Chile - Day 3

Things in Chile are fabulous!!!!! We are thoroughly enjoying every part of the adventure!! The weather has been hot and sunny each day and the nights cool off enough to enjoy the breeze. Our apartment has tons of space to keep everyone sane. We made some friends at the Marriott and so we had a great afternoon swimming in the pool and enjoying the sunshine. Our tans are coming along nicely:) We even met the pilot who flew our plane....he lives in Georgetown:)

Therapy is beyond words amazing!!!!! There have been NO tears for 6 straight sessions...only 14 more to go:) Ramon is thrilled with her progress, physically and emotionally. He is trying all new exercises and today he had to adjust twice to make it more of a challenge for her!! Great!!!

Yesterday he had Abby standing on a balance bar that was resting on his lap, then he moved his hands from her ankles to the bar and lifted the bar. She was standing in the air, free for about 5 seconds.

Then he had 2 plastic pipes, one in each hand. Mike placed Abby on the pipes and Ramon was only holding the pipes - not Abby. She stood free for about 15 seconds. Crazy!!!!!

His ability to meet her needs is unbelieveable and he continually challenges her to the next level.

This has been a wonderful experience thus far!! Looking forward to the next week and a half!!

Adios! Buenos noches:)

Buenos Dias from Chile!!!

Well, we have arrived!!! The 11 hour flight was actually not as bad as we had thought. We were able to sleep for about half of it and then a great selection of movie and tv, including Treehouse, kept the troops busy for the rest. Seeing the sunrise as we flew over the equator was very cool:) The kids were wonderful!!!!

Chile is beautiful!! Hot, dry days and a light breeze at night, just enough to sleep with the patio doors open:) Our apartment has 3 bedrooms and 2 washrooms and fully equipped kitchen. It is right beside Ramon's office in the Marriott Hotel. We walk over in 5 minutes. The kitchen is very helpful as eating out gets tiring. It is very clean and well cared for here. Also feels very safe, even with our limited spanish:)

We have now had 2 therapy sessions and they have been fabulous!!!! No tears (yeah!) and Abby has been meshing well with Ramon. Has has been able to do all new exercises which is apparently a great sign that CME is right for Abby. He is very pleased with her progress since Montreal, especially her maturity and emotional perspective. He commented that she is like a "different child". Great!!! He has done mostly standing exercises and also some walking.

We talked about traditional vs CME therapy and he explained that traditional therapy simply works to ACCOMODATE for what the body can't do whereas CME challenges the brain move beyond your current physical state. Through the mind, we challenge the body. This is how CME teaches so many to walk. Makes perfect sense:)

Tomorrow 2 more sessions and a walk around our area and lunch out. Then swimming after the afternoon session.

Stay tuned for our next post:) Off to enjoy some Chilen wine on the balcony in my shorts!!!! Adios for now.

3 sleeps 'till Chile!!!

Well, here we go again!! This time to somewhere a little more exotic and exciting than Montreal...Santiago, Chile...just 10 and a half hours flying time from Toronto:)

In 3 days, Mike, Abby, Jack, my Dad Rick, and I will set off for a 2 week journey to Ramon's home in Santiago. We are flying out on Christmas night at 11:45pm!!

Just like Montreal, Abby will be working with Ramon twice a day for 2 weeks to build her strength, balance and overall mobility. We are staying at an apartment next to Ramon's office and will be seeing him at 7am and 12 noon each day.

The afternoons will be for us to explore the beautiful city of Santiago and venture out to the coast, the mountains and wherever else our flip flops will take us:)

Words can never express the unbelievable gratitude that we feel for each and every family member and friend who have made this possible. We would not be here today and seeing the progress that we have been had it not been for your emotional and financial support. Abby continues to make amazing gains and we are hoping for nothing less in Chile.

Muchos Gracias and Feliz Navidad!!

Chile, here we come!!!!