Wednesday, October 22, 2008

GET ALONG LITTLE DAWSY

I KNOW, I crack myself up!

Today was a really big day for D. Kind of surreal, actually. Let's flashback to Dawson 8 months old, just home from the hospital. We are meeting with Therapists and service Coordinators and getting everything situated for him when they mention "horse therapy". They told me that when Dawson was 3 he would even get to participate in a great developmental program where the kids get to ride horses.
At the time, it seemed almost unimaginable.

Today, I found myself standing in an arena watching my boy get all "saddled" up ready to ride! Has it really been that long? Can time go by so fast? It seems that we went from that moment to this one with just a few blinks in between. What an odd feeling!

In Hailey we have a FANTASTIC program available to our kids. These horses are highly trained to work with kids with disabilities. It is amazing to watch some of the kids ride. They ride on their knees, they stand, they ride with no hands, and in our case they ride cradled comfortably against Lindsey!


This is all part of Dawson's developmental preschool. It is amazing and we are SO blessed to live in an area where there is so much to offer. In fact there is no doubt in our mind that we live here because of D. I love how the Lord looks out for us! :)

Dawson LOVED the riding. The movement of the horse is VERY stimulating. It also helps his core muscles strengthen. They have seen amazing things happen through this program. The only time Dawson got upset was when they would stop the horse. Funny kid!

All four of these ladies take part in Dawson's experience. Lindsey rides, then there are 2 that will walk by the side and one that leads the horse (Artez).

At school Dawson has a big green button that they program to play music. This helps him with cause and effect. He reaches out and pushes the button and he gets to hear music. They said that at school he is getting so good at it that as soon as the music stops it start right back up in seconds. They are getting sick of the same song over and over! :) Good job Bubba! They are going to get a button and program it to say "walk" when he pushes it. They will set it up in front of him on the horse. Then they will stop the horse and wait for Dawson to push the button. The horse will walk when it hears the word "walk". Then they will stop him and do it again. This way Dawson will learn that he is in control of the horse.

They will also get the ladies walking along side to carry bells and lights. They will take turns ringing their bells and flashing lights. Dawson can't see well, almost not at all, but he DOES like lights. This will keep him working his neck by looking side to side. It will be an incredibly stimulating 15 min. for him.

Now for those of you that don't know how I can possibly stand to send my little tiny ones to school, especially Dawson, I think it is clear to see how I can do it! Isn't this amazing?!
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10 comments:

Kellsy said...

This is possibly the coolest thing i've ever heard of! Yay D-man! This makes me really really excited for him!! I can just hear him giggling the whole time!!

Give the kids a love for me! i'm excited to come see them this Sat!!

Love ya
Kels

Malorie said...

hey! thanks for the comment. :)cant wait to see everyones quirks.

Megan said...

That looks amazing. You must be so proud of him!

Diane said...

That is amazing. What a great program for him. Don't you just love to see other people truly caring for your children. It makes me so grateful for primary teacher, school teachers etc. I love when they see into your child and want to help them progress.

Brenda B said...

What a wonderful program. You can see it in his face that he truly enjoys it.

Unknown said...

That's freaking cool. No, it's a far cry from people who ship their kids off to "pre-school" instead of imparting much needed parental wisdom in the last moments that their parents are the core teachers of values :) What you're doing for Dawson and Mallory is SO PERFECT for what they need! Awesome!

atki family said...

That is great therapy for Mr. D. He is the Cutest cowboy I have ever seen. It sounds like you have great therapy for him and alot of programs. That is wonderful!!!

Michelle & Matt's Clan said...

Development Preschool Rocks!

Just Us said...

I can't believe he is in preschool and riding horses. I remember talking with you about it and it seemed like forever away. I love that he loves it.

Kyle and Serene Hardy said...

That program seems really amazing. It is neat to see people that are so dedicated to sweet children, such as Dawson. I love your stories, they are so encouraging!
Love Ya!!

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