New Wheels

Not too very long after I posted the Happy Thanksgiving post we got a phone call from the chair place telling us that John's power chair would be here at 2pm. We had gotten a letter the week before telling us that it had been ordered and would be in within the next 4 weeks, so of course we didn't have any ramps built. Mark quickly built 3 ramps to get John's chair in the house and the adventure has been on ever since.

I was very impressed with John, he's only gotten to drive a power chair 3 times, and those were only chairs that were similar to this one, not exactly the same, and the last time that he had driven one was months and months ago. No more had his little bottom been planted in the seat than he reached over and turned it on and was ready to drive. The chair needed a few adjustments and you can see that he has a wrench in his hand and was helping.

An hour or so of adjustment making and a trip up the 3 new ramps that his daddy built and he was ready to terrorize, uh I mean, drive in the house. He is very good at this and is getting better each time he is in it, but that doesn't mean that he's exactly getting safe driving awards yet. We did realize that the chair was heavy enough and had enough torgue that we can't push it and it can certainly push many other things, but he's getting better and there hasn't been any permanent damage to chair, structures, pedestrians or pooches.

It is giving him the freedom that we hoped for and as he gets better at driving it that will only increase. Before the chair John would be playing computer, or something and get done and have to holler and fuss to get our attention to move him, with the chair he can come and get us and tell us that he's ready for something else to do, or even go and find that something else himself. He is still getting in his gait trainer and walking, and holding our hands and walking through the house, and scooting around too, but this adds a whole other dimension to his mobility.



And of course today was new haircut day for my favorite guys, so I could resist showing them off!