Yay/Boo

Let's start with the YAY news, KayTar graduated from physical therapy today! :) Two weeks ago, her therapist did a re-evaluation of her abilities and she was either at age level (upper body gross motor) or within a year of her chronological age (strength, agility) for most categories...balance was just a bit shy of that range, but almost to the 5 year level, I think. Balance is her biggest struggle. She has been in PT since about 19 months of age, when she was functioning at a 10 month old level, only lapsing when we briefly lost our insurance coverage, but for the next 6 months she is going to be PT-free, because of the excellent progress she has made! She was last tested a little less than 6 months ago, and she has gained over a YEAR'S worth of physical development in that time! We have exercises to do at home in the meantime, but being down to one therapy appointment each week is going to be nice for us. I won't have to pull her out of school twice a week in the fall. I also mentioned that we are looking into getting a medical stroller/wheelchair for KayTar because she just can't walk on her own for long periods of time when we are out and about, and she will outgrow her stroller soon, and the PT said she'll still be able to help with that. She's going to talk to KayTar's old OT, who runs the wheelchair clinic, and we'll try to get it worked out. The computers were down today, so she won't get her certificate until next week at OT, but I'll be sure to post a picture of her with it...maybe standing on one foot, which she is now able to do for about 5 seconds! :)

Now for the BOO news. Both kids had a dentist appointment today. BubTar's went excellently, no cavities, no worries. KayTar's started on a good note, no cavities and she actually let them get 2 x-rays, which is a HUGE success...but once it got to the cleaning part, things rapidly declined. KayTar quickly accumulates build-up on her teeth, the dentist thinks it has to do with the consistency/mineral content of her saliva, but BubTar does not have the same issues. On the plus side, she said it will make her less likely to get cavities, but because of the build-up, they need to use The Cavitron to scrape her teeth. It is like a dental hook that vibrates and shoots water out the tip. It made KayTar lose her freakin' mind today. She tried to let them, but it panicked her too much, she got so upset and frantic it was like she was a feral animal...kicking, pushing, SCREAMING. It pushed her past the point of rational behavior and made me have  flashbacks of the early days of testing with her, when she didn't understand what was happening and was panicked all of the time. It sure freaked BubTar out to see her like that. After, he said, "Whoa, that's the ONE thing I'm braver than KayTar about." The dentist tried very hard to clean her front bottom teeth, but we just had to to throw in the towel. I was shaking when we left, just because seeing KayTar like that again made my adrenaline skyrocket. Whew. It was difficult. We're going to have to find a dentist to do sedated cleanings if we ever want to get them really clean. She is so compliant now, even when she doesn't like something, that I know that this ISN'T a kid being difficult...this is a kid literally scared out of her mind. She has major sensory issues and what might feel like a little tickle to us, kind of feels like you are trying to kill her from her perspective. I have to respect her limits, so we'll have to try to find a dentist who can work around them, too. After, she told me she would rather: have surgery, have labs drawn, or have shots, than have her teeth cleaned again. I don't know if there is anything on the planet she would chose a dental cleaning over. At the end of the appointment, when she was in her right mind again, she said, "I'll come back and let you finish my cleaning when I am 16." Oooh boy...let's hope we find a solution before then!