My Little Helper...

Robby is at the "independent, I can do it myself" stage. To be honest, many times it would be a lot easier and faster without his "help" but I know that this is an important developmental stage, and I do not want to discourage him.

From "helping" with the laundry to "sweeping" the floor in the kitchen, Robby is always eager to lend a hand. Today Scott was replacing the hallway light, and Robby was by his side, holding the flashlight and bringing him tools. Unfortunately, Robby became distracted by the beam from the flashlight. He ended up shining the light on his hand and up my nose instead of on the ceiling. He also delivered more tools than the ledge on the ladder could accommodate.

Robby doesn't like to help out just at home. I went to see my prosthetist yesterday, and my little guy was eager to help with Mommy's ankle adjustment. He was curious about the "buttons of mystery" on the front of my prosthetic that he has been banned from touching. He became excited when the buttons beeped and was anxious to try to press the buttons himself.

My prosthetist showed him how to press the buttons on my Proprio ankle. He also showed Robby how to insert the wrench into the screws at the bottom of my socket. My Little Helper was taught how to turn the wrench until it moved. He was thrilled to be so helpful! Because he was such a good assistant, Robby was given a wrench of his own to take home.

The sun was shining and bright today. It was hot and I was anxious for some summertime fun. I set up the sprinkler, donned my water leg and took Robby out to play. We had a blast.

After we came inside and got changed, I put on cartoons and went out to the kitchen to start dinner. After about 30 minutes I realized that my "helper" had not visited me, and my house was eerily quiet. I had a sense of foreboding when I looked down and realized that I was still wearing my water leg.

I found Robby, sitting next to my leg, with his prized wrench in hand. He managed to disconnect and remove the battery. Because of my prosthetist's wonderful instruction, Robby was able to remove the screws that keep my ankle in place. He was extremely proud of his accomplishment. He looked at me, smiled and said, "Momma, Robby help fix leg."

I bribed the wrench out of his hand with the promise of an ice cream cone with sprinkles. I was able to reattach the ankle to the socket, and the battery has been reconnected. Unfortunately, my alignment is off so I'll be making another visit to the prosthetist tomorrow. This time, I will leave "the helper" at home.