man vs. wild
Or more accurately put…
boy
vs.
goose
He sizes up the competition,
zeros in on his target,
and, like a pup fresh off the leash, he runs it down.
Not a single goose was left on land. A beautiful (and hilarious) way to spend a February afternoon.
AFO’s
Today was a big day.
Big B is a toe walker. I’m not quite sure when it started to be honest. He started out just like any other kid, but before we knew it, he was up on tip toes 90% of the time. We have tried everything to get him to walk on his flat feet. Physical therapy has helped him gain the range of motion needed to do it, but the habit is a hard nut to crack. His therapist suggested that he keep working to build strength, but that we get some added help from ankle foot orthotics.
SMAFO’s were prescribed, so we went to go see Jill a week and a half ago to get fitted. She made molds of his feet using a process similar to putting on a cast. Each foot was covered in a special sock, followed by a casting wrap. Brenden was fascinated by the process. Even when she whipped out the scissors to cut them off. Today when we went back to see the finished product, the first thing B said (laughingly) to Jill was, “You can’t cut my socks off today.”
He was excited. I didn’t realize there was a reason why he had dressed up like a pirate until we got there, and I remembered the exam room was Pirates of the Caribbean themed. B, of course, had not forgotten. Plus he had picked out a skull and crossbones pattern for his new “special shoes”. The sword came along just in case any of the carnivorous plants he and Mileage had been battling all morning gave a surprise attack. You just never know when you’re going to meet up with a giant venus fly trap.
The initial fit looked good, but some length had to be trimmed off. That meant we had to wait. I’m so over doctors offices and waiting rooms, so I was beyond caring if the kids ran back and forth between exam rooms.
It was almost as good as a play date at the park. As you can see, B modified his persona to include the need for a valiant steed.
As it turns out, the office was dangerously overrun with man-eating plants. There were some near fatalities, but fortunately B knows CPR. Oh, and Eve made out with Tiger. That Tiger…such a womanizer!
I’m so glad that my kids play so well together…and that B could bring Mileage back to life.
Finally, Jill came back with the finished product. The AFO’s will make it extremely difficult for Brenden to get up on his toes, and will cue him to strike with his heel first. We’ll have to work him up to wearing them full time over the next couple of days, and then they’ll be his constant buddy. He could be in them anywhere from three months to a year depending on how long it takes to retrain his brain, and muscles. He did really well with them today though. There were no rub marks, and his feet were down flat. Yee Haw! We’ll see how tomorrow goes when we increase the wear time.
So these are the new Mr. Bones boots. He will have to wear them full time during the day…with socks. Summer time is going to be kinda lame. I’m not quite sure how we’ll handle stuff like the splash park yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out. It’ll be worth it to avoid knee, hip, and back problems in the future. The one thing that really does suck about the new gear is we have to buy him all new (bigger) shoes.
Dang.
Anyone know a good place to score some cheap skater-type shoes? Classic Vans are supposed to work well.
just (me)linda 