Hand/ Eye Coordination

Today's gift is hand/eye coordination.

My daughter has incredible hand/eye coordination.   It is truly amazing.

We first noticed it years ago when she was playing with her favorite toy....a ball.  And we still notice it today.  It does not matter what size ball you bounce to her, she will always hit it right back to you!  Not only will she bounce it back to you, she can hit the ball back to you while looking in another direction....crazy!

So many times, like today, we will be bouncing/hitting the ball back and forth and she will be looking at the television while the ball is on its way to her and without looking will hit it right back to me!   She never misses a beat.

Equally as amazing as the above, she can also take a ball and through it at a certain target and get it every time.  For example, our kitchen chandelier is a favorite "target" as she loves the reaction she gets from it when the ball hits it...it swings!  When she wants to get our attention while she is playing with her ball, she will start throwing it at the kitchen light, as she knows I will respond.

Both of these skills amaze me because most of the day she is wringing her hands.  Unless she wants to do something on her own or she is asked to do school work, she is wringing them.  If I walk over to her and try to break her hands apart, it is as if I were trying to pry open an old rusty door that has been shut for years...it isn't easy.  And when I do finally get them apart, she is so strong she gets them back together quickly like magnets!  However, when she wants to use them, she frees them as quickly and easily as she needs to.

Hand wringing and how it pertains to my daughter will always be a mystery to me.  We are so lucky she has the functional hand use she does have and is able to use them purposefully.  Whatever it takes to get them apart is fine by me, as long as "it" is keeping her hands busy so she does not lose hand use.

Here is a video of her from 2011...she still plays with a ball just like this today; however, I do not have current footage.  I apologize for the video layout...it was a new phone at the time.  But the video is a great way to see what I am talking about...especially with her hitting the ball and then immediately going back to wringing her hands.

Here is a quote for today....

Where there is a will, there is a way- Author Unknown


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365 Days Gift

Flipping Pages of Her Yearbook

Today's gift is flipping pages of her yearbook.

My daughter loves to look at pictures, magazines and books.  So it comes to no surprise that her yearbook would be right up there of things she loves to look at.  She loves flipping through the pages and finding her friends....and herself.

Sitting her down to look at her yearbook is one of the activities I can give her to do so I can either start dinner, blow dry her sister's hair or fold laundry.  It is a "quiet time" activity.  It is also another activity which keeps her hands moving!!!

She knows exactly where certain people are too in the yearbook!   You can ask her to point to someone and she will find them immediately.  It is also fun to see who she points to over and over again.  Sometimes I have to ask her sister who the student is, as I have no idea.  I often wonder why she is pointing someone new out to me....

Did they treat her well at school?  Did they say something mean?  Did she like what they wore?  Did they do something at school she wants to share with me?  The questions are endless.

What is a yearbook?  A yearbook is...according to google "An annual publication giving current information and listing events or aspects of the previous year, esp. in a particular field"...

In a particular field....like elementary school.  

It makes me so incredible happy to know she is utilizing her yearbook just like her peers....just the way it should be used....to take a walk down memory lane!  It makes me equally as happy to know she is represented in the school community and she has the happy memories to remember!

Here is a quote for today....

The best part about pictures is that even when the people in the photo change, the memory it contains never will- Author Unknown

Functional Hand Use

Today's gift is functional hand use.

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