Happy New Year - What did we achieve in 2020

Cameron - Happy New Year
2020 - 2021

Another new year has started - Happy New Year! 

The last 12 months have been highlighted with achieving goals we have dreamt of for Cameron. 

- We enclosed the alfresco and created a room that Cameron can use and enjoy without making life difficult for everyone else. 

- We installed doors to reduce noise in the house so people can work and Cameron can make noise. 

- We installed a one way security front door so Cameron can stand and watch the world go by without being able to be seen - believe me, sometimes you don't want to see what he is up to. 

- We purchased new furniture for his bedroom so it's easier for us to keep his clothes organized and less overwhelming when he empties out his drawers. Plus it made his room more mature and appropriate for his age. 

- We've set up a TV and DVD player in the new room for Cameron so he can watch Wiggles and Playschool, without the rest of the household having to watch Wiggles and Playschool - A LOT!

- We rearranged the furniture in our living areas so it is more open which helps Cameron to move around more easily and be less overwhelmed. 

And now we have ticked another item off the list - we have an accessible swimming pool for Cameron. 

Cameron loves water, it makes him happy and relaxed. After surviving Meningitis, and being removed from all the life support equipment, Cameron was introduced to the hydrotherapy pool at the hospital as a way to rebuild his muscles - he had less muscle strength than a new born. It was very calming for him and it made him happy. 

Cameron spent two to four hours in pools, every week of his childhood. It became a little more difficult after school because not all support workers wanted to go swimming with a very splashy adult toddler. Plus there was the added complication of female support workers needing to change clothes but not being able to leave Cameron unattended. The obvious solution was a pool of our own and we achieved that dream by the end of 2020. 

Cameron Swimming 
January 2021

We added a handrail to our pool that slopes down the stairs so Cameron can independently enter and exit the pool by himself. We had to have stairs, not a ladder or single step so Cameron can be independent and doesn't have to maneuver to sit on the edge of the pool to enter. We paved with the coolest pavers we could find so Cameron wouldn't burn his feet while he positioned himself to step into the pool or procrastinated about when he would step into the pool. We created a lip over the edge of the pool with the pavers so we can save water when Cameron creates tidal waves - which is one of his favourite things to do in a pool. He can waste a lot of water when he starts splashing. 

Cameron thinks the pool is wonderful and it is so nice to watch him independently enter the pool, have fun and exit all by himself. Sitting and watching him is a bit of a soggy affair - he still splashes a lot but we aren't losing nearly as much water as we could be. And yes, we still have to supervise him when he is swimming, he can't be left alone. 

Of course everyone benefits from these improvements in our home but so many of our decisions and plans stem from wanting to make life easier and more inclusive for Cameron and less stressful for the rest of us. 2020 was not a great year for so many but it will be a year that we look back on as a year of achievements and dreams coming true.