Changes

Last week, I had to suck up my mommy hurt and finally apply for a disabled parking permit for him. Matt's neurologist is very accommodating and during our appointment last week were he diagnosed our little man with Cerebral Palsy, I asked for a script to get him into the wheelchair seating clinic and they filled out the required forms for the permit as well. It is well known in my family that I have been very hesitant and vocal  about not applying for disabled parking for Matt. I had my reasons, one being that I felt like I would be abusing the privilege of having disabled parking and taking a spot away from someone who really needed it. And when he was still small, it was true that he didn't need it. It was also one of the few ways I was able to deny Matt's developmental and physical delays. Now that he is older and so much harder to get in and out of the car and into wherever we're going, I've had put whatever I am feeling aside and do what needs to be done for him.

 Earlier this week we took Matt to get fitted for a wheelchair. It has been very hard for me to accept that we have gotten to the point that he needs a chair, that yet another one of my plans and dreams for him was changing. Facts are facts: he rolls over, but will not tolerate being on his stomach long enough to push up on hands and knees, he isn't crawling, and sadly, my baby is getting too heavy to carry around for long periods of time.  I still have hope that someday Matt will be able to stand independently and even walk. He has already made progress in the standing department, surprising his two therapists and I by popping up off a bench he was sitting on during a Occupational/Speech co-treat session. I had to look at the benefits for him, that it would give him more independence and maybe get him a little more interested in the world around him rather than having someone hold him all the time.

The day of the clinic, Dad had to take over kiddo duty because I was stuck in bed with a virus. I definitely was not fit for public consumption. I felt so guilty because I wanted to be there for Matt,  but his rehab center is full of kids that are medically fragile so I wouldn't want to expose them to what I had going on. From what Dad told me, it was a pretty simple process, a wheelchair fitting team comprised of an Occupational Therapist, a Physical Therapist and a rep from the wheelchair measured Matt and then had him sit in a few different models to see what would work best for him and what features they would add. The only requests we had when it came to the chair was that it recline so that we could lay him back when he got tired because he has limited head and trunk control. We will get his new wheels in September. I can't wait to see how he reacts to his new view on the world :)