11Mar08 - More Therapy

We continued with our therapy sessions this morning by repeating what we learnt yesterday. Surprisingly a lot of it had stuck and it was good that they are already starting to feel familiar. Some of the exercises are the same for Lucy and Laila so we ere able to learn them at the same time as Hayley and Paul.As well as new exercises we are also using a different technique. Previously we have been using a technique which involved applying constant gentle pressure with the fingers, whereas the new method is a pulsing movement. The theory is that different pressures applied in different ways can stimulate different cells. I don't fully understand the science behind it but I am willing to try anything that might be beneficial.I am unable to take part in the sessions on Wednesday and Thursday as I have to work so I was especially keen to get through all the exercises today. I was finding it quite difficult to retain all the information but I think by the end of the session I could at least run through all the exercises even if I had to follow the notes for a couple of them. I am sure that after a few days Dawn will need to help me to get going but after that I should be okay.Lucy managed to tolerate one set of exercises lying on her front but after that she decided she had had enough and objected so much that we had to complete the exercises on each other.We are just going to have to persevere with the back exercises and hope that Lucy will become more tolerant. Dawn used to do the back exercises with Lucy on her knee which Lucy didn't mind too much but unfortunately Lucy is just too big for that now. Once the session had finished Lucy relaxed and enjoyed a quiet 10 minutes lying in her corner with Laila's new little sister Kyla.Today was also the day that the Direct Payments we were awarded for help with Lucy actually started to give us the support that we asked for. We have been really lucky to find someone to help as soon as we have. We have been even luckier to find someone who not only is more than qualified to care for Lucy but also knows Lucy very well. Helen is a school nurse at Fairfield School and has had 10 years experience working with children at the school and in the community. As soon as Helen arrived and started talking, I could tell that Lucy was taking notice and listening.Lucy was immediately comfortable with Helen and was spoilt to one of the longest baths she has had for a long time after which, Helen dressed and fed Lucy despite being splattered with weetabix. It is quite a big thing inviting someone into your house to take care of your child in this way but I know that with Helen, Lucy will definitely be in safe hands and will probably get more quality attention than normal. Also it will give the rest of us the chance to have a breather and spend some quality time doing other things. Lucy is looking forward to the next time which hopefully will be on Friday evening.