Skip to main content

Therapeutic

Eating is really hard for Abby.  I liken a day of feeding school for Abby to a day of boot camp for me.  It's not that she is just refusing to eat or is picky.  It takes about 5-6 swallows per toddler spoonful of food.  That's about half the size of a teaspoon.  All of her anatomy in her throat/airway is just a little interesting, which makes swallowing hard.  She's safe and she can do it, but it's not easy.

So imagine her delight after a particularly hard day at "work" when she came outside and was greeted by these two friendly faces!



Pets on Wheels is a local organization that provides therapy animals to places like nursing homes, hospitals, and RMH!  Abby absolutely loved Lilly, the black dog she's so sweetly posing with.  :)  Lilly was quite a lover too--so cute!

Although Abby didn't think as much of Wasabi (named because "She's hot stuff") the tortoise, I thought she was awesome!!  For kids with allergies to dogs and cats, a hypoallergenic therapy animal is a great solution! Plus, Ms. Wasabi was dressed in a custom-made dress and ate pretzels.  That about did it for me.  I was sold!

While watching the kids play with these sweet animals, I was once again struck by the beauty of RMH.  Here, they aren't kids with chronic illnesses or kids in wheelchairs.  They aren't kids with tubes or pins coming out of their bodies.  They aren't kids with cognitive delays.  

They're just kids...playing with animals.  

And it's a beautiful thing to watch.

Thank you, Pets on Wheels, for sharing your furry (or scaly) friends with us.  It couldn't have come on a better day!



Comments

Mary Lou said…
Julie....
Pets on Wheels?! I have never heard of such an organization!! But, as an animal lover, I appreciate them already!! Lily looks like Bo Obama!! He's a Portuguese Water Dog. I wonder if Lily is that breed? Or, a Portuguese Water Dog mix, perhaps? What? I love canines!! Mutts, especially!! ;)
I also love retiles!! My favorite being snakes!! I'm weird, this I know!! I am continuously told that!! Hee, hee, hee.... ;-D
"While watching the kids play with these sweet animals, I was once again struck by the beauty of RMH. Here, they aren't kids with chronic illnesses or kids in wheelchairs. They aren't kids with tubes or pins coming out of their bodies. They aren't kids with cognitive delays. They're just kids...playing with animals. And it's a beautiful thing to watch.". This touched my deepest emotions!! ;)
--Raelyn


Popular posts from this blog

Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome

If you happen to pick up the latest Reader's Digest, there is an article in there about Piper Breinholt , a four year old with CCMS.  If you've been around here a while, you'll remember wayyyyyy back when we first received Abby's diagnosis that I was able to speak to Piper's mom, Reagan.  The article is more about their story and not as much about the ins and outs of CCMS, but I think it's probably enough to get some people googling it and I'm hoping a few will end up here. Every once in a while, I give a blog post the title of Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome so that it would show up in Google.  My ever-present hope is that people will stumble across my blog and 1) be encouraged by the hope we have in Christ, 2) feel a connection with someone in a similar situation as them, or 3) get excited over the miracles that have been performed in Abby's life!!  (a combination of all 3 is great too!)  :)   Notice that it's not to get famous and it ...

Bath Time Photos!!

As promised, here are lots of photos of Abby's first bath. Caleb was supposed to be in bed, but the bathroom is right next to his room... "I'm not too sure about this..." Once she learned how to splash, she was all smiles! Her first good hair wash! Gotta protect the trach! She really liked getting water poured on her head.  It was cute! Smiley (and bubbly) for Daddy while he dried her off. All clean!!  (Note the Lysol wipes in that last picture.  They are NEVER far away!)

Imagination Movers Photo Recap

Seriously, The Imagination Movers were so much fun!  They played lots of their own music, with some classic rock mixed in for the adults.  There were also quite a few jokes and references to Baltimore, which was kind of fun.   The whole night centered around this robot named Rock-o-Matic, or "Rocko."   This is Mover Scott, and he wears Wobble Goggles that help him see new ideas.  Caleb and Abby have a pair of goggles too.  :) There are 4 main Movers that are part of the TV show, but they have 2 extra movers to play instruments and do back-up vocals in their live tour. Abby finished up her feed before the show started so that she would be free to dance! My dancing queen did NOT want to sit in my lap.  The row in front of us was empty, and that is where she stood almost the entire show--dancing the night away. My Imagination Movers  Caleb did his share of singing and dancing too.  He knows m...