Water Fun Outside!

We have been using the pacer walker as Zoe's outside walker. We notice that the pacer is a bit more work for Zoe. It requires her to bear more weight on her legs than the pony walker does. The pony is great for indoor play because it is so small that Zoe can get right up to things. And Zoe can now be in her walker for hours every day without tiring too much. The problem with using the pony outside is that the wheels are very small and get stuck easily. The pony maker has an outdoor walker called a bronco which is just like the pony but has bigger wheels. Great except we don't have an extra $2,000 to spend on a walker just to use outside! Luckily, our friend Shelby just outgrew her pacer and passed it on to us. Zoe is gaining strength and is able to walk further and further each time we bring it out. Another great thing about the pacer is you can set all four wheels in the forward position so if Zoe is walking along a sidewalk that slopes, she will continue walking straight instead of going into the street. This way, every push she gives propels her forward and therefore she does not get as frustrated as she does if the wheels are unlocked and she ends up spinning in circles.

Yesterday we brought the pacer to a local park. This park recently redid it's fountain area to be wheelchair/walker accessible. Which we didn't give much thought to until yesterday. It was so great to see Zoe walking through and enjoying the water. We didn't have to hold her. She could play just as she wanted to- independently.

Zoe laughing her head off. At this point we decided to take her hearing aids out since she was starting to get pretty wet!

Good thing we took those hearing aids out! Zoe would launch herself into the waterfall and then pull her feet up with a look of ecstasy on her face. The little girl in the background is someone we just met yesterday. She was very sweet and kept following Zoe around. Gavin encouraged Zoe to give her a high five and she looked so happy when Zoe did so. It was a really cute interaction.

Seeing how Zoe can use the pacer to access her outdoor environment (like at this park and at school on the playground) has really reminded me how important equipment is for kids like Zoe. If we were not lucky enough to have a friend pass this on, Zoe would continue missing out on these type of life experiences. It is amazing how much difference equipment can make.