On a Roll

Little Miss got her big girl wheelchair this morning.  What an exciting day for us!  We really wanted to get it this week, so Leah and I went to the medical supply company to pick it up.  It was actually a really great experience to go there.  The man we were meeting there, who's been working on her chair, was in a wheelchair himself.  I thought that was so cool.  He had a workbench and made a few different modifications to her chair after seeing her in it, and he was able to do everything anyone else could.  And he was really great at his job!  It gives me hope that Leah will be able to do something she's really good at.

I won't lie, when we walked into the warehouse and I saw her chair sitting there, it choked me up a bit.  It's just so final.  Getting a wheelchair at 18 months kind of seals the deal.  I'm still hopeful that she'll get up and walk someday, but it will probably take a lot of technology and won't be her everyday way of getting around.  This chair will be her legs.  But then we got her into it and she was so happy.  They did make a few adjustments to it, like moving the footrest down a little bit and the side bumpers in a little closer.  The nice thing about picking up the chair is that while we were waiting, all the girls from the office came in.  We got to see all people we've worked with throughout the process, and they got to meet Leah!  Our main contact, who had visited us with the test chair a few months ago, was so excited to see Leah in her chair.  They don't usually get to see their clients with their new equipment, so this was really special for all of them.  Leah was a little shy at first, but she started warming up and then showed off all her moves.  She was wheeling and turning and being so darn cute.  

This chair is very similar to the one in the video at the roller rink.  It has a few cool gadgets, including a tray that she can use for reading or coloring and a backpack for her to carry her stuff.  It also has a handle on the back (which also easily pops on and off) for us to help steer or push her.  This will be very helpful when we're out in public.  I'm really looking forward to getting her out in public with the chair, I wonder how that will go!

I'll get a few pictures of her new chair up over the weekend.  Check back soon!