couldn't upload the other day.

Day 2!



Day 5!

Day 3

Day 3 at Ability Camp and we are all physically and mentally exhausted. Day one was really rough. The kids all screamed and I don't think there was a single parent in the room who didn't shed a tear or two.  It seems everyday gets a bit easier for Ryder and most of the other kids in the class. There are eight kids in the class and the families are amazing. It's a nice feeling to know your surrounded by people who just "get it".They have come from as far as Trinidad and Uganda! There is another mom from the states, me from New Brunswick then the rest I think are from here in Ontario. Ryder has made fast friends with a little boy named Dax. The two of them are the most mobile of the bunch and definitely the trouble makers of the group. Ryder will go up and down the halls calling for him. :) Things are done way differently here, they don't like any of our walkers we brought from home and have all the kids using basic walkers but backwards (bars in the front). Ryder was very confused at this and kept saying "turn around? turn? " lol... They also don't believe in using afo's or using high chairs while eating. All the kids eat at wooden plank tables with chairs and little wooden boxes for their feet to sit on. For the one's with very little trunk control they get a long bar thats bolted onto the table to hold on to. Everyone was given little orthopedic shoes to wear during our stay, not as fashionable as his Jordans but they do the job :) We also work on potty training and I swear Ryder is going to be traumatized from this experience and never use the toilet until he's 40! The kids also dont get any breaks for naps. The progam starts at 8:30 snack around 11:00 and finishes at luch for 1:30 then HBOT at 2:00 for those who are doing it.  I am really trying to keep an open mind but somethings just don't feel right. Like anything we have done, I will take what I believe is right for Ryder and leave the rest behind. The HBOT has gone well, it's done at the end of the class so the kids are usually crazy tired by that point.  I was a tad bit nervous the first time but now it just seems routine. Ryder slept the first two times but was wide awak for todays. After we get out he has crazy energy, probably  from all the oxygen. We have been heading back to the classroom to do our own thing and Ryder has a blast.

Well I need to appologize for any spelling mistakes as it's been a long day and I cant seem to get spell check to work! Good night all :)

We are not allowed to take pictures or videos in class but here are a few I took turing our play time after HBOT. :)

Happy New Year!!!!

We arrived safely in Toronto. My flight was switched to a direct flight which I was extremely happy about. Unfortunately we had a four hour wait in the saint John airport but I was cool with that,  if it meant less travel. Everything worked out after that. Ryder did good on the flight. This was his first time flying with his own seat and he looked like such a big boy :) Next time I would like to try and bring his car seat, as it was tricky trying to get him to actually sit up in his seat with just the lap belt. My mom's flight arrived 5 minutes before mine and we met right at the baggage claim. Our car rental was the exact car that my mom drives back home which made the unfamiliar drive a little less stressful. Drivers here seem to be a little on the aggressive side but we managed to find our way. We are staying right down town and I can't get over how busy it is here! We went to the mall and you basically could not move,  PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!! 

Were on our way to Ability Camp! I am REALLY excited now!! We spent new years eve laying low in our hotel room so we could get an early start this morning. Hope everyone had a wonderful New Years!!