Friday, May 9, 2008

evs at therapy!

Well, Evelyn had a bit of a rough start to her birthday - less than an hour before her birthday-day (11:20pm on May 8), she had a "Diastat seizure" (a seizure that didn't stop within pre-defined bounds of time / postures; thus a special "stop-the-seizure-NOW" medication was needed). These aren't a huge deal in the scheme of things, but they also aren't generally too common for her, so it's always a little bit of a downer when we have one. :-(

But, as we always find the silver lining around here - Due largely to the Diastat (it's a form of Valium), Evelyn slept like a champ last night (which means we all slept well!) - no seizures overnight, etc. So, she woke up presumably feeling refreshed for her birthday (as did we all!). And maybe that's why she did so well at therapy...

Yes, just because it was her birthday today didn't mean she was off the hook for Physical Therapy. Happily, I took the day off work, to help get ready for her party tomorrow, so I was here for this therapy session, as was Evelyn's Grandpa Mike (Kim's dad), in-town for the big weekend.

Evelyn was a little reticent to participate, at first (as is typical). But after some of her usual exercises, her therapist (who we adore) decided to try something new today - putting Evelyn in a seated position. Now, Evelyn's head control and trunk control aren't so great - she's never "sat" on her own - let alone pulled herself into a seated position - and when she is in such a position, it's always with us holding/supporting a big part of her weight, and being ready to catch her head when it falls.

So as you'll see below - this is big stuff for her!! HUGE!! Her therapist started her off in a "seated-crunched-over" position (with her trunk brace on) - Evelyn was then weight-bearing on her arms, having to support her head "bent over", and even pushing herself up with her arms, trunk & neck muscles!! Needless to say, we are SO HAPPY and SO PROUD, especially on her birthday! :-)

(1-3 min each. Apologies on the sloppy camera work; the best I could do on short notice when it was happening was get the web-cam up, and it's consequently a bit wobbly)
Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:


Anonymous said...

Hi guys.....

So good to see Evelyn growing so nicely and what a trooper doing all the physical therapy!!! Wow...amazing absolutely amazing...and she is already a year old....I can't believe it....I'm really getting old quick!:)

I pray all is going good for you and that you continue to look for that siliver lining.

I think you guys are are special!!!

God Bless you as you continue to care for this little angel!!!

Mama Webber #8 grandchild is in the oven....Sept 8 is the due date!! Whoo Hoo!!

coleandgavinmom said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my site, I hope everyone that checks it out is as inspired by these stories as I am. I watched the you-tube video of evelyn at therapy and it brought me to tears... the human spirit is such a remarkable thing. Evelyn and other children like her are such an amazing example of that. I wish you, Evelyn and your family all the best for the future. Many Blessing to you... Nicole