So what has changed in our house since Oscar got his chair a week ago? The quality of his smile. For those of you who know him, you know he has this beaming smile that will stop you in your tracks. But in the last week, it’s been even bigger and brighter than usual. He is delighted that he can go to his room all by himself. He is delighted that if Dada is going into the living room and he wants to go too, he can just do it. He doesn’t have to ask someone to carry him. And he is really delighted that when we ask him to go somewhere (to the kitchen for breakfast, or to the bathroom to brush his teeth) he can go in the opposite direction of where we’re asking him to go. He can be naughty in a whole new way, a three-year old way!
Yesterday, when he saw me adding dirty dishes to the dishwasher, he asked to help. I was able to hand him spoons and forks that he could drop into the silverware receptacle in the dishwasher – and wow you should have seen that grin! He was so proud of himself!
Oscar is taking delight in the power of being able to move his own body through space in the way he wants to. He will often do a 180 or 360 just because it feels good, and because he can. He finally has some control over his own environment, and a new sense of belonging in space, I think. Last week he was able to play chase with the neighbor girls. He kept saying, “Do you want to zoom with me? Run, run!” He hasn’t been able to engage in real physical play up until now. This opens new doors, especially in his interactions with other kids. He’s also been asking to race us in the house, and he always seems to win!
See him in action…
Up the ramp:
Silly in the Kitchen:
Tags: independence, power wheelchair
