Which Way is Up?

   This is a common scene at our house these days.  Chloe has learned to do cartwheels and I'm quite sure she does a minimum of 25 a day.  She started a tap and tumble class and that was all the encouragement she needed.  She has now mastered cartwheels, 1 handed cartwheels and round-offs all within the first 6 wks. of class.  Chloe is one determined girl and it doesn't hurt that she prefers being upside down anyway. 
     Ever since kindergarten began, our school is all day every other day, Chloe's sensory disorder from her early life in the orphanage is much more obvious. Her body has an incredible craving for joint compression (crashing) and heavy muscle work.  It's more noticeable since she has to hold still for so long and keep it under control.  By the time she gets home from school, she is ready to bounce like a "Tigger."  That's how her Occupational Therapist used to describe her craving for sensory input.  She would ask Chloe if she felt like a "Tigger", a "Pooh", or an "Eeyor."  Feeling like "Pooh" was the goal.  The other day she came home from school and really wanted to talk to me.  Chloe sat on the couch next to me and was moving around so much we couldn't even talk.  Solution:  We moved the mini-trampoline into the living room.  As soon as Chloe started bouncing, we were able to have a very nice conversation.  Chloe's new obsession with tumbling is just another outlet to get her joint compression.