Today I took Alice to her very first meeting! It was an in-person NAMI board meeting.
We had a little difficulty getting in the building. I was a little sore from physical therapy yesterday, so decided to take my wheelchair. The front door doesn’t have a ramp yet, so I went around to the side door. Unfortunately it was blocked by patio furniture. So I had to go back around to the front door, ring the doorbell, and ask someone to move it. Luckily we now have that accessibility issue sorted with the furniture so it won’t happen to a prospective client!
Alice was really good during the meeting! It was a long one—it was about two hours. Alice was a little confused at first as to what was happening, but she soon settled down.
The first time everyone clapped, Alice was a little alarmed. She’s never been around people clapping before! But after that, she just took it in stride when it happened.
With Hestia, I arrange my arms across my lap to form a little cradle for her. Sitting like this hurts my arms after a while. But Alice is so much smaller that I could make a cradle across my chest! It was perfectly comfortable for me to sit with my arms crossed across my chest and Alice to perch up there!
For a while she lay down across them and slept. But for the last half hour or so, she sat upright facing outwards, watching everyone in the meeting. It was super cute, her perched on me like that!
I was also very pleased that a few times when we heard people outside the door, that she didn’t make any noise or seem bothered. Go Alice!
It was a good meeting and we went over a lot of important stuff. I’m glad I decided to try Alice out with her first meeting!
And sorry, no pictures—I forgot!