A DC Playdate

A few weeks back we made a whirlwind trip to DC to visit some friends.  Krista wrote me a message telling me she was closer to our area, and if I'd be interested in meeting her family--especially Hannah, one of her twin daughters who just happens to have CP.  We decided to meet at the Natural History Museum.

I decided to bring nothing but crutches for Elena.  Last time we were in DC we opted for E's wheelchair.  This time, we decided to drive into the city (not taking the Metro) and see how long the girls lasted.  Vivian was going without a nap, so we figured both kids would get tired before too long, and they would get back in the car and head home.

Another reason I wanted E to just try her crutches was to give some inspiration for Hannah; Krista said Hannah wasn't taking to hers too much, and maybe having Elena as an example might help.

It was really fun to meet up in the museum; here we were, some adults and a pile of kids (and E and Hannah take a lot of space).  It was just wonderful to be around other adults that "get it", in terms of mobility challenges and stuff like that.  Hannah, Isabelle, and Sammy are such wonderful company!  The kids took to each other right away--it was just adorable!

The kids' favorite place was the Discovery Room!

Skulls

Budding scientist?

Isabelle and my girls

Birdwatchers

Hannah and E

We ended up breaking for lunch in the lower level cafe.  That was really interesting--mainly b/c E and Hannah have some of the same table postures.  Sometimes I get annoyed at how Elena's hands seem to be in her food, or she's not paying attention to where her hands are, or she's slumping over the table.  I understand that Elena has a low-tone trunk (part of the classic spastic diplegia package), but it was very eye-opening to see Hannah at the table.  Both girls' forearms tend to be "heavy" and rest on the table in some way.  It was actually great--it helped me better understand how low muscle tone affects the usage of upper limbs.


After that we headed to the butterfly room!  All the kids *really* wanted a butterfly to land on them!

Fascinated kids!

They are both running out of steam...but still smiling

The butterflies loved Hannah!

Tired kids (Viv tried to nap on the floor right after this)

HUGE thanks to Krista and her family (including her mom) and to Jason (and the kids) for making this a huge success!