I asked for opinions on car seats for bigger kids--and if anyone had any ideas on how to keep him safely restrained while riding. I got some good feedback, which I really appreciated. But last Tuesday we got a message from a friend of ours, who is also a parent of a special needs child. Her sweet boy is several years older than Korban--we actually met this precious family when I was pregnant with Korban.
The message said that she had a Britax car seat specially made for bigger children--the weight limit with the harness goes up to 80 lbs. It's a large, sturdy car seat that she used for her son, but he has now outgrown it and they would like to pass it on to us. No charge. They'd like for us to have it.
We were blown away. Another need that God used a friend to meet. Such a blessing! We were so excited. I went to our friends house and picked up the seat on Wednesday. She even helped me install it! Her daughter kept Korban occupied while we worked on the seat. You can definitely tell she's a good big sister--Korban was quite smitten with her. Selah would've joined in the fun, but she was passed out asleep in her own car seat. They played with a big beach ball that Korban liked. It was very funny, because when it was time to go, I pulled into their carport a little so that I could back up and turn around and Korban was worriedly shouting "Don't run over the beach ball! Don't run over the beach ball!" Never mind their house, vehicles, or the fact that my friend and her daughter were standing there waving good-bye at us, just please don't crush their beach ball!
Our friend was worried that Korban might protest the harness, especially when he realized his limited mobility, but I wasn't too worried about it. For one thing, he was sad when he outgrew his old car seat and didn't like the booster. He kept asking for me to buckle him in. He didn't like the loose seat belt and felt uncomfortable. I mentioned this to Korban's ABA guy, and he commented that as much as Korban likes deep pressure, he should really like the seat.
And he does! He calls it his "big boy car seat" and when we get out of the van and the door shuts, he always asks me where his big boy car seat went, just to make sure it's still in there. So sweet. We were very thankful we got the car seat when we did, because we got a doctor's appointment in Southaven on Thursday and Korban's infusion in Birmingham on Friday.
So we were on the road a lot last week, and the car seat really did make things so much easier. We just have to remember to take Korban's shoes off because that's pretty much the only thing he can get to now. Ha! Overall, his behavior was better though. I think he is riding more comfortably and feels more secure and there's much less worry for me and Brad.
Many, many thanks to our friend for blessing us in this way. It is much appreciated!
Korban on the way to Birmingham early Friday morning. Riding in the "big boy car seat" and wearing headphones, which was another first for him. He's very sensitive to sound, but also sensitive to things touching his face and has never been able to wear headphones to help block noises. This was the first time ever, and he was listening to a movie in the van. Very calm and relaxed. We haven't been able to get headphones on him since then, but we are hoping it's a step in that direction.
We also love this car seat because it has a place for him to rest his head when he goes to sleep, instead of it just flopping all over the place.
Selah is our blanket baby. She always has to have a blanket to cover up with, even during the summer!
Also, another set of friends recently blessed us with this iTikes toy. It's like a Magna Doodle for the iPad. Very cool! Korban loves it, but we can't let him play with it in the van so Selah gets a turn with it. This thing kept her busy for our entire two-hour ride to Southaven on Thursday!
Last week was very busy but also very full of blessings. To God be the glory!!!
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