The Cute Little Handicap Bathroom

Making the bathroom more accessible for Sadie was a great excuse for a fun little remodel. I knew Sadie wasn’t going to be independent over night but I wanted to give her the opportunity to be able to practice her basic daily living skills.  Sadie’s strength is never consistent, she has ups and downs depending on the day. On her “good” days I wanted her to feel safe and confident as she tries to accomplish these everyday tasks. Upon redesigning this bathroom here are the things I needed to keep in mind:

• Sadie needed to get in and out with her walker
• she needed a sturdy way to get herself on the potty
• we needed grab bars in and next to the bathtub so that I could hold her hand while she got in and out of the tub rather than having me lift her
• we needed a shorter sink so she didn’t have to stand on an unsteady stool to wash hands (the stool in the picture is more for Bro’s benefit)
• Everything needs to be pretty!

The first thing we had to do was take off the glass shower door off. That’s a must for any kids bathroom! After some paint and beadboard I found this super cute handicap grab bar. We placed it across from the toilet and next to the bathtub. We placed a handle grab bar at the edge of the tub. Another mom from Sadie’s preschool class showed me the potty stool. I have tried a few others but this one was by far the sturdiest. I got super lucky and found one off craigslist. The existing vanity was really pretty but it was so big you could barely close the door, let alone get a little walker in there. Finding a sink short enough was tricky. I ended up getting a nightstand from Ikea, cutting a hole and placing one of their basin sinks on top. I kind of sort of splurged on the faucet.It has no other special purpose except that I LOVED it! Plus the water doesn’t gush out super fast so there's no unnecessary water splatter everywhere after little ones wash hands.

So far, depending on what kind of day Sadie is having (or what outfit she’s wearing) she has been able to get up on the potty by herself. We are still working on pulling up pants and getting down. She can get in and out of the tub with a one hand assist and she can totally wash her hands independently. She is working on teeth brushing, which I just generally don’t trust either of my kiddos to do on their very own just yet. All in all I’ve been super happy with the functionality and the look of our little bathroom.

 Before:

 

After:

 

 

Flat feet or no dessert!

Remember when "stop hitting yourself" was something funny that Pee Wee Herman would say. Well in my house it's said quite literally. Instead of "No running in the house!" I say "No popping wheelies in your walker!" Another very frequently stated rule in my house is "Flat feet!" or more so"For the love...FLAT FEET!!!!" (Sadie giggles when I say that one). This is not only a Beebsism it is now a

Broism: Bro is walking on his tiptoes constantly. Ahhhhhh nooooo!!!! (thats what you were thinking, right?) Coupled with his ever so ridiculous picky eater syndrome I have been a bit paranoid about a sensory problem.

Our Solution: I traced and cut these feet out of shelf paper and placed them on our tile. One row is for walking with straight, flat feet. I tell my kiddos that walking across them and out the door ensures that they bring their flat feet with them outside. The other set is a set to practice a side step down the hallway for better balance and coordination. Both are a reminder to use FLAT FEET!!!! 

As far as Bro's eating habits go, lets just say I'm ready to try hypnotism. He likes something from each texture group but he's a major gagger. I hope I'm just paranoid because of our experience with Sadie. But I won't be one of those moms who desperately turns away not wanting to deal with yet another special problem. No sir, I am informed and therefore responsible (dang it). I found this Sensory Processing Disorder checklist. Luckily I only checked off a few boxes for Bro where as Sadie would fill 80 percent of the test.That calms me a bit. It's a start and I intend to bring it to the pediatrician on Bro's next visit. Better safe then sorry. 

BTW: if you have pretty wood floors unlike me maybe don't try this

Just traced little shoes

I will now be moving these closer to the wall due to Sadie's surgery set back.

Song Lyric art

Thank you all for your uplifting words posted on the blog and on FB this weekend. Your words brought sunshine to my soul. And so, to lighten things up around here, I thought I would share a fun easy craft I found on one of my fav design blogs a beautiful mess.

My husband sings "You are my sunshine" to Sadie and once upon a time he sang it to me when we were first dating so I thought I would try my hand at a personalized piece of art. I used an oil painting from a thrift store and vinyl lettering from my local hardware store. You stick on the lettering then cover with acrylic paint. Let it dry. Then peal your letters off. Voila! Easy Peasy! 

One hundred days

 Tomorrow is Sadies 100th day of Kindergarten! I can't believe how fast it's gone! After a couple years in the preschool autism program we wanted Sadie in a "typical" kinder class. She was above her peers cognitively but physically she has a hard time getting around. She is in a walker for part of the day, then for longer distances she uses a wheelchair. Oh and she kind of screams, hits and has melt downs over anything that bothers her. Any how, after a bit of a fight and with the help of an advocate, the school district agreed to put her into a typical class with a one on one aid. My husband calls it the "holly grail of services". He's right and I still can't believe we got it but here we are.

 Beebsism:Sadie can't isolate here index finger and thumb to make a pincer grip. This happens naturally as kids develop but Sadie has a bit of weakness in her upper body and she really has to concentrate to bring the other fingers in. It's like her brain is fighting against it, it makes my brain hurt just watching how hard she has to focus on it.

 Our solution:I wish I could say I thought of this but no, Sadie's awesome occupational therapist told me to bring in some gloves and like 7 min later she walked out with these:

The middle, ring and pinkie finger are sewn together and then Velcro attaches them to her palm. The thumb and index are exposed forcing a perfect pincer. Brilliant! It will take tons of practicing, but tonight she had to fill her bottle full of 100 beads for the 100th day of school tomorrow so it was the perfect opportunity to make practicing fun. The hope is that after doing this so much her fingers will be trained to go in when she wants with out so much effort.