The Blue Feather

When I stepped onto the bus to say hello to Gracie yesterday afternoon, she had a huge smile on her face and a blue feather in her hand.  I remarked to her nurse, Kim, how happy she looked and she turned around and said, "It's that feather!  She hasn't let it go!" 

Turns out, they did a Thanksgiving craft in class and made turkeys with pine cones and feathers.  Apparently this particular blue feather caught Gracie's eye and never made it onto a pine cone turkey!

She held it all the way home on the bus.  She held it as the lift brought her down in her chair, all the while stripping off her shirt (her usual routine) and she never let go.  We went inside the house and she sat on the couch, shirtless, connected to her feeding, and holding her pretty blue feather.  Without letting go, she got down from the couch, got on the floor and took off her jeans.  As Kim and I argued with her during her very determined mission to remove her diaper with one hand, she held tight to the feather with the other. 

She followed Preston out the door, scooting (yes, in her diaper... yes, it's too chilly... no, there's no stopping her) down the walkway and into the garage... feather in hand.   I stood her up and got her to sit on her bike (I needed to comb-out the leaves she "grabbed" in her hair along the way!) and, finally, I grabbed my cell phone.  

Happy as a clam, sitting pretty on her bike with her bright blue feather.

With determination to do what she wanted and keep hold of the prized possession, she stood up gripping only one handle bar!

After going inside, getting changed and getting in the car, she still hadn't let go.

After the 25 minute drive to therapy... love this!

After getting her shirt back on and getting in her chair...

And in therapy she still wouldn't give it up!
(This is a contraband photo... pics are forbidden in the therapy unit!)
Erika, her OT, asked her to share, asked her to give it to her, she even tried to take it from her and Gracie held tight, clutching her blue feather to her chest. 
Finally, I signed that I would take it and give it back to her after therapy.  Gracie watched wide-eyed and stretched out her arm as I took the feather from her hand and set it on top of her wheelchair canopy.
Thankfully, she refocused and was able to get through the rest of OT and all of PT.

And this is what she looked like when she got back her feather!

As the sun faded away, Gracie carefully took off her shirt (see the top row... the blue feather never leaves her hand) and removed her shoes and socks, never losing focus on her beloved feather.

I hooked up her feeding and she was ready to roll!

Though blurry, her smile is obvious.
When we pulled into our driveway, I discovered that she had finally let it go
when the darkness prevented her from seeing it any longer.

Gracie held onto that feather from about 1pm until I took it from her during OT at 3:56. She held it at least another 20 minutes after therapy ended. She hasn't ever been fixated long enough on anything to hold it on a car ride... ever!
Today, at school, Kim is going to see if she can get her another feather, this time a different color, and we will see if it bears the same magical power!