Tumbling Toddler

Whoever thought of making those little arrows that need to be sewn on a Boy Scout uniform need to reconsider making them larger. I don’t think I have a finger left that hasn’t been pricked, so now is a good time for a break. Eli is in the midst of selling popcorn for Boy Scouts, so the salesman needs to appear official.

We started Sidney in a tumbling class, meeting one time per week. I didn’t say anything to the instructor prior to class about Sidney’s leg or hands. I wanted her to work with Sidney first and get a grasp for her ability without thinking about it too much in advance. Tom and I raise her with the firm belief that she will only be limited by her leg and hands if we allow her to be. She did a great job of crossing the balance beam. After class while Sidney was admiring her sucker and hanging out with other kids, I had the chance to chat with the instructor. She let me know that she has worked with kids with various anomalies, and there was really nothing that stopped them. Just as I thought.  Eli thinks we should buy her appropriate “tumbling wear.”

I have to admit that as I watched her cross the balance beam; I started to get a little misty eyed. I know I ramble on about this in every blog post, but the transformation is so amazing I sometimes stand in awe of my own child. I think this was exactly the boost we both needed after seeing the discrepancy between legs starting to get a bit larger. She can still walk on her tip toe on the left side; however it is inevitable that one day this gap will become larger. Again, I think we are a long way from this, but one never knows. I remind myself, it is no coincidence that we live next to one of the best orthopedic departments in the country. I also remember that she has no other skeletal anomalies outside of her hands and leg, and this itself, was the answer to a prayer. I also know of so many special needs families without a straightforward path to treating their child’s health issues. This is very real for those of us bringing home kids with undocumented medical problems or simply things which are difficult to treat. We have a way to treat Sidney’s issues which is a blessing.

In every other way, she continues to thrive. We are hearing sentences. Sometimes we like the tone of the sentences. Sometimes we don’t. No, Eli is not a “bad guy.” Not everything is “mine,” and the cat is allowed to approach without screaming “scat!” That being said, it is much less frustrating for all of us that she is able to speak and tell us what she wants. When she had tantrums over the summer, I had a feeling her language ability was getting ready to explode. Eli went through the same thing. It is so frustrating to not be able to let someone know what you want or need. We tried to tell her to show us, but sometimes the right words or actions would not come. I haven’t seen a tantrum in a few weeks, and the one she had was very short lived.

Off to enjoy the bliss that only comes when one child is napping, the other is in school, and daddy is at work. Silence!