We are huge Pete the Cat fans here! Rocking in our school shoes, rocking in our white shoes, and rocking our groovy buttons, you name it, we are gonna rock it! Why? Cause it's ALL GOOD!
Rachel has been totally rockin' some new braces lately!!! And I am so excited for her!!!
She has been wearing AFO's since she was about 2 1/2 yrs old. AFOs are a type of brace that fits over her feet and goes up her leg almost all the way to her knee.
They are made out of hard plastic and we always have to get her shoes that are 2 sizes too big for her feet so that the brace can fit in the shoe, and tennis shoes are really the only shoes they fit in properly. They really do help her maintain balance to stand and walk, but they can't be comfortable! :( I have never liked the fact that she needed to wear these. It breaks my heart. At this point in time, she really doesn't seem to care what kind of shoes she is wearing, but there may come a day when she does. And up until the SDR surgery, Rachel was looking at a lifetime of wearing AFOs.
But we are on a totally different path now! We have taken the first steps to shed these braces!
INTRODUCING... (drum roll please........)
THE SMO!
Still made of hard plastic, but way smaller and they are the stepping stone to slide-in arch supports.
I really thought there would be a long adjustment period for these. They don't give a lot of support and her poor little calf muscles have atrophied as a result of wearing the AFOs for so long. BUT once again I am stunned at how easy the transition was!! I envisioned her wobbling and falling over and over. HA! WRONG! She took off almost as if nothing had changed!
"I'm Standin' in My SMOs!"
"I'm Walkin' in My SMOs!"
"I'm Ziplinin' in my SMOs!"
Rachel's Rockin' in Her SMOs , Rockin' in Her SMOs, Rockin' in Her SMOs!! Does she worry? Goodness NO! Cause its's ALL GOOD!
Wow! I am really bad at updating my blog!! I have all these good ideas, pictures, and stories to share with you, but finding the time is so hard! For instance, just started uploading the videos to YouTube and writing this entry and as soon as my fingers touch the keyboard... "Mom!!! Can we read now?" "I am cold, where is my blanket?" " I need more 'nilk'!" *sigh* Love my job, but man, a girl could use a break! Lol! Ok, so hold on, I be back in a few!!!
.....
Yeah, started this 2 days ago! Oh well...
So today is Rachel's 7th birthday!! And I have a feeling this is going to be her year! This girl has been through so much and ther is still a very long up hill climb to go. But I know it will be much easier now.
Remember how I said this process is watching therapy on fast forward? The past few weeks (6 now, to be exact) have been like having a very young child at the beginning of a very long journey and being able to use a remote control and skip all of the hard up's and down's and get straight to the results. Rachel will start a new skill one day, struggle with it for a day or two, then, BAM! Be able to do the task no problem! Don't just take my word for it, watch for yourself!!!
December 16th:
December 19th:
December 23rd: no assistance
(and yes, they are wearing pj's at therapy, Polar Express Day! Rachel was just glad she didn't have to get dressed!! HA!)
As of Thursday January 2 she is standing independently for "88" seconds, Exactly! lol!
Walking is getting easier too! The biggest obstacle is muscle strength right now. Building it up does take time ;) But Rachel is making huge strides in this area too.
She is using her walker SO much better, and is able to steer around the corners of the track in the gym. Yes, she did this before, but she never seemed to have full control, where as now she takes the turns like a pro ;) and she is fast! Watch out students of Sara Collins Elementary!!!
As of January 1st, we are up to 10 minutes non-stop on the treadmill! She was able to do this before, but it required a lot of me to keep her upright and supported. I have very little to do now other than to cheer her on and find good songs on the iPod!
I have saved the BEST for last!!! As you know our ultimate goal for Rachel is to walk independently. Pre-op we were able to just hold her left hand and guide her. It was a slow process but she could make short distances using this method. After a few days of practice we are back to using this method!!! And it is a WHOLE NEW WORLD!!! I don't have to do much work to guide her and I have very little to do with keeping her upright! I can not tell you how excited this makes me!!! We walked out of Jazzercise the other day, I held her left hand and she was able to hold Rhett's hand with her right to keep him from bolting. She seemed very proud of herself that she could be a big sister and "take care" of Rhett! So Sweet!
Here she is December 30th:
Sorry for the bad camera angle, gotta capture this stuff as it happens and there is usually little time to prepare fully.
And again:
She was doing so well with one hand walking her therapist decided to try some independent steps...
Melanie is just holding on to her shirt! I need to look back and see if I can find some pre-op walking for comparison, but this is very different! She use to "launch" herself. I can already see more control! Poor Melanie couldn't move back fast enough!
I am so grateful for Dr. Park, St Louis Children's Hospital, our Therapists at home and the support from our family and friends!!! I have a good feeling about this year!!! Good things are coming this little girls way! And as we celebrate her 7th Birthday TODAY, I am filled with such a flood of emotion! So happy, excited, and full of hope for this Super Star-tastic Little Girl!!! Rachel, I hope that one day you look back on this and you are as amazed at yourself and full of pride as we all are for you! You are a ROCKSTAR!
