A Short Week

This past week the ABCJLM curriculum scheduled a review week, which worked really well for us!

Monday and Tuesday we kept very busy before our long day in surgery on Wednesday.

We were finally able to get at least one of the books from the curriculum at our library.  Thankfully people have donated lots of Dr. Seuss books, so One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was actually available!  I think I enjoyed it even more than the kids, though.

Monday we started preparing for our "Pre-Op Party", and I couldn't have done it without my baking helpers!

It's amazing what you can learn in the kitchen.

Flour is great for making circles and lines!

Sister wanted in on the action, too; and brother was kind enough to share.

Isaiah "measured" things with one bowl and worked on pouring the flour into (or onto) something else.

Tuesday night we got to party!  I realize this isn't quite part of school, but we were enjoying the fruits of the plants that God created on Day 3, right?

The fruit of our labors, a "Singing" cake, per Isaiah's request.

The rest of the week was sort of a bust for school, but that's ok.  We've talked a lot about the days of creation as Isaiah lay on his tummy in his hospital bed.  He's listened to his daddy sing a lot, and he's enjoyed some of his favorite videos, which did include some Letter Factory.

I'm not sure what next week will look like, either, but we'll get back into the swing of things as we are able.  I'm learning to give myself some grace in this area and make sure that we have some fun!

The Chair Challenge

Since Isaiah can't feel his bottom, sitting is something of a challenge.  Most chairs pose different difficulties from slanted backs that don't support his back well, to slanted seat areas that promote sliding.  We're always on the lookout for something that will work better for him.

He likes to sit at the little table that we got him and play with his play-doh or read his books, but the chair that we had bought to go with the table just wasn't working for him.

Enter my brilliant husband...

He found this little wooden chair at IKEA and added the shelf braces, also from IKEA, to provide the perfect little chair for Isaiah.  The straight back helps him sit straighter and not slide.  The horizontal slats on the seat seem to provide some resistance to sliding as well.

wooden Ekby Valter bracket, $4 in the States, but turned differently on our chair

Unfortunately, the chair isn't pictured online without the brackets, and I forgot to get a picture of the chair before my husband's improvements.  The chair cost about $11 with our current exchange rate, so it's probably cheaper in the States.  Altogether, with screws and everything, we were able to have this for under $16.  (My husband wanted me to say that he already owned the drill.)  :)

Yard sales aren't that common over here, but you might be able to find something similar for even cheaper if you're able to shop thrift stores or yard sales.

Isaiah sat in his chair for an hour today without sliding or having to be adjusted--great for both of us!