Thursday, September 13, 2007

Big boy!


We got this really snazzy high chair for Joseph a couple of years ago because we figured he needed good, longterm support with a footrest and everything. This chair is sort of infinitely adjustable and holds up to 150 pounds. Joseph used it a long time while he was still in the highchair and tray stage. It used to have a sort of infant guard around the torso that the tray attached to. It was a pain to get Joseph's legs in and out of the foot holes and, much to my dismay, the infant guard didn't fit under the edge of the table. I tried taking the infant guard off but he just didn't have the bodily awareness and balance to sit in that chair without some extra support around him. So the only way for Joseph to continue to use the chair would have been with a tray and that seemed inappropriate. He's really ready to be up at the table with us, and so he has been. When Margaret got big enough for a highchair we put her in Joseph's and moved Joseph to the plastic booster seat.

But it's always bugged me that Joseph didn't have a footrest. It's really not good for his legs to just dangling. Also, the booster seat with tray is a better highchair and I was always putting Margaret in it. And now Margaret is wanting to be more at the table than a highchair allows. We've been talking to Joseph's PT about getting him a different seat that meets our needs.

Today I was cleaning and pushed the wooden chair (which had been adjusted for Margaret) up to the table and was surprised to see it slide under the table, even with the infant guard on it. I guess in this new apartment the floors are just enough uneven that there is a little wiggle room. As soon as Joseph woke up from his nap I brought him out to readjust the chair for him. I noticed that he seemed a lot more secure in it and, on a whim, I took off the infant guard. He didn't flinch. I moved the seat around a bit and the movement didn't throw off his balance at all. I'm so proud of him. He's really growing and learning. And now he has the kind of supportive chair he needs, and it pull right up to the table. Margaret has happily moved to the booster seat.

These little things make me so happy.

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