Welcome

. . . in all seriousness, thanks for stopping by! This blog will no doubt evolve over time, and will include all sorts of content. My aim is to let you know what we're doing as a family, how I'm coping as the mum of a child with Cerebral Palsy, and a variety of other things too.

If you are the parent of a special needs child, I pray that you will find encouragement, hope and support within these posts. I'd like to get to know your story too, so be sure to leave a comment.

I hope you'll come back soon.



Tuesday 22 May 2012

So Much to Process

I feel like I might have been MIA this past week.  There has been so much going on and I've just needed to take some time to process my thoughts and feelings.

Last week Isaac started his Early Intervention program at Champion Centre.  I had a function to attend after work that same day, and decided that I would drive home a different way to normal.  I had heard that one of the main one way streets through the central city red-zone had been reopened, so thought I'd go that way to see how different things were.  Work has been crazy busy - but I'll leave it at that as I'm trying to avoid putting work related info on my blog, due to the sensitive nature of my role in the company.  My weekend was not spent doing the things that I wanted/needed to.  And then yesterday was our (I mean Isaac's) second session at Champion Centre.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from Isaac's therapy sessions at Champion Centre, but the first one wasn't how I imagined it to be.  Part of my wave of emotional feelings came from thinking about what could have been with Isaac.  His disabilities could have been much more severe than they have shown themselves to be to date.  I don’t want to compare him with other children with disabilities but in a way I can't help it.  I know every child is an individual who progresses at their own pace, the ones who have special needs even more-so.  I'm relieved and thankful that Isaac can eat and drink, that he is able to communicate with us and can sit up on his own.  His independent walking is improving.

Amazing how we adapt to any situation we're put in, and how quickly we pick up the phrases associated with that situation.  I'm now talking about Isaac's independent walking rather than his walking.  Who knew that I'd want to be so specific about what I was referring to when I was talking about walking?

I was also thinking about what could have been if we hadn't had the complications in Isaac's birth that lead to his Cerebral Palsy.  Phil was probably the one who started this as he was talking about what Isaac will do for a job/career when he grows up.  Whether he will get married, or if his temperament will mean that he won't get to go out with the girl he wants because he is too nice and stands back when another boy likes her.  I hadn't gotten past thinking about how he will be when he gets to school.  Will he be in a regular class, or a special needs class, or a combination?  Is the after school and holiday program that Reuben attends going to be able to accommodate Isaac?

There were a few of the activities that Isaac did really well at and that had me wondering if he really should be at Champion Centre, or whether the other parents would wonder how we'd even managed to get in.  I know that it was done through the proper channels and that he wouldn't have been accepted if he didn't meet the criteria, but still....

I was a bit emotional after I took Isaac to preschool, but needs must and I had to go to work.  After the function that I needed to attend, I drove home via Madras St, which has only recently had it's red zone cordon lifted.  It was quite surreal driving up a road I've driven hundreds if not thousands of times before, but this time there were so many cleared sites I struggled to get my bearings, even though there were street signs all the way (and I am able to read maps!).  I drove past the sites of CTV building (which had the largest death toll in the quake), a couple of churches (one of which is now an artwork site covered with white chairs of all shapes and sizes), car dealership, backpackers and other accommodation, and there are so many that I couldn't tell you what used to be there.

The cordon is reducing and there are more buildings coming down all the time.  Recently the Crowne Plaza (aka Noah's hotel) has come down, and the demo crews have started on Westpac Building (formerly Canterbury Centre - which I used to work in years ago on the 5th floor, used to be able to go up to the 13th/top floor for Friday night staff dinner and enjoy the fabulous views of the city), Radio Network House, Price Waterhouse Building and Forsyth Barr House (originally Robert Jones House - I remember my first job was as a receptionist for the company who built this building - I used to find my way around the city when I first moved here based on what cranes were where.  That was in the late 1980s before the sharemarket downturn).  Now there are so many cranes around the city it is amazing.

So I'm going to skip over the work stuff, and the weekend.  Hmmm, this is turning into rather a long post, but I guess that's what happens when you have a weeks worth of writing to catch up on!

Yesterday, going to Champion Centre wasn't as intimidating, but I still need to ask about a few things, like is it okay to ask other parents about their children's disabilities?  In NICU, that was one of the rules, basically allow other families their privacy and don't look or ask questions.

Already the therapists have picked up on a couple of things that may be issues for Isaac.  Someone mentioned about Isaac overstuffing his mouth when he eats.  I just thought that he was being a typical boy enjoying his food, apparently not.  Seems that the sensors in his mouth may not be registering that he has food in his mouth until it is so full he struggles to get it eaten.  Another one said that she wants to check on his use of his hands.  Not quite sure what that's about, I thought he was doing ok, but maybe not.  And the PT tells me that he doesn't have much core strength or leg muscles.  Here was me thinking that he did have good core strength and strong leg muscles.

I know that I wanted to get Isaac the best treatment possible, and there will be more issues arise.  But it kind of did come as a surprise that they were able to see things so quickly.  Maybe it just means that they're good at what they do.

If you've reached the end of this post, thanks for hanging in there with me!

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a massive amount to process Tui - one step at a time x

    ReplyDelete

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