My daughter does the stereotypical hand wringing associated with Rett Syndrome, practically all the time...unless we have her hands busy. We try to have her hands busy to retain functional hand use. Whether it is dribbling a ball, playing Connect 4, flipping through the pages of books and magazines, we try to keep them going.
Today she was on fire showing functional hand use for me...on...her...own!
She was opening the refrigerator door many times, she ate her pretzels on her own, she pointed to her snack to indicate she wanted more, she lifted the blinds to see Midnight outside, she opened the door to let Midnight in the house, she played connect 4, looked through her yearbook, turned the tv on...and of...and on..., she cruised through her iPad swiping to change pages and pressing buttons to change apps, and she pointed to the book she wanted me to read to her. I am sure there are many more I'm missing too!
There were two times today which were my favorite! They both happened at bedtime. Every other night (or the nights I put her to bed) I cover my daughter's hands in Bag Balm and put gloves on them to help keep her hands soft and help the sores she has developed from wringing so much. Putting gloves on her hands is not the easiest task in the world, especially when she wants to wring her hands. However, just like everything else she learns through constant repetition. Tonight when I grabbed the gloves to put them on her she held her hand right out for me! This was the first time she has ever done this for me! Trust me, this made the whole experience so much easier.
Right after this we were reading her story and she reached over with her hand, placed it on my cheek which was away from her, turned my head towards her, said "mommy" and gave me a kiss! And then she did it a couple more times!
I loved it when she is so loving. It melts my heart and makes me want to stop time to enjoy for a long time. But since I can't stop time, I will hold onto all these memories forever!
Here are some quotes for today along with pictures of my daughter's hands....
A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take - Cardinal Mermillod
The touch of a Mother's loving hands can inspire children to greatness- Kim L.
A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give - Lauren Atherton
Here is what her handwringing looks like
This is her picking apples for the first time this fall
Playing ball
Typing on the keyboard for homework
Walking down the street with her sister
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