Tag Archives: AFO’s

A long overdue update

29 May

To say this past month has been unbelievably hectic would truly be an understatement. Aside from preparing for the upcoming arrival of a new baby, I’ve been busy in meetings and setting up doctors appointments to complete an admissions package for Ladybugs school. The admissions process began early this past winter and is now finally out of my hands and into the hands of the admissions board. I’m confident that Ladybug will be accepted into this fabulous school, however we should know for certain in the next week or so.

Health wise Ladybug has been holding her own. Her cold quota has dropped significantly since the preschool year began. She still catches bugs quite easily but is also able to fight them off faster and I’ve found the last couple didn’t result in bronchitis or pneumonia which is a fantastic sign.  The Myoclonic seizures are pretty much under control, however we’ve found when she is very tired or sick they increase in frequency. Once she recovers they subside again. So I certainly can’t complain at all about them. We met with her fabulous orthopedic surgeon a few weeks ago who informed us that from the looks of the latest x-ray Ladybug will not at this time require hip surgery.  YAY!!! Over the past few months Ladybug has gone through a huge growth spurt. Well huge in comparison to what we are used to seeing. At 4 1/2 years old she is now 25 lbs. Which is pretty gosh darn good.  Not only did she need some new summer outfits to fit her growing body she also required new AFO’s. (Ankle Foot Orthosis) While the new AFO’s were noticeably larger than her first pair they were still the second smallest set that had ever been made at that facility. The first smallest were Ladybugs original AFO’s. I’ll be sure to post some pictures soon.

I almost forgot to mention that to celebrate the end of an amazing year at Preschool and the *fingers crossed* start at a big girl school in September, it was time to retire those adorable hot pink glasses that Ladybug rocked so adorably. Not only had she outgrown them but they saw their final battle with a parking lot and a car a couple of months ago. Once I wiped the tears away (yes I bawled like a baby at the fact they were at the time lost and had most likely been run over – I blame it on all the baby hormones.)  I knew that it was time to begin the search for the perfect new pair.  This was also made easier by the fact that Daddy-O went to comb the parking lot after work and found the pieces of the glasses. At least they hadn’t vanished for good. Now Pembe Bear rocks them!

I can’t get over how grown up my sweet little Ladybug looks now.

New Specs

 

Jumparoo for Joy

8 Jun

What an incredible whirlwind of fabulousness these past few weeks have been. The documentary for McMaster Children’s Hospital which feature my ladybug aired last weekend and was fantastic.  Now it’s back to our typical routine of doctors appointments and packing for the move. Which is in 10 days. (Freaking out just a bit, as packing isn’t even close to being done)

The most anticipated and fought for appointment was last Friday. Our little ladybug finally got fitted for her very first pair of AFO’s.  AFO stands for ankle-foot orthotic. It is a brace (usually plastic) worn on the lower leg and foot to support the ankle, hold the foot and ankle in the correct position, and correct foot-drop.

The process was actually quite easy. An orthotist put a cloth sleeve on the itty bitty legs and feet then she wrapped ladybugs leg from her knee to the tip of her toes in a fiberglass casting material. After some smoothing out the cast had set and was ready to come off.

The same was repeated on the opposite leg and then we were done!

We will head back on the 21st of June to pick them up.  I can’t wait to see them. Long gone are the days when prosthetics and orthotics look like they belong on a manikin. We were able to flip through a binder full of different patterns that ranged from camouflage (sadly no pink), fish, butterflies, hearts and many more. Keep an eye out to see which pattern we decided on and how absolutely adorable they look.

She has been trying with all her might to stand but just doesn’t have enough muscle strength to last for more than a second or two. Put that together with her love of bouncing/jumping especially in her Jumparoo and the AFO’s will be the first step in allowing her to take a first step.

With a pillow underneath for leverage my little ladybug has discovered that she can bounce herself in the jumparoo. I can only imagine what she will be able to do once she gets the AFO’s at the end of the month.