Been shopping........

We've had a lovely, relaxed half term this week. Daniel has mainly had a break from physio, in order to allow him to recover, and stop him getting too tired. We have continued to do his stretches twice a day (those can never be missed unless he is simply too poorly to tolerate them), and have done a handful of the home exercises on some days. However, we have had no sessions with a physio, and have tried not to push him at all.

He has enjoyed some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa......

.....and been swimming.....

...and has continued to walk, walk, walk whenever an opportunity presents itself....

At the moment, Daniel is still mainly wearing his full splints, because he experienced some pain when we took him down to just the ankle splints. Therefore, in agreement with his physios, and of course desperate not to injure him, we are making the change very gradually. He is doing some standing at home in just the ankle splints, and using them in physio sessions, but still wearing his full splints when out and about and particularly at school.

The most exciting achievement of the week came on Friday, exactly 3 months since his SDR operation, Daniel WALKED all the way round Cheltenham town centre. We took his wheelchair with the intention that he would just walk the length of the shopping arcade and then hop in his chair for the rest of the trip. However, he wanted to keep going and going, and refused to get in his wheelchair at all (so Lucy enjoyed a ride around town!) You can see from this clip how much more confident and fluent his walking in his walker has become.

 

He hugely enjoyed the independence of looking round M&S, deciding which way he would go and what he would look at.

Admittedly he did end up flat on his face at one point, and was really tired towards the end, but he did manage the whole trip starting and finishing at our car without getting in his wheelchair at all. It really brought home to me how much he has achieved in the last 3 months.

Tomorrow we return to the full physio routine, and Daniel returns to full-time school. That should be challenging, but I look forward to what he might achieve in the next 3 months....