This morning Oksana was holding onto our hands and walking back and forth between us. We started letting go a little bit before she reached the next parent and before we knew it she was taking 1, then 3, then 5 steps between us! We got her braces and shoes on and she ended up taking 8-10 independent steps back and forth! We were shocked!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Therapy, School, and More
Oksana's testing results came back and just as I suspected she is about at the level of a 2 year old in all areas. I told them that had they tested her 2 months ago she would have tested as a 1 year old. On Monday of this week we got a phone call from Easter Seals with therapy times and they told us we could start immediately! So on Tuesday we went to Oksana's first day of therapy. It was...ummmmm....interesting. She had PT and speech that day. Without giving details so this blog isn't too long I'll just say that I saw some behaviors I haven't seen in awhile. They are behaviors that she had with us in the beginning and they are all based on 2 things. First, she is SO scared. It was a new environment, new people, and they were asking her to do things she had never done before. She was scared someone would hurt her and she couldn't handle the transitions because she didn't know what was happening next. Second, she tries to control adults. It is a survival mechanism that she used in the orphanage. She wanted to see if she could control what happens in therapy. There were plenty of tears and lots of "No, no, no, no, no!". Still, she actually did have fun overall and screamed at the top of her lungs when we had to leave. The next day was MUCH better. She had OT which was new so that caused some issues but not near as bad as day one. We figured out that if we simply prepare her for any changes or upcoming transitions she handles them fine. Her PT and speech therapist are great. Her OT is OK. She has a more passive personality and Oksana seems to take advantage of that. Here is a little video of her in PT working on standing from a sitting position.
I've also been more intentional about her education lately. Up to this point we've really just been playing and she's been learning through that but today I started to work on the alphabet with her. I made a big A on the floor with tape and we drove trucks over it:
Then we lined it with blocks:
And we glued cereal on a letter A:
We talked about words that start with A and we did a matching activity using socks.
Now that she has her walker and rides in a stroller, we are able to do much more with her. Yesterday she also discovered that she loves the grocery carts that have little cars attached to the front of them so we got to do our grocery shopping together while she happily "drove" her car.`I never thought I would see that day! Week by week we see improvement and I find myself looking at her and feeling amazed that she is supposed to be in a mental institution right now. It blows my mind.
I've also been more intentional about her education lately. Up to this point we've really just been playing and she's been learning through that but today I started to work on the alphabet with her. I made a big A on the floor with tape and we drove trucks over it:
Then we lined it with blocks:
And we glued cereal on a letter A:
We talked about words that start with A and we did a matching activity using socks.
Now that she has her walker and rides in a stroller, we are able to do much more with her. Yesterday she also discovered that she loves the grocery carts that have little cars attached to the front of them so we got to do our grocery shopping together while she happily "drove" her car.`I never thought I would see that day! Week by week we see improvement and I find myself looking at her and feeling amazed that she is supposed to be in a mental institution right now. It blows my mind.
Monday, September 27, 2010
2 Months
This Wednesday marks 2 months since we arrived home. What a difference 2 months makes! At the one month mark I didn't even do a blog about it because I was still reeling from what we had experienced. She still felt like a stranger in my house, and I still spent most of my days wondering if life would ever feel normal again. In the last month we have been able to slowly come up for air and have begun to see light at the end of the tunnel.
For starters, I am blown away at the fears this child has conquered in 2 months. Guess what she is doing now? Riding in her stroller! After we took her out of the orphanage she would scream at the top of her lungs and literally try to claw herself out of the stroller. She was so incredibly scared. She had NO idea where she was and feared that we would leave her so she had to be literally ON us and with both of us in sight at all times. We weren't even allowed to sit. Now she happily plays in her stroller while we take walks or go to the store and the other day she went to her first restaurant!!!!! In Ukraine we mistakenly thought we would take her to eat and the second our behinds hit the chair she lost it so we learned quickly that "to go" would be the only way we would be eating out for a long time. This weekend, with some trepidation, we went to a local pizzeria with some friends and she was an angel. I couldn't believe it was the same child.
Her English is coming along well but we still have a long way to go in this area. She was speech delayed in her native language and I am definitely seeing that in English as well. We have her speech evaluation scheduled for Wednesday. Still, her progress has been good and we definitely have a good start to communication and it is reducing some frustration in all of us. The other day a man came to our door and she said "BIG MAN!......Gimme five!" Luckily he thought she was adorable!
Of course I can't forget to mention that this wild girl is walking like crazy. She blows us away. Even if we can tell she is getting tired she will keep going. It's a new lease on life! I really thought she would fight the leg braces and the walker but she has not once complained. Right now she is wearing her braces 1-2 hours a day and we are slowly working our way to increasing that so she is wearing them most of her waking hours. She went to church Sunday with her walker and had a great time walking all over. She even found a class having their music time and walked herself right in to check it out! It's been interesting watching other kids stare at her. Everyone has been kind to her but they are definitely interested in that girl with the walker. I guess that is something we will all have to become accustomed to.
Along with all of that...as if that wasn't enough...she is also doing great with her colors and now knows the basic colors well, she is feeding herself more and more, she is showing increased signs of attachment and trust, and she is just overall a happier child than she was 2 months ago. Please don't get me wrong, there is still a long journey to walk with Oksana, and the damage done to her over 5 years isn't disappearing in 2 months but the change is evident and for that we are thankful.
Here are a few pictures and another video of her walking:
For starters, I am blown away at the fears this child has conquered in 2 months. Guess what she is doing now? Riding in her stroller! After we took her out of the orphanage she would scream at the top of her lungs and literally try to claw herself out of the stroller. She was so incredibly scared. She had NO idea where she was and feared that we would leave her so she had to be literally ON us and with both of us in sight at all times. We weren't even allowed to sit. Now she happily plays in her stroller while we take walks or go to the store and the other day she went to her first restaurant!!!!! In Ukraine we mistakenly thought we would take her to eat and the second our behinds hit the chair she lost it so we learned quickly that "to go" would be the only way we would be eating out for a long time. This weekend, with some trepidation, we went to a local pizzeria with some friends and she was an angel. I couldn't believe it was the same child.
Her English is coming along well but we still have a long way to go in this area. She was speech delayed in her native language and I am definitely seeing that in English as well. We have her speech evaluation scheduled for Wednesday. Still, her progress has been good and we definitely have a good start to communication and it is reducing some frustration in all of us. The other day a man came to our door and she said "BIG MAN!......Gimme five!" Luckily he thought she was adorable!
Of course I can't forget to mention that this wild girl is walking like crazy. She blows us away. Even if we can tell she is getting tired she will keep going. It's a new lease on life! I really thought she would fight the leg braces and the walker but she has not once complained. Right now she is wearing her braces 1-2 hours a day and we are slowly working our way to increasing that so she is wearing them most of her waking hours. She went to church Sunday with her walker and had a great time walking all over. She even found a class having their music time and walked herself right in to check it out! It's been interesting watching other kids stare at her. Everyone has been kind to her but they are definitely interested in that girl with the walker. I guess that is something we will all have to become accustomed to.
Along with all of that...as if that wasn't enough...she is also doing great with her colors and now knows the basic colors well, she is feeding herself more and more, she is showing increased signs of attachment and trust, and she is just overall a happier child than she was 2 months ago. Please don't get me wrong, there is still a long journey to walk with Oksana, and the damage done to her over 5 years isn't disappearing in 2 months but the change is evident and for that we are thankful.
Here are a few pictures and another video of her walking:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Walking
Look who got herself a new set of wheels today! We had Oksana's OT and PT evaluation this morning. She will be getting a speech evaluation soon. We started with PT. She was very nice but Oksana got scared and cried when she tried to touch her feet. This fear stems from the surgery she had done in Ukraine. She's been hurt a lot and she doesn't trust anyone to touch her feet except us. The PT was very respectful and ended up earning her trust by the end of the session. The problem we have is that in order to get fitted for AFOs (Ankle foot orthotics, otherwise known as leg braces) you have to have your foot and calf casted in plaster and that will send Oksana into a panic. Instead she went to their donations and found a pair that fit her, and a pair of tennis shoes to go with them. It's not perfect but it will have to work for now. Then she came around the corner with a walker and next thing I knew Oksana was up and taking her first independent steps! She said that she wouldn't be surprised at all if Oksana walked without a walker soon. The walker slows her down :) but she loved the independence! It will be a few weeks before all of the reports are written, signed off, and therapy scheduled so she sent us home with the AFO's and the walker to be praciticing.
OT was next and she was also very encouraging. Oksana did qualify for services but she really felt that her fine motor delays were only because of the orphanage and she would catch up quick. Besides basic fine motor skills, she will be working on self help skills, and she will eventually be tested to see what kind of sensory issues she might have from the lack of stimulation in the orphanage.
Both OT and PT said she would come twice a week for an hour each. The speech therapist had originally wanted to wait to evaluate her until she had more English but after meeting her today she decided that she wants to evaluate her now. We don't have that scheduled yet but hope to soon. I might as well just set up a cot at Easter Seals because it sounds like we're going to be spending a lot of time there! When we left she had a fit because she liked their ball. Even now when she sees her walker she tells me that they had a ball and goldfish! I'm glad she had a good experience but hopefully she won't have a fit every time we leave!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
BATH!!!
Yes, that is who you think it is, and yes, she is in what you think she is in! Oksana has conquered her fear of the bath tub! Now she has a great time in it and loves to have bubbles in her bath. I can't tell you how much easier it is to clean her now! Next on the list of fears to conquer....shopping carts :)!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Stuck!
The other day Oksana was playing in our guest bedroom. I was sitting in the living room when suddenly I heard "Mama, Mama". It was very calm and not at all frantic, just like she needed to tell me something so I walked in the room and this is what I found!
She had gotten herself good and stuck in the bed! When I walked in she started laughing so I figured it was safe to get a quick picture before I helped her escape :). She loves to look at this picture now and says "STUCK!"
She had gotten herself good and stuck in the bed! When I walked in she started laughing so I figured it was safe to get a quick picture before I helped her escape :). She loves to look at this picture now and says "STUCK!"
Dates and Giraffes
A big tradition in our house is for Larry and I to take our boys on individual "dates". We hadn't been able to do that all summer and decided that this weekend was the perfect weekend for dates. On Saturday Larry took Clayton to Panera for breakfast. That is a big treat for Clayton since we never go out for breakfast and he loves their souffles. Today I took Evan to lunch after church and then we went to the zoo for a program they are offering called Giraffe Encounters. It allows you to go behind the scenes with the keepers and see the barns where the giraffes are kept at night and during bad weather. We also got to pet and feed the giraffes, and learn tons of new facts about them. We had a blast! Here are some pictures from our date:
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