I FOUND THIS POST I WROTE AFTER CHRISTMAS, BUT B4 MY CRUISE…WHOOPS!:
FOR CHRISTMAS, I RECEIVED 2 LIFE-ALTERING INVENTIONS:

CHRISTMAS WAS LIKE A MINI CELEBRATION OF MY PROGRESS, SO I GOT SOME THINGS THAT CHANGED 2 OF MY WORLDS, & I GAINED SO MUCH MORE INDEPENDENCE! IN FACT, THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, I WAS LIKE AN ANXIOUS LITTLE KID IN BED, WHO COULDN’T WAIT 2 GET UP, & PLAY W/THE NEW CHRISTMAS TOYS! LOL

I WAS SURPRISED BY WHAT WAS MY FAVORITE GIFT: A GRABBER…I’M CONSTANTLY CALLING THE KIDS 2 PICK UP SOMETHING STUPID (LIKE A PAPER) FROM THE FLOOR, BUT NOW, I CAN PICK STUFF UP OFF THE FLOOR! I HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN 8.5 YEARS! MK & I HAD LOOKED AT THE GRABBER B4, & THOUGH HE FOUND A GREAT 1 THAT WAS EASY 2 SQUEEZE, I COULD BARELY SQUEEZE IT, LET ALONE RAISE IT, & RETAIN THE SQUEEZE! BUT THIS YEAR IN MUSIC THERAPY, WE HAVE FOCUSED ON NOT ONLY MY VOICE, BUT MY STRENGTH & GRIP AS WELL (2 AID MY WRITING & SO I COULD LIFT HEAVIER STUFF). I HAD SOOOO MUCH FUN FOR HOURS LIFTING (SOMETIMES PURPOSELLY DROPPING WHAT I’D LIFT, SO I COULD LIFT IT). I’M SO USED 2 OPENING MY GIFTS, THEN ONLY SEEING 1 GIFT AGAIN, OR NEVER SEEING ANY GIFTS AGAIN FOR DAYS, UNLESS I REQUEST 2 C THE GIFT…IT WAS SO FUN REACHING WHATEVER I WANTED 2 REACH, THAT I GAVE IN & HAD MORE TREATS THAN USUAL ON CHRISTMAS (USUALLY I RESIST JUST BECUZ I HAVE 2 ASK 4 IT). THIS TIME, I COULD GET AT ANYTHING I WANTED 2 GET AT W/THE HELP OF MY GRABBER (& I’VE GOTTEN QUITE GOOD AT OPENING UP PACKAGES OF MANY KINDS…)! OF COURSE, IT TAKES ME MORE EFFORT TO OPEN ANYTHING, SO I LIKE 2 TRICK MYSELF BY THINKING THAT THE EXTRA EFFORT IN OPENING A PACKAGE HELPS ME BURN CALORIES! LOL (SINCE U BURN A LITTLE JUST SITTING–WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT I DO, IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT I BURN MORE CALORIES IF I DO MORE! RIGHT? LOL)

A FEW DAYS AGO, SOPHIE CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL, AND IN THE DOWNSTAIRS HALL, I’D DROPPED THE TOPPER 4 MY W/C JOYSTICK, & MY WATER IN THE HALL. I WAS HOME ALONE, & HAD 2 WAIT 4 THOSE THINGS, SO WHEN I GOT THE GRABBER, I PRACTICED PICKING UP THE PART 4 THE W/C, & I HAVE ALSO PURPOSELY DROPPED A VERY FULL WATER BOTTLE, CUZ I WONDERED IF I COULD PICK IT UP! (I CAME SOOO CLOSE! IT’S SUPER HEAVY, BUT I GOT IT, & ONCE I LIFTED IT 2 A CERTAIN HEIGHT, MY GRIP LOOSENED!) SWEET SOPHIE CAME & HELPED ME PRACTICE LIFTING THE WATER BOTTLE, GIVING ME TIPS! LOL I THINK SOPH’S AS EXCITED AS I AM! ZACH SEEMS 2 LIKE IT TOO, BUT HE’S A COOL, TEENAGE BOY, WHO DOESN’T GET AS EMOTIONAL AS SOPHIE & I! LOL

BUT I’VE SINCE PICKED UP A PAPER, POST-IT NOTES, PEN, PAINT, A BATTERY, THE CASE 4 MY BELL (& RE-ASSEMBLED THE BELL), & A TRANSPERANCY OFF OF THE CRAFT ROOM FLOOR (I’M PARTICULARLY PROUD OF PICKING UP A THIN, SLIPPERY TRANSPARENCY!), & I’VE REACHED ACROSS TABLES & OPENED CABINET DOORS TO CLEAN UP–ALL BY MYSELF, WITH THE GRABBER! I’M SO PROUD OF ME, & EVERYTIME I SUCCEED, IT MEANS LESS WORK 4 MY FAMILY!!! ?

WHEN CARA WAS HERE, SHE USED 2 REALLY WORRY IF I HAD NO HELP 4 A WHILE…BUT I’VE GOTTEN SO INDEPENDENT, & BEING ALONE ENCOURAGES ME 2 USE THOSE SKILLS! SURE IT’S FASTER IF STUFF IS PICKED UP 4 ME, OR WRITTEN 4 ME, BUT IT FEELS SO LIBERATING, TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING FOR MYSELF & NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANYONE ELSE TO HELP ME! IT CAN BE SO FRUSTRATING 2 HAVE THINGS JUST OUT OF REACH, OR MY GRIP NOT BEING STRONG ENOUGH! BESIDES, NOW I DO JUST FINE!

4 EX.: MY TABLE WAS BECOMING A MESS, UNTIL IT OCCURED 2 ME THAT I COULD NOW REACH TRASH, & PUT AWAY ITEMS WITH MY GRABBER…& IF I GOT STUFF I NEEDED HELP WITH, I MADE A PIIE OF THOSE THINGS, & EITHER TYPED ABOUT IT ON LIST 4 HELP FROM SOME1, OR I WROTE ON A POST-IT, & STUCK IT 2 THE ITEM…THE TABLE WAS STILL A MESS, BUT WAS AN ORGANIZED, EASY 2 CLEAN MESS! LOL

FRIDAY, 2/15, MY MUSIC THERAPIST WAS NOTICING HOW MY OVERALL RIGHT ARM STRENGTH & GRIP ARE MUCH STRONGER, & I PUT 2 & 2 TOGETHER, & REALIZED IT IS FROM MY CHRISTMAS GIFT, THE GRIPPER!

THE 2ND THING I GOT WAS AN IPAD MINI, I HAVE DAYS WHERE IT IS ALMOST TOO SMALL 4 MY EYES, BUT MY EYES HAVE GOTTEN CONSIDERABLY BETTER THIS YEAR–I STILL C DOUBLE, BUT I THINK THE EYE MUSCLES ARE STRONGER, & WIGGLE LESS. IT IS AS THOUGH GOD IMPROVED MY VISION JUST ENOUGH, SO I COULD USE THE IPAD MINI! CRAZY!

I HAVE BEEN WANTING 2 BE ABLE 2 TEXT 4 SO LONG, BUT MY VISION WAS ALWAYS A BIG PROBLEM! BUT, IRONICALLY, THE IPAD MINI MAKES A GREAT TEXTING PHONE-& I CAN SEE THE TYPE, & I TYPE OK ON IT! -NOW I CAN ALWAYS TEXT & EMAIL WHENEVER, & WITHOUT HELP FROM ANY1! PEOPLE CAN REACH ME, & I CAN REACH THEM! I ALSO HAVE AN APP WHERE I CAN ACCESS MY COMPUTER FROM ANYWHERE, SO I CAN BE WITH MY FAMILY MORE! (I CAN’T DO THINGS AS EASILY ON THE IPAD, BUT IT’S A NICE OPTION!) I ALSO PUT SOME MUSIC/SPEECH THERAPY APPS ON IT, SO I CAN PRACTICE WHENEVER & WHEREVER I WANT—I CAN EVEN PLAY PIANO WHILE I’M OUT & ABOUT! & I PUT GAMES MOVIES, BOOKS…, WHICH IS GREAT CUZ THEN I CAN USE MY IPAD IN DOCTOR OFFICE WAITING ROOMS, OR WHEN I WAIT 4 WHOEVER I’M WITH, & NO1 NEEDS 2 GET MY IPAD!

HOWEVER, I’M WORKING 2 FIND A BALANCE, CUZ B4 I GOT THE IPAD MINI, LI USED 2 SPEND A LOT OF TIME W/MY THOUGHTS, STARING INTO SPACE, & THAT ALLOWED ME MORE TIME 2 PONDER, 2 FEEL SPIRITUAL THINGS, ETC. BUT NOW I DON’T HAVE THAT, & THAT’S A BIG FLAW IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY…WE TEND 2 SACRIFICE HUMAN INTERACTION 4 DIGITAL DISTRACTIONS (TRY SITTING IN A WAITING ROOM, & NOTICE THAT EVERY1 AROUND U IS LOOKING AT A SCREEN–WHAT HAPPENED 2 TALKING 2 EACH OTHER?) NOW, I CAN CHOOSE 2 JOIN IN, & STARE AT A SCREEN, OR TRY 2 START A CONVERSATION W/A FAMILY MEMBER. IT CAN BE A CHALLENGE, & I SOMETIMES FAIL MISERABLY 2 NOT DO IT! THIS IS DEFINITELY AN INVENTION THAT HAS IT’S GOOD & BAD, SO I’M WORKING ON FINDING OUT HOW 2 ONLY USE IT AS AN ASSET (I.E. IT HAS HELPED WITH BEING A BETTER MOTHER, 2 BE MORE INVOLVED SOCIALLY, IT HAS INCREASED MY TIME SPENT W/FAMILY, & INCREASED MY TIME SPENT DOING THERAPY…)

P.S. A NOTE 4 STROKE SURVIVORS: MY PARENTS GAVE ME THESE AWESOME SPEECH THERAPY DVDS, THAT HAVE SPEECH THERAPY EXERCISES ON THEM:
http://www.speech-therapy-on-video.com/speechlanguagetherapy.html