Pony Walker!!!

This is one AMAZING little girl! We had such a good day of therapy. Today Eden got her pony walker. I have really been looking forward to it, ever since Pam, her PT, mentioned it to us before Christmas. Eden was showing lots of signs that she was ready to try it...bearing a tiny bit more weight on her legs more often, moving her legs like she is trying to walk when you help her, and saying the words "walk," "jump," and her most recent favorite "run." She's been really wanting to be upright, and to get around more, and has been crying and pitching a good 2-year-old fit when we put her down. So, I knew she was ready and I was really getting excited to try the walker.

I swear Eden knew what it was from the second she saw it. I said, "do you wanna walk?" and she got SO excited and started trying to get into it from my arms. Once in there, she grabbed the handles and started trying to walk right away. She did so good! She could move herself all the way across the room (about 10-12 feet) and probably could have gone further if we had more open space. She was SO happy.

She started playing a game with me, saying "bye, see ya" and I was supposed to go ahead of her so she couldn't see me. She would then walk until she could see me and would exclaim "HIIIEEE" with the hugest smile, then would immediately tell me "bye, see ya" again. She really thought she was BIG STUFF and would have done this for hours. She also liked turning the Christmas tree on and off, trying to buckle the belts in the high chairs, and opening and shutting the refridgerator door. We could tell that she was so proud and happy to be up and able to go where she wanted. It was a lot of fun and she didn't want to get out. In fact she cried and said "more... walk" repeatedly when we were done, even though we could tell she was getting tired. She was in there for like, 45 minutes, on her first time!

I know, both from our experiences so far, and from reading other blogs, that getting new equipment can sometimes be painful and emotional. Getting a new stander could mean that she will never stand on her own, getting a walker might mean she will never walk, and getting a power wheelchair might mean that she will never be able to get around on her own. I know these feelings, but today I am just happy for Eden because she is so happy and proud of herself.

On the other hand, I do feel some brief moments of sadness, just in knowing that she has been watching us, and Holland, for so long doing the things that she really wants to be doing herself. I hope this walker will help Eden do more of the things she wants to do independently. I will continue everyday in my pursuit of making her life as normal and happy and independent as I possibly can. Everyone knows she is doing her part!