Brace Yourself

You may remember that at the last spina bifida clinic day, we were told that Fiona needed braces for her feet to correct the collapsing in of her ankles. In early November, we headed to meet Mr. John, who casted her feet for the molds. She was mostly patient with the process, although slightly annoyed that we had to cast her right foot twice. We entertained Mr. John by singing with her, telling stories, and all sorts of "entertain the 5 year old" things.

On Thursday, Fiona and I packed her a bag of dry cereal (mom of the year) that she then had to share with her chirping sibs in the back seat until we dropped them off at A's - because heaven forbid they didn't get to eat immediately as well ... ha! And then went to meet Mr. John again to get her braces fitted. The blue butterfly braces were quite a hit. The three revisions on the sizing was not. I kept explaining to her that we wanted them to fit just right, but she was annoyed by the "see John for five minutes and he disappears for 10 to make adjustments" routine. Plus she was very concerned about being late for school.

The fit met Mr. John's satisfaction and the cut met mine (we cut them off a bit shorter on the bottom so she still can go up on her tiptoes while wearing them). AND we made it to school right on time. Whew!

We need to go shoe shopping to find some shoes that will fit over the braces. And since she is my short sock girl, we need to go buy higher socks. But she's been wearing them an hour or so at home over the last few days to start getting used to them (thanks to a high sock loan from little sis!) and so far, so good. She has a great attitude about them and seems to feel more secure in the ankle area. Little sibs are sufficiently impressed (and a tinge jealous) and her buddies Jack and Coop were also amazed last night by her "metal shoes." She likes that she still has decent range of motion in them.

Blue butterflies don't hurt either.

Moments on Video

I've snagged a few fun moments on video over the last week and thought I would share a glimpse into what life is like here. 

The first two are a random family jam session downstairs. I made the girls help clean up the basement before their cousins came so that the B family wasn't injured in the landmine of Duplos that was the basement floor. They cleaned up so quickly that Mike figured he'd play a song for them. Fiona grabbed the guitar and Quinn started dancing ... "Freeze" dancing to be exact. Then the dancer and lead guitar player switched places ... as they often do.

Declan is walking EVERYWHERE. Most often, he's halfway on an epic walk and we realize that we aren't taking video. He's walked from the dining room table all the way down the hall, taken the corner, and then gone across their room to Buggy's bed. No video. Sigh. Here's the one video we managed to take ... so not an epic walk because ... camera.

It was super nice on Sunday, so Daddy and the girls popped up the pool. It was sheer happiness - as it should be. Quinn has officially moved to full and enthusiastic pool participant. It's so awesome to see her embracing the water and having SO much fun.

Important Things to Learn

We're all about ensuring the girls know the important things in life. "Nice words" and "listening ears" are high on that list. Here are some of the other important things we've been working on ...

Walking (!) [disclaimer: it's hard to get a video of her. she stops walking as soon as you try!]

Muppets [I taught Fiona the "mah na mah na" song - and she loves the YouTube video from the Muppet Show]

Shoveling [Fiona was teaching Quinn. It was so cute!]

Walking: Take 2

Mike got a great video of Fiona walking on Sunday. She now goes everywhere and rarely needs something to hold on to. There are lots of trips down the hall to her room and back. She knows that she is pretty big stuff!

Super Girl!

We are so proud and excited! We met with Fiona's physical therapist today, who recommended that she NOT wear her braces anymore. She felt that the braces are now hindering her natural development. Official speak for what Mike and I already thought - they are just plain in her way!

She may still need braces going forward, but for now, the Bug is flying on her own power. And judging by the attempts to stand on her own tonight, she is thrilled to be free!

The Wheels on the Bus

Because of her spina bifida, Fiona qualifies for assistance and therapy through the school district. We love the teacher and physical therapist who come (Miss A and Miss N) - so are thrilled to see them each month. Last week when they were visiting, we were discussing Fiona's quest to walk and how her current walker toy was just a little too fast for her. We mentioned that we were considering trying to find a new one that we could weigh down.

They told us to save our money (did I mention we LOVE them!?!?). They had several - with cool stuffed animals weights - and could loan us one! So yesterday, a borrowed Barney school bus arrived at our house. While Fiona did not feel like testing it out when her friends brought it, by the end of the evening, she was cruising all over the place.

Check out our girl walking! We are SO proud!! (and check out poor Yogi, who is slow to embrace each milestone in Fiona's mobility because it means she can attack him faster)