At the beginning of February, we packed up our bags for a two week stay in Jacksonville Beach, FL. Aria and Sam would be spending that time working with Kate Cuevas, a physical therapist trained in Cuevas Medek Excercises (CME). CME is a type of physical therapy using dynamic movement techniques. We had previously traveled to Toronto to do the same type of therapy, but when we could no longer get into that clinic, we found an alternative option in Florida. And Florida sounded like the perfect February destination!
While we definitely enjoyed the warmer weather, most of our time was packed full of therapy. Both Sam and Aria did two 1-hour sessions twice a day for a total of four hours of therapy daily. Thankfully the therapist came to our rental house eliminating the commute time for us. We tried our best to keep the kids on a stringent schedule of food and rest to ensure they were feeling optimal for their therapy sessions. In our limited free time, we enjoyed strolling through the neighborhood, splashing in the pool, and soaking in the hot tub.
The therapy sessions were very hard work for them (and for me!) I was the spotter, often having to place them in position and catch them if need be. I most definitely held my breath during some of the arial exercises. It was amazing to see, but also a bit terrifying. Having to be so hands-on, I wasn't able to capture some of the kids impressive feats.
Shane and my mom accompanied us on the trip. While Shane left for home soon after, my mom stayed with us for the entire two weeks to help with the kids. Sam sure had Nana Bev wrapped around his finger! He'd insist that she hold him during meals rather than sit in his chair. He even had her assisting him with the microwave - open door, put in plastic utensil, shut door, and repeat.
After the first week therapy, we were excited for a break over the weekend to explore the city. We spent Saturday strolling from our rental house to the beach - about a 2.5 mile journey.
We stopped for some delicious Greek donuts at Lukumades then continued on our way to the life guard station.
The life guard station had free beach wheelchairs for use. We loaded up the kids into their ginormous chariots and strolled some more.
On the way back to our rental house, we stopped to grab a bite to eat at the Refinery. We were the only ones to brave the "chilly" weather and had the entire patio to ourselves.
Aria and Sam had a great intensive and ended the second week stronger than ever. While Aria worked entirely on gaining more strength to stand and walk, Sam worked on strengthening his core for sitting and his legs to bear weight.
Kate, the PT, made everything look so easy, but wow! She was so strong to be able to hold, lift and float my 32+ pound kiddos.
After each session, Aria and Sam were beat. They both slept like logs.
Towards the end of our stay, Shane and Owen flew to Jacksonville Beach to help us travel home. They snuck in some fun a the beach, restaurants, and hot tubbing before our trip ended.
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