Mid fit for Mog's new wheelchair today. Since she appears to have shrunk several inches since it was cast, this took a little while, as cushions were first lowered then chopped shorter, mysterious wings which had appeared over her shoulders were clipped back, and a headrest was er liberated from another chair in store to make it fit.
It's good this communication thing. Mog's still got the Brownie Promise on her switch, still frowning at anyone who dares to suggest changing it for anything more useful like "Hello" or even"Oi YOU! Pay attention to me!" which is generally one of her favourites. So, clearly, we were checking that the mount would fit onto the new frame. And that the frame would fit through the doors, it being a good few inches wider than her old wheelchair. Happily it's both shorter and narrower than the buggy she's in at the moment, so pushing her around the house ought to be a dream again.
We shifted the headrest, discussed extra padding. Mog told us she wants it soft and snug, not loose. I pointed out that if she had it a bit loose, she might have space for a headswitch again, since she does seem to be turning her head a bit more these days. Big frown and legs kicking mightily, happily not quite concussing the hapless wheelchair technician who was attempting to shorten the footplates. Mog likes her foot switch. Point taken. Big grin, and her right foot pounding the footplate - "You'd like a switch for your other leg too?" Yes.
We'll look into it.
And then time for the most important bit of all - as far as Mog is concerned anyway. Choosing the colours of the cushion covers. I go through all the colours with Mog. She rejects school uniform blue, but declines to comment on the rest. I go through them again. She rejects red, after I point out it'll look evil with her purple tops. We go through the rest again, and the other blues are rejected. Another cycle, and she weeds out the pink. Eventually we are left with purple and black. not the subtle, tasteful, charcoaly grey/navy black she's had for the past six years, a solid, uncompromising,
Mog has, up til now, been fairly silent. Yes, there was the welly the
Mog sulks, and hits her switch. I tell her she has to be older. She says no. The tech says he can't actually embroider them onto the cushions anyway and he wasn't serious. Mog hits her switch repeatedly to ask for her talking book. She has a question. "Why not?"
Sensible girl.
She's still not having a skull and crossbones motif on her new wheelchair though. Why not? Because I'm the meanest Mummy in the whole world ever.
Tia
9 comments:
lol--sometimes we just have to be--they'll thank us for it later!!
:>)
Debra
I dunno about the meanest mummy ever, but that is some *great* communication!
I'm so impressed! Hey, Tia, think about coming and helping us maximize our kids' opportunities to communicate. We have so many and I'm so new to all this.
And it would be "no" to the skull with this momma, too. :)
Maybe some skull socks to cover her neck rest will do the trick ;-) at least you can take them off when she has to look respectable.
Oh, Mog. You're brilliant. And someone really ought to offer "I want a pirate chair but my rotten mummy won't let me" as the switch message du jour.
Oh, and just to double check the obvious, has someone told her that she can have a head switch AND a foot switch if she wants?
PS I still say Jolly Rogers, possibly a toy parrot on the top of the backrest... :D just think, Tia, in a few years she'll be demanding to paint her bedroom black and rejecting any clothing in shades lighter than charcoal. Pirates is NOTHING by comparison!
Oh that's fine - clothes are temporary! The wheelchair - well the last time we changed the whole thing all at once was when she was 2, and 6 years is a long time to live with something she possibly only wants for the next few weeks. Bedroom - I could be very mean and say when she can sort it out herself she can have it the way she wants it, but I wouldn't put it past her to get that across to someone willing fairly swiftly! Although black bedroom would be cool - keep meaning to get her sorted with UV lights and stuff. It's got a Shrek-esque sleeping beauty type mural at the moment with giant swans and weird parachuting teddy bears. And a giant rainbow. She seems to like it.
I think I've told her she could have head as well as foot - she did used to have two switches, so she ought to be familiar with the concept. Her head control is a very variable thing though and the ATNR makes it very tiring. Those feet do seem to manage to pump away pretty independently of each other though.
ditto Ashley!
Why shouldn't she have skull and crossbones? What's wrong with them? I don't see what's wrong with them even for her age. Just asking.
I don't mind her choosing to dress up in something with Skull and Crossbones on if that's what she wants to do. I don't like it (personal prejudice; I dislike seeing children dressed in bits of dead bodies), but clothing which she can take on and off, grow out of, change her mind about probably just about squeaks in as "ok kid, do your own thing." But as wheelchair covers - no - definitely not. Her last wheelchair lasted a total of six years before it was completely rejected. All that time we'd either replaced backrest or cushion, never both at the same time. And whilst she might be interested in those as an idea now, I'm not convinced she'll still want them age 14. I'd reject fluffy bunnies and rainbows, princesses or anything really on the same grounds - and it's also why I suggested to her that red and orange might not be the best colours to choose, considering how often she wears pink and purple clothing.
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