Saying Goodbye to Miss Tami

Today was our last day of PT with Tami.  It was kind of bittersweet.  I'm really sad to lose her from "Team Sadie", but at the same time, I'm not sad to lose that 45 minute drive one-way twice a week!!!  Sadie had such good therapy this week.  And today was no exception.  We arrived with smiles, worked hard and left with smiles.

I tried to make a picture collage video set to music of our time with Tami (almost 2 years!!), but my computer is acting strange.  So, maybe eventually I'll get it figured out and be able to make the video, but for now I'll just post some pictures and video clips from our time having therapy with Tami.

This was the first time we visited Tami.  Sadie was so little.  I think she was only 6 or 7 months old!!  We had had an evaluation with another PT, who just made Sadie cry, and made me cry, telling me that even though she fought it, we needed to force her into positions and manipulate her body the way it's supposed to go so that her brain will learn it.  When we found Tami, I thought we had hit the jackpot (I was right)!  She sang songs, she talked to Sadie like they were friends, she never did anything TO Sadie, only WITH Sadie.  Nothing was ever forced.  And PT became a positive place to go...even if all Sadie did the whole time was cry...

Over the months of going to Tami's PT Trailer (she had this motorhome fifth wheel hooked up to the back of her truck where she met kids to do therapy it's pretty cool), Tami showed Sadie she could do things with her body that Sadie didn't even realize.  Like sitting, and touching her head, and laying flat on her back, etc.

And Tami taught us not to have any fear and to try new things...like the crawler, and the stander, and lots of other stuff too!

Tami came with us to the wheelchair clinic, then helped us figure out what to do with all the parts that came with our wheelchair when we got it!!  She also came with us to the spasticity clinic.  She was always willing to rearrange her schedule to come advocate for us and make sure we got what Sadie needed, not what somebody was trying to sell us or thinks is best without knowing her.

And now that we've get our Happy Chair (which Tami helped us a lot in getting, and cheered with us when we got it), Tami showed us how to use it this week.  Here are some pictures (and videos) of our very last therapy session with Tami today.  Sadie had a lot of fun and did a lot of work!

Next week we start with a new PT, Denise.  Denise knows she has big shoes to fill!!  I think we're going to really enjoy home-based therapy and I'm really excited to see where Denise will take us next.  I like Denise and I think we're going to really enjoy working with her!