It isn't fair! I wanted to go outside with Bonnie today. Her speech therapist cancelled due to illness, which works out great because Bonnie isn't on this new daylight savings time thing yet. She went to bed at midnight for no good reason and got up at 8 for no good reason. So I thought yesterday, hey, it was nice today, let's go to the park and see if we can get her walking. She just is fighting walking lately and I am a bit scared. So I wake to downpours. Grr.

So instead we took a long breakfast. She is getting good at chewing on the beef sticks. I made her tube food from an egg, 1 cup wheat farina, 1 cup oatmeal, 3/4 cup corn, 1 cup mixed veggies, an apple, 2 cups milk and 1 cup water. She had her bath. She was a pill this morning, refusing to let the water out but yet she wanted out. I think the steroids are still speaking for her. So I let her win and got her out. Well, she pulled the plug, but I wanted it to stay in the tub and she wanted to carry out. You have to pick your battles and this wasn't one that I cared too much about.

After I dressed her(during which she is screaming about the DAFOs so are they causing pain? is that why not as much walking? but there are no hot spots? Maybe it is just harder with them?)she played very actively with her Fisher Price Little People farm. I took the opportunity to finish the NY Times crossword, as well as the Sudoku, and the word jumble and the local crossword. Ah Mondays. Those are cake on Monday. Then I played with her awhile, and then it was time for lunch. I went to put her in the high chair and wow she had exploded. She received a second bath, unusual for middle of the day. After some extensive clean up, we had lunch. After lunch, we worked on rolling a size 1 soccer ball back and forth. I keep telling her God gave her two hands and she needs to use both, so she was really working that left hand. Then I got a crazy idea. I brought out two 1.5k dumbells. Could she move them? Well yes it was easy to push them around on the floor, because they roll. But then she watched me working out with them(something I never do) and then she wanted to lift one. By God she was able to lift one onto her lap. Mind you, it took awhile! And there was a lot of grunting and I don't know if the PTs would like it because it probably wasn't the best for her shoulders, but fact is, she got it up using both hands across her body from right to left. Then she wanted it off immediately! But hey I'll take it! At this point we did some more standing and then some facial massage.

Right now she is watching a Backyardigans DVD. She is getting in and out of the dog bed. When she is active like that, I don't feel I have to have constant hands on. I just more provide the 'therapy area' and she does her own therapy. Oh with the soccer ball, she was able to lift it up to her chest. Wow.

Every day she gives me more hope. And every day I pray and wonder how she'll turn out. You do this with every child you have of course, but it is just different when you have a child with a physical disability. Now if I had to pick a disability, I would have picked arthrogryposis. I mean, mind okay, only gets better... and all the wonderful people I have met. It is great in a disturbed way.

Jerry continues to go on without a day off. He thought he would be done early today but when he got to the home(he installs flooring) where he was to do two small rooms in vinyl, neither were how he expected them. He'll earn more, but he'll be working later. He didn't go to bed until 2 a.m. He was busy with Red Alert on a very old computer. He might take the weekend off. We do have a birthday party on Saturday. But we need money too. Bonnie has lots of needs!

Well back to the salt mine. Maybe I'll work Bonnie on the ball more. I am sick of rain. So is she. It would be nice to go outside and look around at nature. But in downpours. No I think not.