Today was the big day...we learned the sex of the baby: A BOY! Right now Camden's little bro weighs about 11 oz. and most of that is sheer manhood! (See pic). Definitely a surprise to me, as I was convinced we were having a girl. By now the shock has worn off and I've still got a few months to get used to the idea of being severely outnumbered, as Kevin was so nice to point out! But having a boy will be good for Camden. He'll have a playmate and bodyguard. Little brother will be set for clothes and they may just be able to share a room in our tiny house!
We're back from Orlando, for our 2nd trip to the Family Cafe conference (at Disney Coronado Springs Resort). We networked with other families affected by disability and the workshops we attended gave us lots of valuable information we can use to advocate and get services for Camden.
Workshops we attended: Roundtable Session for Families with Cerebral Palsy (got some great tips and connected with some really wonderful families, one from outside Polk Co. and one from Crawfordville) A Primer on Medicaid Waivers Getting the Most from Your IEP Inclusive Kickball (one we picked for Camden--anyone could participate, especially our sportsman in his pony walker!) Intensive Therapy Utilizing the Therasuit Method (I may blog more about this later--we're really interested!) Sustaining Faith During These Trying Times (excellent preacher who gave us some inspiration)
Camden just came for the pool, the hammock, the fishing and the dance on Saturday night (as you can imagine, he made a lot of friends!). We had a wonderful time and now it's time for us to get to work, applying what we've learned.
Believe it or not, our little man is now 3 years old! His birthday was Monday and Kevin and I went to Camden's daycare to have a small cupcake celebration with his friends. It was cute seeing the kids gobble up my cupcakes (that didn't turn out that great, but hey, the kids didn't care!). We had the rest of the day off to take him to the mall for a train ride, then met Aunt Joani and fam and "Aunt Heather" at CiCi's for dinner. It was a fun day and we've got some pictures to post...stay tuned.
Camden has refined taste...today he went for a quiet horseback ride in the North Florida countryside! Well, actually it was his first hippotherapy session with Hope Therapy in Middleburg. He took to it great, with only small bits of whining (which we can identify as trying to get out of work!). After his session, Ms. Becky (the OT) had him walk towards Jiggy the horse and give him a few carrots. We warned Becky that Camden would try to eat the carrots, so she had him "throw" the carrots quickly to Jiggy before Camden had the chance to bring them to his mouth! The steps he took towards Jiggy showed improvement...he didn't overlap his steps as much as before. We were really amazed! We're trying to weigh our options, whether or not to go every weekend or every other weekend.
For details about hippotherapy, read below. We've posted pics of our little jockey in training. He says he's ready for the Preakness next weekend.
(Borrowed from Cerebral Palsy Source) How Does Hippotherapy Work?
The idea behind hippotherapy is that the horse's movement provides a sense of rhythm to the rider as well as forces the rider's torso and hips to align and move in the proper physical way. Hippotherapy for patients with cerebral palsy essentially improves rhythm and movement, encourages step spacing (horses step with approximately the same frequency as humans), and promotes normal off-horse movement by training natural motor responses.
Benefits of Hippotherapy
Hippotherapy can help children and adults with cerebral palsy on many levels. It contributes to a rider's well being physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Some of the physical impairments that may be improved by hippotherapy in people with cerebral palsy are:
Abnormal tone Impaired coordination Impaired communication Decreased mobility Poor posture Impaired balance Impaired limbic system function Improvement in these areas can lead to improvement in gross motor skills (walking, standing, sitting, etc.), speech, comprehension, and behavior, including motivation, attention, and arousal.
Hippotherapy is also very emotionally rewarding for children and their families. The bond that develops between a child and a horse during hippotherapy treatment is something that a child will both cherish and be motivated by. This therapeutic activity can also increase self-confidence and encourage a child's success.
Kevin and I attended Camden's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting yesterday. He now is set with a 23 page IEP, which includes curriculum, PT, OT and communication and language goals. Based on some silly score, Camden wasn't found to be appropriate for a Speech therapist and the Speech pathologist tried to assure us that communication goals would be addressed by the teacher. (Kevin and I spent much time questioning this and disputing their assesment, since he already receives ST and the evaluators even remarked impairments with communication!!). We ended up meeting one-on-one with the Speech pathologist (who by the way, was the only one who hadn't personally met Camden so was at a disadvantage). We compromised, and she added two more communication-focused goals to the IEP. (Because as we all know, if it's not on the IEP, it doesn't get addressed, regardless of what anyone tells you). He has 4 Physical Therapy-related goals, 4 OT and 4 communication goals. We're pretty happy with the outcome and I was extremely proud of how aggressive Kevin was in advocating for Camden. We'll find out by July which schools are being offered, so that we can tour their Pre-K program.
We also drove out to Neptune Beach Elementary School to see their MOVE program. MOVE is the international program that blends therapy goals with curriculum. Every ESE teacher is trained in it, but don't necessarily stick to it--it's something the parents have to insist upon. The school was incredible!! Those teachers and aides were so devoted to the kids and there was so much cool equipment. It was exciting to see the kids moving around practicing their skills and to hear the stories of what the MOVE program has done for the them. I started to cry when the typical kids came in to help move the special needs ones outside during PE--that was soooo moving! Inclusion at its finest. It made us want to move out there to the beach. But Camden does not have the "profound" label those kids did, so we also have to jump threw those hoops. I just hope that whatever school he's recommended for has a MOVE program that tries to meet the standards Neptune Beach does. :)
We are your typical family; Dad is a special ed art teacher, Mom is a case manager to homeless families. We have two beautiful children, one with special needs and the other just plain special. We love our house but are selling it due to a summertime move to Tallahassee for a better educational and therapeutic opportunity for our oldest son, Camden who has been dx with Cerebral Palsy.
You will notice that one of the bedrooms has a custom painted mural of Camden Yards. We are huge baseball fans but the mural can be painted over or customized to fit the needs of the next fortunate owner. We hope you enjoy our home and will seriously consider adopting it for the future.
