Now that the holidays have passed and the family is back to routine, it is easy to see just how grateful we are. Although Allison did not accomplish my goal for her – sitting unassisted by Christmas – it looks like it won’t be long now. Yesterday, during an Early On home visit, Allison sat and played with both hands, attempting to “bang” two toys together. I sat behind her, with one hand on her back for balance. Even after sitting like that for a good half hour, I was able to let go of her several times –one time for at least ten or fifteen seconds! She had her hands out to her sides, bracing her a bit and helping with balance. Yeah! So she might be nineteen months old and just starting to get the hang of it, but we are pleased with the progress.
I think I’ve mentioned this before . . . so many doctors have told me that Allison will have a plateau in her progress, and it is perfectly ok to take a break from the physical and occupational therapy. I’ve been waiting for this so-called “plateau,” because honestly, three to four sessions a week, and we’ve been doing this for a year now, I guess it’s accurate to say that we are just a little tired. But when baby girl makes so much progress from one week to the next, there’s no way we are going to take a break!
About that progress: A year ago (wow, Greg was in Africa a year ago!) when we first started PT and OT, Allison had her OT in the pool, as the water is typically soothing to babies. Well, back then there was no soothing Allison. After a month of forty-five minute sessions, where all Alli did was cry, we started land OT. We did land OT for a good ten months, but now we are back in the pool – and what a difference! In the pool Allison is allowing the therapist to do some oral exercises (check, gums, and tongue de-sensitizing and stretching) for nearly twenty minutes. She is drinking water out of a medicine dropper and a sippy cup. She can only take a little at a time without choking, but it is very exciting to see her so willing to try new tastes – she actually begs for it by sticking out her tongue and grabbing for the dropper/sippy cup. She doesn’t gag or vomit, which used to happen as soon as something touched her lips. The second half of the pool session is spent in the therapist’s arms. Allison has gotten very good at splashing, both with her right arm and her left, but never both arms at the same time. I guess we will work on that. She also is doing much more with her legs in the pool than we ever see her do outside of it. If her left hip wasn’t so messed up, I think we’d see more movement (and probably a wider base when sitting, which would greatly improve her balance).
About that hip: If you know us well and have followed Allison and her trouble since the beginning, you would recall that all this started at four-month well-child check, where the doctor detected a hip issue. We spent October and November of 2010 having x-rays and ultrasounds on her hips, because they were thought to be out of socket. I remember how I sobbed when I thought my little baby would need to wear a brace to hold her hips in place. But back then, the orthopedic surgeon sent us to a neurologist instead of worrying about the hips. Well, it has come full circle: we’ve got the brace.
Over Christmas break, I took Allison to the very nice, recently opened Mott’s Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor to see her Peds orthopedic surgeon. First of all, she was very pleased with Allison’s feet. The SMO’s are helping her feet relax at a more appropriate angle. She thinks that her feet are correctable, and we should keep doing what we are doing. She took a look at her left hip and wrote the prescription for the brace, which Allison is supposed to wear for eight hours overnight. Guess what – that hasn’t happened. The angle that the doc prescribed is a small one, yet that hip cannot easily be manipulated into that position. It has been a week and a half now, and we’ve neglected to keep her happy in the brace for three hours at a time. For one, I think it must hurt, and two, she has to be on her back – which she hates because she can’t see what everyone is doing when she is on her back. It is pretty much impossible to get her in the brace once she’s fallen asleep – so much Velcro! But if a couple of hours here and there keeps her from having a major hip surgery, then we will do our best.
Next week we see the eye doctor – so it’s back to Ann Arbor. After that appointment, we don’t have anything (other than four sessions of therapy a week) until her next Botox injections on February 3. Hopefully – how many times have I said this – we will have a diagnosis soon. Until then, we will continue to celebrate the small victories.
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