Learning to Drive

 One awesome thing we have going on right now is the opportunity to get Elijah a power wheelchair. Not just any power wheelchair. This one can stand! Thats right, he can get up to eye level! I cannot wait for that hug!!! With the home we are moving into having an open floor plan, I would love him to have the opportunity to get himself around and be able to join us in many activities. I could picture making food (baking or cooking) and Elijah standing in his chair helping stir. I picture going on walks around the neighborhood and Elijah not having to sit the whole time. What I didn't know is that Elijah has to prove that he can work a power wheelchair before Medicaid will approve it. How can he prove he knows how to work it if he has never gotten the chance to. Luckily, we have had an amazing DME company that has intermittently allowed us to borrow a power chair similar to what we are looking at. Yesterday, Elijah's PT and I took him to the driveway and let him loose! He is so funny! He was bound and determined to drive right into my van. I know, I should have moved the van and given him the whole driveway. Next time, I will! Of course, the smiles weren't during the videos but little changes to the armrest and location of the joystick made him so much more successful. I know that once we can fully modify a chair to him, he is going to be amazing! I can't wait to see the independence he gains from having a power chair. It makes my heart happy. We are going in next week to start the process of officially ordering one for him. Well submitting a request to order one to Medicaid. 

Also, over the past month or so, Elijah has been trialing a new AAC device (talker). It has been a huge difference for Elijah. It tracks his eyes so much better than his current device and he is a very chatty guy! It's so fun to hear what he has to say. It was pretty funny. I took it with us to Texas and got to show Papa Travis how he can use it and he was asked "can you turn him down". Like seriously, the first time he gets to talk he is asked to turn it down. Good grief! I love hearing him. He loves to tell "Alexa" to do things. One day he kept saying "Alexa, turn up the volume". I didn't think about it and when I went to play his nighttime lullabies, it was SOOOOO LOUD!!!! He got me there! I am waiting, impatiently, for speech therapy to get the process going to try and get him this through Medicaid. It is going to be a fight but a fight well worth it! Everyone deserves the chance to have a voice. With this, he can finally have one. I can't wait for what the future holds, between new wheels and a new voice, Elijah is going to thrive yall! 

At the end of practicing with the power chair for the day.

Very important conversations with Papa Travis while watching the hummingbirds.