Dear friends at Rifton,

A few months ago our thirteen-month old son Peter received a new Corner Floor Sitter from Rifton, delivered to us in New South Wales, Australia. Peter attends a regular nursery, but until the sitter arrived, he could only join his friends in their activities from a back lying position on the floor, unless staff held him. Now Peter can actively join his peers for playtime, singing and stories and loves to interact with anyone and everyone. He can clap and copy hand actions during singing games and rhymes, like his little friends.

When Peter was born, we hoped that everything was as it should be, but we became more and more worried. He was a healthy 7lb 9oz at birth, but he did not open his eyes, he didn’t cry or move much at all. He had trouble learning to suck, and his limbs and neck seemed stiff. When he was three weeks old we brought him to pediatric specialist doctors in Sydney to try to get an idea of what was the matter. At this point he was hardly eating and he vomited a lot. Would he live? What was wrong? 

Extensive testing showed us that he would develop slower then normal, but we didn’t know what that meant. We also learned that he had impaired hearing and that his vision was poor. For two months our focus was trying to get him to eat, teaspoon by teaspoon, and to keep the milk down. He hardly gained weight. These were difficult weeks that no one had prepared us for, but all this made us depend more on our faith in God.  

Eventually he turned a corner and began to grow at his own speed. We have just celebrated Peter’s first birthday. These days he is a lively, giggly, interactive child peering at us through his thick glasses, and you would never know that the early months of his life were such a battle. Everything is happening in Peter’s time, not ours! In a way we are still trying to understand what is different with our son, but we do know that everything is right in God’s eyes, and that he has a plan for Peter. 

We’re writing to you because we want you to know that this Sitter has made a big difference. Anything that lets him show his joy with the other children without the support of an adult is a bonus. We will continue to use the Floor Sitter for as long as Peter fits! 

Sincerely,

Tom and Hanna
Peter’s mom and dad
New South Wales, Australia