(drumroll please)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Wheeeeeelllchair haaaaaassss arrrriiiiiiiiived!
(applause! applause! applause!)
Oh yes, this thing is sweet. Very sweet. It's a very girlie purple. It tilts back, oh so smooth. It has a 4-point harness, easy foot brake, IV pole, contoured seat pads, removeable tray, and stroller handles. It's a beauty....
...and a beast.
(sigh)
Why couldn't this thing just be perfect in every way? It's the nature of it all, I guess.
So, we have some new quirks to figure out with the wheelchair. I guess it's no big deal, really, but I just wanted everything to be perfect, ya know?
Problem numero uno: It's a mess to try to get it in the van. It comes apart in 2 peices, the top and bottom. BUT both peices are super heavy, and not the easiest to get back together. You practically have to get on your hands and knees to secure the 2 peices back together. Not practical. It would better if I didn't ever have to take it apart, but then I couldn't get it in the van. Like, on Sundays: between getting in the van for church (which is 2 miles down the street), getting out to go into church, getting back in to go to Memaw's for lunch, then going back home or back to church....phew! That's like taking this thing apart and in and out 8-10 times a day! Sometimes only 3 minutes apart!
There's GOT to be a better way! But, that's the sad part. See, we bought this van with the wheelchair in mind. It's got this new feature: a really deep rear cargo area. That way, we could put the wheelchair in, and I could still see out the back, and even have room for other things, like groceries or a stroller. If I had known that I would NOT be putting a wheelchair in the trunk, then we may not have gotten that very nice, but very expensive van.
I'm hoping they make something that will attach to the rear of my vehicle, like something that fits on the trailer hitch. I would like for it to have a ramp so we could just push it onto it, instead of having to lift a very heavy chair. Even Chris thought it was heavy---and he lifts groups of very heavy crates of milk every day.
Problem #2: It doesn't like to go up and down stairs. Oh it drives like a dream! It glides soooooo nice. But it doesn't like anything bumpy. So the fact that I DON'T have a ramp yet? Yeah, not a good thing. It even coughed at getting onto the school bus chair lift--cuz it wasn't completely flat. I think this wheelchair needs a good whoopin'.
BUT, Michaela was able to go to school this morning on her feeding pump, and that's just awesome. This chair is going to make some things just so much easier. Like the tray---now she can sit and play with toys, and I don't have to worry about her stumbling away. The other chairs weren't tall enough to fit at the table, so she had a hard time playing in the chair. The tilt feature on it is very very good too. It'll help take some pressure off of her backside when she's sitting for a long time, and it'll help her when she's tired and falling asleep sitting up---just tilt it back, no prob. It's a feature they should put on baby strollers--so unobtrusive to a sleeping child. I'm gonna love it.
Good thing I don't give up easy. I gots some bitter pills to spit out.....I'll let ya know how it goes....
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