Skipping and Skating

We've had some very big "firsts" happening lately. The biggest of all is that Emily skipped for the first time on BOTH legs just a few days ago!!!! We have been working on this for years with her. Because of her cerebral palsy and the stiffness in her right leg, her skips have always come out looking more like a gallop. They have always been adorably cute, but still not a skip. She has been working on this every single day since school started. She came home from school and told me that the coaches were giving her a hard time because she couldn't skip the right way. While I knew that she was feeling very bad about it inside, I really doubted that the coaches were singling her out for several reasons. One is because I have met and talked to these coaches many times. They are very nice and very reasonable people who really do have the children's best interest at heart. Plus, we have a 504 plan to protect Emily from such segregation because of her limitations. So when she told me this, I sat her down and told her that if she was being given a hard time because she couldn't do something, I would have no problems marching myself up to that school and talking to those coaches in a split second, but she better make darn certain that is what she wants me to do. I asked her if the coaches were only getting on to HER because she couldn't do it, or if they were trying to teach several of them and she happened to be one of the group. I said that if I go up to the school and make a big deal about the coaches getting on to my daughter then she'll feel pretty silly when I find out that it wasn't just her. Emily looked at me and just smiled and said, "Oh no, Mommy! Don't go up there!!!!!" I think Emily was just feeling bad because she is a little perfectionist and couldn't do it. So, after we had this conversation I told her that we would work on her skipping every single day until she got it. I told her that because her legs don't work as easily as other children's, she will have to concentrate a little harder on what she is doing. I took her hand and we spent the next hour working tirelessly on skipping techniques until we found something that worked for her. "Right leg...Hop...Left leg...Hop..." And to this very proud mommy's joy and amazement, I watched my baby girl skip for the VERY FIRST TIME!!!!!! She turned around and ran to me and jumped in my arms and we shouted with excitement!!! Ethan couldn't believe it and he ran over and grabbed Emily up and started singing, "Emily can skip! Emily can skip!" It was one of those moments that was right up there with a baby's first word, and a baby's first step. Emily now skips EVERYWHERE!!!! And her new nickname is "Skipper Doo".

The other big "first" that we have recently experienced was roller skating. Ethan and Emily were invited to a skating birthday party. They have never been skating in their lives and were a little nervous about it. Actually, Ethan was so concerned about their safety that he almost insisted that we take their bicycle helmets to protect their heads. This is one of those times where I think their medical and traumatic experiences in childhood as impacted Ethan and his ability to just be a kid. I assured Ethan that he would be safe because I would be there to hold his hand the whole time because he has never skated before and I wouldn't just send him out on his own. Plus, the skating rink tightens the wheels of beginner skaters so the wheels don't roll as freely. Once Ethan's fears were alleviated, he ended up having a great time. Both of the kids had so much fun skating and spent almost the entire three hours we were there out on the rink. In fact, Ethan even got brave with his tightened wheels and wanted to go on his own without holding our hands. Emily still wanted our assistance. I keep teasing Ethan and telling him how much he has become a little expert skater. He wants to go skating every weekend now, but considering the rink is a half hour away, it might be a little less often. :) When Ethan was going to bed that night, he was smiling and saying how he was going to dream about skating all night long. It was so cute. Both of the kids have said that they are now asking for roller skates for Christmas.