Binoo and Oatie are so happy together...

Binoo and Oatie have settled in very well together, Oatie is Binoo's safety blanket... as Oatie spends most of his time on the floor, if one of our elder cats makes Binoo feel intimidated, Binoo jumps straight on Oatie's lap. Oatie is feeding Binoo and spends most of his day babysitting Binoo so they are getting a really good bond.

Our other cats have pretty much left Binoo alone and if Binoo gets too close the other's either hiss and run or just run...

Binoo cries if he is apart from Oatie, so when Oatie calls him, he beeps and comes running to Oatie, it's so cute.

Binoo the CAT!

Well, We have had another busy week, my older two passed the same ice dance, but tested individually with their coach. They both shocked and had me in awe at the same time as they only worked on it for a few weeks. It might mean that they will compete as a pair on the fall in ice dance..... (as well as an individual).

We went for a lovely dinner around a friends house and when I got back I decided to look on the classifieds for a kitten.... and low and behold there was one just down the road from us, a boy kitten and the type of breed that we were looking for... so on the buy and sell site, i msg-ed them at 1am ROL (Roar of laughter!)...

The next morning it was Father's day and the kids really wanted to go and sing in the school choir at church... so we did that, then took Oatie's dad to Starbucks for a super coffee and we got the call from the "cat lady", so we went and had a look,,,, Oatie and the kitten bonded instantly and well, put it this way... we came home with "Binoo".

Oatie has been sharing my cat, but he really wished for a pet of his own... we're still waiting for news on the Service dog, but already him having his own pet has made such a difference as Oatie picked him out and each time the kitten is away from Oatie, he cries....

What kind of influenced our decision was that the "cat man" had a terrible accident, and broke 39 bones in his body, his back in 3 places, his pelvis and legs the lot with a car falling down on him... They were told he'd be lucky if he wasn't paralysed... and then when they told him to stand they didn't know if the pins in his pelvis would take him standing or whether it would split apart and he'd never walk again... well luckily he will make a great recovery whatever that will be as he isn't paralysed (but they can't operate on his back where the injury is) and he can stand... and is now learning to walk. He's been out of work for 4months and will be lucky if he could return to work at Christmas, he just got out of hospital a few weeks ago.

So after that, we decided that it was fate that I happened to look at the classifieds for a kitten for Oatie just then and buying the kitten will help "Binoo's" cat family out... too.

So there we have it, Oatie got an 'early' birthday present as when we saw the kitten we were expecting that we couldn't take him home for another month... but the "cat lady" said we could take him the same day....

Oatie's Cerebral Palsy Bike Rally

Last Sunday in the most horrid winds, Oatie, who really dislikes WIND rode his 1km bike ride and did it with style. His Brother, Sister and I made some sparkly things to bling up his bike... and we wore his hot pink skating top, but underneath some layers.. it was so windy that my eldest put on his snowpants and ski jacket!!!

It was meant to be a pretty level course but with the wind against us, it was that type of wind where you can't breathe!! takes your breath away!... the CP kids struggled battling the slight incline...

The adults and kids were AMAZING, if you ever feel that YOU can't do something, do and see something like this where non of them were distance walkers... they all needed "wheels" of some sorts, so to see people who can't walk on land but pedal was just totally brilliant.

Oatie all along the route in the wind said, "money for more bikes for friends" it was his mantra to get through something he hated with something he LOVED (the bike).

Oatie was awarded the highest fundraiser and he raised over $1315! my original target was $100.... I have left his page open for a week or two more as he's still getting sponsors in...

He had a brilliant time and his brother and sister rather than riding off ahead with the other able-bodied siblings wanted be with their brother, and cheer him on.

after the half way point we were out of the wind and Oatie left me for dust... his brother and sister ran along side him and he finished the 1km on his wheels before I got there on foot!

To finish the ride, they all got potato chips and then after we had hotdogs and pop.

It was a brilliant morning and Oatie is looking forward to doing it again next year...

My first fieldtrip !!!

Today I went on my first fieldtrip ever. Mum wanted me to experience it, just like my able bodied friends, so I went with my aide (no mum or dad). I found out afterwards that mum was only 200m away. First we went to the supermarket and then the police station. I had the best day and no separation anxiety. My aide said I was great, I've never done that before have time away from mum apart from school. I had the best day and said "mama I love fieldtrips, maman j'adore fieldtrip" he told his dad about it and his sister too.

Art... Felt Tip Pens.. Cerebral Palsy... and Bikes

Oatie's Bike Rally that he's participating in is this Sunday. Our Original target was $100, and I just kept on raising it... and I cannot believe everyone's generosity... Oatie has raised OVER $1200! He has a few more pledges to come in... and Oatie's Sister and I have made some "bling" to stick on his bike.

Oatie is amazing, he can walk about 20feet on land which is brilliant in it's self... but on his bike he can ride for over half an hour. Yesterday, he rode on our hard surface patch at home for 30 minutes and when i told him that we'd have to take him off the bike as the bus would be pulling up soon, he asked if he could ride to the end of our drive where the bus drops the kids off...

As the bus approached... all we could hear was cheering and screaming... all the kids on the bus cheered for Oatie...

I just hope the weather holds out for him...

Oatie would also like to one day do adaptive surfing... (good job I'm a swimmer and ex lifeguard!!!) and a parachute jump... he saw my photos of the one I did when I was 18... and would like to do one too, I told him he'd have to be about 18 but he said ok... oneday...

As he loves biking so much, I think that in the future, I'd like to get an adaptive Tandem bike for he/I so I could take him on the the "ride to conquer Cancer" which is a 200km bike ride... I managed a 60mile/100km London to Brighton in England when I was 11... so I am sure I could do it, if I trained hard enough... so It would have to be adapted that when he was tired he could rest his legs... but that would be so great. My friend was telling me about some triathletes who take their sibling who is unable to enter a conventional triathlon on adaptive gear so they can come too....

One thing I do know, Oatie LOVES sports, high paced action sports, he's such a sporty kid... just like my other two, I love it that we all share a passion for sports together/individually... I think giving your kid "fitness" is a precious gift these days... and I was telling another lady at swimming how the government does NOTHING to help get people who can't run up and down their stairs at home to keep fit... to keep fit.

The bike will help keep Oatie fit, as does his swimming, skating and in time his skiing will too, when he learns how to lean or control his bi-ski himself...

On a separate note... Oatie has discovered felt tipped pens.. he has crayons but really doesn't like them. The other day his big sister was colouring and she is such a sweetie she shared her felt tip pens with Oatie, they were special as she got them from her birthday... but she shared them fully and helped Oatie with the caps etc.

Oatie has discovered ART... the drawing above is of a River and the Ski Mountain!

Unlike lots of other 4/5 year olds, he is very respectful with them, he doesn't push down and damage the nibs he colours with them like he was much older.

A quietish weekend after a manic day, which consisted of swimming, getting some forms for skating tests next week, picking up my elder two, shopping for birthday gifts for their friends... home and lunch, ice skating and making birthday cards, and decorations for Oatie's bike ride... Phew! Glad it's date night...

Looking forward to a nice takeaway/take out and a film!

Hope you have a great weekend too.

Sunday Triathlon... ice Skating, Swimming and Bike riding...

Sunday we had a very fun packed day... the Oatie wanted to go Ice skating, then the kids wanted to go swimming and then bike riding... Oh and we slipped in a quick hair cut all round... cupcakes for my eldest's class party the next day... a BBQ and later on hot chocolate and fire pit toasted marshmallows...

The ice skating made me tear up a bit as one of my older two's figure skating friends was out there and he really likes Oatie. This boy is an only child and has a special bond with Oatie.

So there was Oatie, wearing my eldest's hot-pink ice skating carnival top... with 3 really good figure skaters for their ages all fussing around him and my husband too. It was super cute and it was the first time Oatie has ever had a friend on the ice before (apart from his family...)

After that we had to dive to WALMART of all places, to collect some photos for the kids to take into school for Father's day projects... we bought some flip-flops for the swimming pool too.... then we went swimming. When we got home we played inside a bit and had a snack...before heading out on the bikes which is always great fun, followed by the BBQ and then hot chocolate and marshmallows... oh and we squeezed in 30 minutes of one of our favourite family films too.

We had a great day, but I have to admit I was pretty tired by the end!

Adaptive Bike, Adaptive skating oh and the School Buses with no Seatbelts Take II

I rest my case, if you really really want to kill a conversation, or get rid of people... don't eat baked beans... just talk about school buses with no seatbelts!

So many things have gone on, I can't blog fast enough.

Well it's a few months wait for the school bus safe wheelchair and his new walker.

Oatie has been busy getting Bike fit for his 1km bike ride... he's almost raised $1000 for his bike ride, which is AMAZING!

We went skating, I can't find the photo of him from Sunday, so here is another one from a few weeks back. He asked to go ice Skating so we took him. He had a great time as usual.

Oatie's dad has taken a different job so he's working full time in town, so Oatie has been going to the Gym Creche which had no problem taking Oatie in... well it was nice as one of the ladies is also his ice skating instructor from the fall so he LOVES seeing this lady.

She was very impressed that he likes to skate out of season too.

My throat lump doesn't hurt anymore when I swim... it's almost taken a whole year for the post surgery pain to go... but at least it's gone. I can't talk over loud noise or shout... and i have to really look after my voice, but at least I have one!

Oatie has been enjoying playing a bug game where you hold a mini fishing rod style stick with a spider+ magnet and you have to catch the bugs of a vibrating platform. he manages to get them all and has a great time playing it.

He's been keeping his potty training up too. The ear muffs stopped the painful ears with hockey pucks...

Today he drew me a drawing on his sketcher...

Oatie erased it so he re drew it in one minute flat... but it was a great drawing of mountains and a river... he said he's missing skiing.

Oh and the bus... WELL... my elder two and many other kids if not all of them in the bus were thrown from their seats into the seat in front. At first I thought this happened at 100km per hour.... or something as they said that they got hurt.

It was the level of hurt that Safety Council Canada and Canada Transport say that they kids should feel at 100km speeds...

Well, the driver went to pull out of a junction from standstill, and then saw a car that was in his blind spot so stopped suddenly. The bus hadn't even got any speed nor did it even get above 10km/h!

So the kids got hurt at 6m.p.h, yep I run faster than that! The bus companies still even now saying that the bus is compartmentalised and safe... well 2 of my children got hurt HITTING THE COMPARTMENT that is meant to be so safe... and they figure skate so they are not adverse to pain... and they said that it HURT!

So what the heck would happen to them at 100km/h? No one in Canada cares... the other parents (conversation stoppers, all say well in our day... blah blah... and I was like in your day there was like 5,000 people in the town, which has now grown to 30,000+ people... so quite a different place from when they grew up.... The Bus company doesn't care, and why should they when on one of the Government websites having 3 deaths/very serious injuries is a OK statistic for them.

Oh and the statistics that they keep on throwing at me are totally FLAWED! like totally... they are not current, they have no method that I know of reporting minor incidents on the bus, they don't collect data either so where are they getting these numbers from. This is the second minor incident in 8 months, the last one one kid got a cut head from being flung from his seat.... so 2 instances on my kids route and both times the kid/kids were propelled from their seats!

My favourite line of their argument is that in the event of a fire or a bus rollover... that the kids are hindered by the seat belt! Well if you are thrown around the bus in that event you're most likely to be DEAD or unconscious.... so what's better someone alive or a dead easy to move body? You also get quoted that they won't be able to undo the seatbelt by pressing the button... well that's hogwash! Even OATIE can undo his seatbelt and he's got CP in his hand! SO if a handicapped kid can undo a seatbelt, surely these other kids can undo their seatbelt in the event of an emergency...

I think yesterday was a warning, and that a second instance on our route of kids being propelled from their seat and the driver did nothing wrong, the driver should be able to make a judgement call whether to pull out or not without having to think about kids flying around the bus....

Why can't they compromise...the kids who's buses go on the highway get the seat belts and the ones who cruise around town and don't go above 30m.p.h/50km/h don't have one as the bus wouldn't really even get close to that.

so speaking of busses, Oatie was meant to go on his first ride on Wednesday coming... but he CAN'T as get this.... (he would need his Wheelchair with a seatbelt, to be in the bus and secured...)... well he doesn't have one yet... so they said that I could ride with him and when the drop the parents off, I would have to stay with him and I was like what's the point.... he want's to be treated like everyone else, he doesn't want to be sitting on my lap like a baby... so we've declined... for now... The bus company couldn't find 1 wheelchair for him to borrow for 20 minutes... so he can't go unaided.

Headphone ear muffs are here! and Hospital!

OMG I just don't know where the week has gone... well on Tuesday Oatie and I went to the childrens' hospital to order his walker for school and a wheelchair for the bus!  I don't really understand all this vendor stuff... so I let the physio at the hospital pick a vendor as I don't have a preference and as long as he gets his walker and a chair It doesn't matter to me from whom it came from.

Basically you appoint a vendor and they bring in the equipment and fit it for your kid and then you pay them and then they get paid etc...  Anyway our Vendor was really nice, really nice he taught adaptive skiing for over 10 years and was a lovely guy, so happy to help and just loved kids too.

SO Oatie chose a black wheelchair OVER the blue one... he said the black would go FASTER!  after 10 minutes he learned to steer it... their aim is that he could wheel himself to the bus (its at the end of our drive way)  and have some independence....  The Walker is like the one he has now but it has a seat... 4 swivel wheels and a ratchet so he can't roll backwards and is Yoda Green.

Well, it might take 3 months for the wheelchair!  So thankfully I was on the organised side and he should get it just before kindergarten starts!

We were in the hospital for 3-4 hours... but they were very nice and even though she doesn't endorse or support ABR she was open minded and really tried to think outside the box which was nice...  Oatie was on top form....

Last Saturday was my eldest's birthday, he turned 9!  9! I know... then on the Sunday he went to a friends birthday party at Laser Tag..

Oatie and his sibs have been practicing for Oatie's bike rally very hard... most evenings they are out with Oatie gettting him bike FIT!

Will post more tomorrow...