"She's going to love your chair!"
Ruby is now just shy of a year old. It's been wonderful watching her grow and develop from day to day. I held her when she was just hours old and now I feel a kinship with her as she crawls around the floor. We two are the one's who don't walk.
Mike had said that she loves anything that she can climb up and that my wheelchair was going to be her new favourite toy. It was. She took one look at me rolling in to the apartment and her eyes went from recognition - "Hey, I know that guy!" - to excitement "Never noticed the wheelchair, wow, now that 's a cool toy." - to desire - "I'm heading over there to get a closer look." - and curiosity - "I wonder what it tastes like?" All those looks in just a fleeting moment.
Then she was off. I saw her coming and locked the chair to ensure that it wouldn't move and then watched her size up the chair like a mountain climber searching for the safest passage. Once she figured it out, she began to climb. Seconds later she was standing up and reaching out her hand to me. I took it and she grinned. But enough of that, she let go and then began moving carefully around the chair testing out how far she could go while still standing.
Now she's under the chair banging at the wheels and laughing. I feel her hit at the back of my legs and then attempt to climb again but finding that there wasn't quite enough room under the chair for her to stand. She didn't tire of exploring the chair for ten or twelve minutes. She covered the whole thing, grabbed at the bag on the back, tried to twist the rubber off the foot lifts on the back, chased a ball underneath and through the wheels.
I felt like the best ride at an amusement park.
When we left Joe commented that the wheelchair was a big hit with Ruby. Even though I've been in the chair since she was borne and have held her sleeping while sitting in the chair, this is the first time she noticed it.
And it didn't scare her.
It just intrigued her.
She stilled climbed up my chest, danced while standing on my knees, and giggled when her dad grabbed her off me and up into the air.
But now I am complete to her, I come attached to my wheels.
Though I'm not Dave to her yet, I'm still - "Hey, I recognize you!"
That's good enough for now.
even now in my 30s i find that adaptive technology sets off my gadget-fascination.
ReplyDelete...sometimes even gadget *envy*, like with this one right here.
PS: this was a cool thing that i saw the other day and it happened while i was talking on the phone to a friend who uses a walker, so i told her right away. i was at walmart and i saw a pretty little girl who was going back to the car with her parents after shopping. and she totally had a Princess Wheelchair. you know, all pink and purple and sparkly, with some coordinating decorations on the wheel spokes and matching backpack. and my friend said "oh yeah i used to have a barbie wheelchair when i was a kid and my barbie had a matching one." i was like, DUDE. and i don't even like barbie. but i wish every little girl who uses a wheelchair to get around could have a pretty one like that. or a camouflage one with skulls on it, if that's her style. (^_^)
Boy is SHE going to be surprised when she sees another wheelchair and it doesn't come with a Dave in it! (Hopefully not so surprised that she bursts out crying, to the dismay of all involved.)
ReplyDeleteMy kids' favorite things at a science museum were always the wheelchairs. Dad and I would have to pack a book to read, because we'd be there for an hour or two ...