Hot Tubbing!

The Hot Tub Is Here!

Zachary's hot tub was installed on Thursday and he couldn't be happier. He is beaming from ear to ear, not only because his dream came true, sincere thanks to the Dream Factory of Rochester, but also because it is a wonderful thing to look forward to. He used to be difficult to get out of bed because of how stiff and tender he is in the morning... now he is up early and waking me up with his swimsuit on and ready to soak in his tub. His joints are feeling pretty good. They are not 100% and there will never be a fix all for him that I know of, but it doesn't get better than this... between his pain killers and his hot tub, he is in a good place right now (plus the warmer weather which appears to be kinder to his little body and joints).

It was a very emotional week as we watched the electricians come dig up the yard (and do an amazing job of putting it back together) and then watch all of these men pull up in trucks and begin to work... taking the tub off of the truck, rolling it into the back yard, placing it and moving it around on the patio, the electricians digging up the patio and hardwiring the tub, the poor electricians having to come back the next day and do some more digging to ground the tub with the brand new standards, the inspector giving his seal of approval... and I watch all of this happening for my very special little boy. It was truly a dream come true. It was hard to keep my tears from flowing all day.

He was not able to go in it the first night... he was having a very bad day with his stomach and the tub was not warm enough to get into by bedtime. But, come the next morning, he was up bright and early and ready to soak with the biggest smile I have seen on his face in a very long time. Wild horses couldn't have kept him away. Zach has soaked at least twice a day now and has gotten to enjoy having a friend over to check it out with him as well. We went and bought some little pool/spa toys for him to play with while he soaks and to help him keep moving around in the tub.

We begin our journey to end water therapy sessions now and will be done by the end of June. Zach's PT will be teaching me how to stretch him and work him in the water so that he can do all of these things right in the back yard in his hot tub. This will save me 2 trips per week with the twins sitting poolside... it will be a relief for all.

We have been keeping the temp between 94 and 95 degrees (which is the same as his therapy pool) so that he can stay in as long as he does for his water therapy sessions. The girls have much enjoyed floating around in their swimmies with their brother. Mom and Dad got Zach's permission to enjoy a soak after his bedtime and I must admit it is rather relaxing and I have been sleeping better than ever (except of course when the kids aren't at bedside at 3 a.m.).

I will upload pictures this week so all can see (or visit my Facebook page in the meantime). He looks so tiny in this thing!

UPDATE ON ZACH SPLINTING: The OT splinting specialist determined that we will start Zach slow without shoulder support but began him with his cuved 8 ring splints on his pointer finger for now. They are tinier than a DS game (and he has managed to lose one already).

He was fitted for elastic knee braces and they have been ordered and was also fitted for orthodic inserts in his shoes to help with his gait. We are awaiting their arrival as they had to be special ordered and custom made.