In our last blog, it became clear that not every day is a celebration. And yet! Yet we have mostly been in celebration mode for the last 2 weeks. Largely because of some fine events, but also because everyday life was literally and figuratively sunshine.
Steps forward
Starting we do with the physical progress. Ella-Marie gets to crawl into a special robot suit every Friday from now on. Partly because of this, she is learning to walk independently and is even learning to take a few steps on the stairs. Everything is still very unsteady, but the videos (made by the physiotherapists themselves) that Ella-Marie then forwards show a lot of pride on her face.
The robot suit itself looks a bit like a climbing wall protection suit. The support it gives her makes Ella-Marie begin to take determined steps. A very nice progress that, thanks to intensive physical therapy, was accomplished and will continue to be!
Finally!
Do you remember top teacher Ann? She is Ella-Marie's teacher at IMG and does everything she can to get her involved in the school. Add to that another top teacher Conny in Pulderbos and you know what the following paragraphs will bring you!
Special education teachers are a breed apart. Anyway, we still
have a lot of respect for all the people who are in the teaching
profession. Day in and day out they try to get every child as far
as possible. Not only cognitive skills, but well-being, social
integration and so much more are encouraged in the children.
Special education teachers have to go the extra mile, of course.
Each child is really different and they all have special needs. In
our opinion, choosing the specialization year "special education"
is always a very conscious decision. You really have to live for
the children. And thanks to that attitude, Ella-Marie was surprised
last week!
What a big smile we saw in our beautiful daughter. The class of
Ella-Marie came to visit! And what a pleasure it was! Ella-Marie
played guide at Pulderbos rehabilitation center. The living group,
the playground, the petting zoo, ... really everything was shown.
And of course the children were allowed to push Ella-Marie in the
wheelchair and she received 1000 hugs. The few hours Ella-Marie
spent together with her class really did her a lot of good. You
could see from everything that she had more good spirits again.
So at the end of the day there were tears. A teary eye from
laughing and one from crying. Happiness and loss are close
together, but the visitation day was a success!
Even more celebration
Mom Annelies had a birthday and the past week was mostly dedicated to this event. Since we obviously wanted Ella-Marie to join us in celebrating, it was decided to pick them up in Pulderbos in the evening. Even we as parents are not perfect, because the genius decision to ask our children where they wanted to eat turned out to be wrong for us.
One Burger King later, we remembered why it is better to choose our own restaurants. But the fun together, the unwrapping of presents and the super-fun evening made for happy faces.
It was also incredibly hot in Pulderbos. We also noticed that we already belong a bit to the living group. Through the daily visits, we begin to know everyone. The community had provided water balloons and we could join in the fun. From a distance (the community room is their area, but we could see them from the parking lot) balloons were thrown in our direction. And honestly? The refreshment was good! :-)
And some more celebration
Mama Annelies and papa Pieter were able to experience an evening
party for the first time ever. 3 friends reached the magic limit of
40 years. Something we will be spared for another (half) year. But
it was really nice to be able to get away once more.
Especially the fact that we didn't have to constantly keep an eye
on our cell phones or wonder if Ella-Marie had already had her
first seizures did wonders. It was a pleasant evening, with a nice
hamburgerke as "stomach funding" and some refreshing drinks to defy
the 30 degrees and more.
The hours before, Marieke and Danny came for a pleasant visit and a few days later we had tested a new restaurant in Heist with friends Stany and John. Especially the cocktail bar afterwards turned out to be a great success! Heist-op-den-Berg once again showcases its city allure. If you know a cocktail bar can survive, we are ready for the step to "city Heist"! #HeistHasEverything
Hop to the next steps!
As I write this, I notice a particularly elated Ella-Marie. Within half an hour we are driving to the IMG. A restaurant day provides the perfect excuse to say hello once more. Funnily enough, she is especially looking forward to seeing "her playground" one more time. I am especially looking forward to my steak and fries, which is a nice compensation for the Burger King :-).
And to bring this article full circle, one last fun message: To end the school year nicely, Ella-Marie is going on a school trip with the IMG. Again, a huge grand MERCI to the teachers who make this possible.
The sun is shining and so is Ella-Marie! Things are on the rise again!