goodfountain

Chee has long been intolerant of a helmet on her head. Many a parent of an SPD kid is nodding in sympathetic understanding. Helmets and SPD do not make a cozy couple.

Her intolerance for helmets hasn’t presented much of a problem as for a long time she generally preferred to push her tricycle rather than ride it. As her motor planning skills have improved (increased?), she has gotten pretty good at the tricycle. She can pedal and steer and generally go all over the place. Her PT, sensing the helmet resistance, worked some sort of special magic and convinced Chee to put a helmet on. But then she wouldn’t pedal. It was quite humorous actually. Helmet off, she can pedal. Helmet on, she just sits there. So she’s been allowed to ride the tricycle at PT without a helmet. And I let her ride it around the kitchen at home without a helmet. But with spring (occasionally) here and us going outside, she should wear a helmet when riding.

As with many things, what she’s frightened of she’s also obsessed with. Every trip to Target she asks to go back and look at the helmets and bikes. She’s been working up to trying a helmet on (her own little self-directed Helmet Therapy, perhaps?), and finally this weekend she did. Only, though, after making me and her daddy try it on ourselves several times as well as little Ess, too, had to wear it. Then Chee wore it. We just kind of let her hang out at the helmet section for awhile and eventually she chose the Disney Princess one and off we went to the register.

I took the tricycle out to the patio today and she donned her helmet. And went straight past the trike and to the sandbox. It remains to be seen whether she will wear the helmet and pedal at the same time.

If you are looking closely you might see the red (yes, red) nail polish on her fingers. That is something very new. She’s been keenly interested in painted toenails lately (touching the toes of strangers, even, if they are painted). When I asked her if she’d like me to paint her toes, I got a resounding Yes! When I asked what color, I got an even more enthusiastic Red! I was hoping for little girly pink, but since it was just her toes, we went with red.

That wasn’t good enough. Today she wanted her fingers done. I suggested pink. She suggested red. I tried to insist on pink. She screamed Noooooo! She insisted on red. Since it’s Wacky Week at her school this week, I’m letting her wear the red tomorrow, but it’s coming off tomorrow night. And she knows it. Can you just imagine the fun that will be?

I am struggling with loads of mommy guilt over not mentioning my dear Ess enough. She is such a delightful child. Today, she yelled at Chee to Stop it! when Chee was pressing the keys on my keyboard. Not because what Chee was doing was wrong, mind you, it’s because SHE was trying to press the keys. She also tells Chee to Stop crying when Chee starts whining over something trivial. I’m every day amazed at her verbal skills. Every day. I know it’s because the contrast to her sister is so striking, but it sill astounds me.

When Ess was a tiny infant and I was just dipping my toes into understanding Chee’s special needs, I would laughingly say to myself that typical is boring. I eat those words now. Ess is anything but boring. True I don’t worry and analyze as much, but she is entertaining. Completely and utterly a joy.

Here she is with her bunny, her dental floss and her toothbrush, coming downstairs to say goodnight to her Daddy and Chee.