Addy

Addy has been making great progress in physical therapy. She has gone from being introduced to the walker to walking at a very nice pace. She has a difficult time turning the walker, because it takes upper and lower body strength, which she doesn't have in combination yet. We finally have her's ordered. She will be getting a walker called a "Nimbo" and the tot size comes in yellow. I was very particular about what kind of walker we ordered. I wanted it to be just the right one and to say the least I nit picked many of them. I'm glad it's on order, but I don't expect to get it until at least late January. For now we still have one on loan from MISD.

Now that Addy is up and walking, the therapists are noticing that she hyperextends her knees quite a bit. The reason she hyperextends is due to weakness in her legs. We are now questioning if Addy needs a higher orthotic for her ankle to limit some of the hyperextension. There are pros and cons to going to a higher orthotic. She would lose some of the mobility in her ankle that she currently has, as her foot would then be kept at a 90 degree angle. We would also lose her ability to continue to gain strength in her calf muscle. Staying with a shorter orthotic could mean that we would do damage on her knees for the future. If she continues to gain strength at a rapid pace, then hopefully the hyperextension would go away, but there's no saying how long that will be. She will be evaluated by the orthotist next week and then we will follow up with an orthopedic doctor.

Tomorrow we go back to the geneticist. We were there a year ago this month and she wanted to see Addy back in a year. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. Not sure if we will really gain any new information at this appointment, but sometimes we are surprised.

Don't mind me mom, I'm just paying some bills for you.

Santa...Is that really you??

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Picture Time

Happy Thanksgiving

Cutting down the Christmas Tree

Well we went to cut down a Christmas Tree yesterday. It was very cold and it felt weird with no snow on the ground. We got back in the very large lot of trees and we cut down what we thought was a Douglas Fir. Once the tractor arrived to pick us up, the guy told us we had cut down a Spruce and there was no way it would last us until Christmas, so we had to start all over. Addy had a great time getting pulled on the sled, despite having no snow.

Waiting for the tractor with Daddy

Taking a ride on the tractorSled ride with no snow:( Staying warm with mom
What we thought was going to be our Christmas Tree Our final tree
Addy enjoying the tree at home

Look at Me!

Well, I haven't told you about Addy's continuing progress in a while so here goes:

Addy has been making major gains in all areas. First off, her speech has been incredible (for someone that we thought was going to be very delayed). She has so many words now that we can't even count them all. She will try and imitate anything you say. I left for a 3 day conference and just in that short time, I returned to find that she had more speech than when I left.

Now that her speech is coming along, we are really starting to notice a lot of cognitive things with her. The therapists are always asking me how old she is because to them she appears older than her age in some areas. She's really into colors, letters and numbers right now. It's amazing to hear her spontaneously tell me the color of something (I didn't have any clue that she knew colors, oops!). She loves counting books and likes to find and count the numbers. We are having a hard time keeping her occupied with toys because she has really outgrown most of hers. She really seems to be into things much older than her age. She likes "I Spy" books, coloring, playdough, imaginative play with real doll houses, talking books that read to her, play kitchens, puzzles, sticker books and memory games. It's very exciting to see her making so much progress in this area.

About a month ago, Addy got her first set of ankle braces (SMO's). They are short braces that she wears on her feet. Since this time, we have noticed big differences in her ability to stand at objects, cruise furniture, get herself up and down and take steps with support. She just began to pull herself from the floor to a standing position against furniture. It's a very slow and labored process, but she can do it! She doesn't mind wearing her braces at all and now know that they are a part of her dressing routine.


Since she has been getting stronger with the braces, the therapists began to entertain the idea of using a walker with her. We knew this was coming, but were just waiting for her to get strong enough to be able to use it. Well, we tried it for the first time at therapy today and she quickly understood the concept of it. We now have it on loan and Addy will be getting her own. Her walk even with the walker is extremely slow and it takes a lot of work for her to use it, but its a start. The therapists and myself are envisioning her to have the walker for quite some time. It will probably be a long while before she gets anywhere near independent walking. I am just excited to get her up with her peers.

Of course, being a teacher, I have already been pursuing the issue with the therapists about where Addy may attend school (when she turns 3). Sure enough, more than likely, it will be our local POHI (Physically and Otherwise Health Impaired) program here within the Utica school district (same type of program that I teach in). I am fortunate for this as I know that they have a great program and she will be well supported.

That's all for now. Keep up the good work Addy!

Trick or Treat