Moving lefty

After Blondie's surgery she named her left hand "sleepy hand" and constantly referred to it that way until the therapists looked at her and said, "that hand is NOT sleeping, look at it move." So she named it "lefty." Lefty continues to receive therapy 2 days a week and we're four years from surgery. I don't know if it sounds like I just can't accept her differences, but I truly do. Every time I start to think that she isn't getting any stronger she surprises us. Tonight, I posted on our yahoo group about how she is actually able to open and close her hand. She can, and I tried to get video tonight, but it isn't very pretty. I didn't clean her up and make her all shiny and cute - that's a milk mustache on her face, and she (and her clothes) REALLY enjoyed recess today, but at least you get the idea that hemi hands CAN move - sort of. Notice when she opens and closes it she sort of extends and pulls back her arm? She actually uses that as a strategy to retrain her brain to get that arm moving but she also KNOWS that when she needs to pick up something she moves her arm one way, and when she needs to let go she moves it the other. If SHE knows it then she is more likely to use it.

Another reflex sort of move that we accidently found was last week. Her OT was trying to get her to rotate that darn wrist. It wouldn't do it until Blondie happened to reach up and rub her nose (pollen allergies right now) - then that little wrist flipped right over like it was supposed to. Blondie started giggling because she thought it was funny. Now I hear, "hey mom, watch this..." and then she'll rub her nose. The same reflexive type movement happens when she rides her bike too. If we bandage her hand to the bars so it can help steer, then her ankle/knee rotates and her foot falls off the pedal - if we let her ride with one hand the foot isn't an issue. It has to do with rewiring the brain and it is ABSOLUTELY fascinating. I guess that's why we still go to therapy after all of these years. I certainly am realistic about what she may or may not be able to do, but if her brain wants to surprise me then I'm all for it!!! Thankfully I'm constantly surprised.