Summer Roundup

We've been out and about this summer!  As soon as I put up banners with Summer Activities, Elena's been asking about some of them each day.  So, in no particular order:

Run A Race
In June, there was the Summer Track Series where there was a kid's track races (with/without sibiling/adult participation), run by some local running gurus.  I had inquired before about training programs, but got a lukewarm response.  The tagline for these races was "runners of all abililites welcome"--which, I guess, meant kids that could run.  Well, Elena CAN run.  Needless to say, we weren't what they were expecting.  We showed up and registered.  Everyone would get a ribbon at the finish of each race.  My only request was that Elena and Vivian ran in different heats (I didn't want competition between siblings).  They ran by age.  That's no big deal--in all honesty, Elena would be last in almost any age range.  That is okay.  I just wanted to her to finish, and be proud of herself.

Viv's 100m dash!

Elena's 100m dash!

In the past, E has normally taken 5-6x as long as her peers.  Her 100m dash time is 3-4x, so that's a huge improvement!!

We also entered the parent/child 2x400.  I thought it was a 2x200 when I signed up for it, so I panicked at race time--we ended up doing a special race where Jason and I (paired with Vivian and E, respectively) did a 600/200 race, with the kids doing the second leg.  Needless to say Jason and I were the slowest adults at the meet.  But, I thought, that was a good example for the kids--we had a great time, no matter the place.  Having E and Viv do 200m vs. 400m was a good move--they ended up finishing just behind there peers, but they could still see them and were obviously in the same race.  Everyone got a ribbon, and the girls were very happy!  And a special thanks to the kids who came up to Elena after her race(s) and told her "hey, good race!".  Class acts, those kids!

Play in a Sprinkler

Elena has never been through a sprinkler until now.  The difficulty with water, no shoes, grass, and no handholds is enough of a problem--never mind the fact that we don't have a sprinkler.  Thanks to Pinterest--we decided to make one--and make an event of it.  Introducing...

The Kid Wash!

inaugural wash

E likes it!

everyone wants a turn through the wash (even parents)

After phase one, we broke out the slip n' slide!  Most of the kids liked it--it was hard for Elena to take a running start, so she had help.

big thanks to Antonio to keeping the slide smooth

Phase three was popsicles...total success!

Summer PT

Elena is learning more of the actual riding portion during hippotherapy--here is E's most recent development--posting!

At the end of her lesson, Viv normally gets a short ride.  This time, they got to ride tandem...what a sweet treat!

Viv is beside herself

smiling the whole time

Eating Wheaties, or Something

This has been a great week so far...E is really moving around pretty well. Still having some falls, but no real bad ones. Here are some great videos from hippotherapy with B!





My favorite--watch her knees when she sits back down! :)



Big ups to Annette for filming!

E has been trying new things (most with heavy assistance)--navigating curbs, walking around the house while carrying items, trying (unsuccessfully) to independently stand up from the floor, etc. Her attitude has been very willing, especially when using pretend play as a reward. Such as...her current favorite, Operation!

Hippotherapy recap: Trick riding and more

Ever since E's lessons got changed to another provider, it's been hard for me to make it. I tasked Annette with video duty. Here are some highlights!

E goes trotting!



E does some trick riding moves!



I love how BW (therapist) gives E some challenges. Daring--but she keeps it safe!

Back on the Horse (Literally)

Elena had to take a break from therapeutic horseback riding for 6 weeks after surgery. This was her first day back. Our lesson was as if we never left--still 30 minutes, and our handler had E do her normal range of motions--sitting forward, backward, sideways. The only real difference is that Elena needed more help with her transitions, and that she was a little more wobbly than usual. She rode Patchy, who is a large pony. Sometimes, she rides Cookie, a smaller pony (takes more core strength when she rides him).

These are action shots of her riding Patchy.


Reaching forwards (not shown) and backwards from forward sitting (trunk rotations)


Backwards with "airplane hands" (extensions)


side saddle with "airplane hands"


Normally we do therapeutic horseback riding once a week. The next couple months will be intermittent, as there are scheduling conflicts at The Barn.