Roller Girl

Last night we attended the Spina Bifida Roller Skating party.  It was at an indoor rink that was reserved just for our group.  We brought along Leah's zip-zac with the hope that she would get out on the rink and wheel herself around.  When we first got there, she was a little apprehensive and wanted to be held.  She wasn't too interested in getting out there with the other kids, so she sat and watched for a while.  One of my mom friends has brought her daughter's little wheelchair that she had recently outgrown (and is the same one Leah will be getting soon).  We tried Leah out in that chair and she went totally nuts!  With the help of 2 big girls she spent an hour and a half rolling around with all the other kids.  I've never seen her laugh as much and have as much fun as she did last night.  It was truly a joy to watch.  She was the youngest kid out there, though there were other little ones who were 2-3-4 years old.  Once she saw everyone else out there in their wheels, she got it.  She had never really seen anyone else in a chair before, so it finally clicked with her that the wheels will get her where she wants to go. 

 

It was also a great night for Ty and I to see some of our friends and to meet new parents and families.  At first it was kind of hard for me to see everyone in their chairs because it was another reminder that Leah will be different.  But once I saw how much fun she was having, I realized that walking isn't the only way to be happy.  And I felt such a deep sense of pride in her that at not even a year and a half she's figured out how to wheel herself around.  Ty was talking to another family whose daughter didn't get into a chair until she was around 3, which made us thankful that Leah's been in her wheels since 9 months when we got her zip-zac.  Here is a quick video of Leah out on the rink.  It was pretty loud and the lights were turned down, so the quality isn't that great, but hopefully you can see her big smile!  She was very proud of herself too!!