Year 2011 Goals

Happy New Year!

I'm exhausted, so I'm going to get right to it. Here are my gross motor (and possibly "other") goals for E in 2011, in no particular order:

1. E will be able to carry items at home--specifically, food to the dinner table. I'm talking plates with food on them, and not have them tip over. This includes drinks--in open cups. I don't plan on filling anything to the brim, but I do expect her not to spill what is in her cup or on her plate the majority of the time. Right now carrying any food receptacle (with food in it) is a guaranteed mess.

2. E will make some progress getting out of the bathtub. Specifically, I am hoping that with one hand held, she will be able to lift one leg at a time over the edge of the tub. This will take lots of practice, as she'll be barefoot, cold, and on a slippery surface. My back will thank me.

3. E will be able to put her own AFOs on, with supervision. Currently she can take them off, but we haven't worked on putting them on.

4. E will successfully navigate a step without assistance, and without crutches. Currently she initiates going up and down, but her clearance of the step isn't always successful and neither is the weight transfer.

5. E will be able to put on, take off, and carry a backpack. (She may already be able to do this).

6. I want Elena to make some progress navigating our entire yard. We live on a very steep front hill (with *ahem* perilously large rocks a the bottom of said hill), a flat side yard, and we have stone steps in the backyard that lead to the garage level. She can navigate going out the back door of the house, down the deck, to the flat side yard. We haven't really tried anything else yet. Since the other steps don't have a handrail, she would have to be able to successfully do multiple steps with her crutches (she has done 3-4 at a time, but never 10+).

7. Elena will be able to get in and out of the pool (using pool steps, a handrail, her swim vest, and anti-slip pool shoes) without scraping her knees and feet. By in and out, I mean sitting on the side of the pool out of the water as the start and end point. In order to not scrape her knees, I think this means she'll have to stand up using the handrail and walk up the steps.

8. Elena will answer questions regarding her disability when asked by peers. We are working on this, and so far it's actually going very well. Most questions come from kids, when I am around--and they ask me, not Elena. Right now, the most common question is "why do you use those things (crutches)?" and E says "these help me walk". Normally that suffices and everyone is smiley and satisfied.

9. Elena will be able to step side-to-side. She can do this, but it takes a lot of effort.

10. Elena will be able to move backwards independently in some fashion.


And Goals for me:

1. Get in better shape. I know this is a common New Year's goal. I am not in bad shape, but I need to be stronger. Elena is getting bigger, and I still need to carry/lift her. I plan on some "event" (nothing massive--a city 5K walk/run, for instance) once a month as a fitness goal. In the absence of a local race/event, I will drink water every day (don't laugh--I am chronically dehydrated, and I hate drinking water).

2. Learn how to use Skype. I did set up an account, so I'm part-way there!

3. Make a Yoga With E short video. Elena and I talk about it a lot.

4. Cook more at home--ideally, with the kids helping me. With Jason in school, it's The Mommy Show a lot of the time, and it's easier on our wallets and bodies if I cook more often. And healthy, home-cooked meals in the freezer is like time in a bottle, which is what every parent needs!

5. Vivian Time. Viv is getting more attention these days, which is great! I want to have a regular parent+Vivian time (normally, E gets this during Viv's nap and before Viv's bedtime).