Maple Syrup Sunday...

Today was Maple Syrup Sunday and we enjoyed the morning at a local farm. Mabel got to see in person some cows, ponys - there was even a baby pony, an ostridge, peacocks, other exotic birds, lots of other kids (she loves pointing at babies and saying "Baaabbbbyyyy" and probably her favorite part was when she was able to try maple syrup! She had a couple of bites of our ice cream with maple syrup on it and oh boy she loved it!

I love how she is more portable now, not only because she is out of the cast and easier to carry, but also because of her age she isn't so upset by schedule changes or leaving the house. We have been having so much fun with bringing her out for family Sunday activities. She also loves seeing everything - but most of the time I think I'm more excited than she is!

The Turning Point...

It has been a crazy week for the three of us. I've been working full time days as my bosses are on vacation and Zack has had to work Wednesday through Friday night. Mabel has done great accepting the change to her schedule - better than we have, but she obviously misses us!

On Wednesday she started exclusively crawling on her knees, no army crawl at all anymore. My mom told me that during the day if Mabel started to army crawl she would just say to her "Crawl like a big girl" and Mabel would get right back on her knees. After that she just kept crawling like a big girl in general. I have to say of all weeks for this transition to happen has made me a bit sad since I haven't had me extra two hours a day with her and my schedule only gives me Sunday off until the following weekend...but enough about my guilty working mommy feelings...

Thursday morning as I got Mabel dressed she was crawling around her room and when she saw Zack in the hall getting ready she crawled (like a big girl) over the the baby gate and stood up - Turning Point! Later that morning we had a physical therapy session. The physical therapist commented on how wonderfully amazing this all is as Mabel showed off her new moves. Also, Mabel has really become so much more comfortable with her physical therapist that she was laughing and being so silly and funny that the physical therapist commented on how wonderful Mabel is. I told her we of course think so and she said, "She is, she really really is!" Makes a Mummy feel proud to hear that.

Then Friday Mabel had her check-up with her orthopedic. He examined her hips, moved her legs around and told us: "Everything officially looks normal". Normal? Really? Her hips are now normal?! Zack and I were floating on air all day - good thing because we both had long days, but floating none-the-less! Yes, the official word is Mabel's hip is functioning like it should. Her left hip is in the right place and isn't slipping at all, her flexibility and movement are exactly where they need to be and the stability is there. The doctor was happy, we were thrilled and Mabel had a busy day of crawling around like a big girl. When I got home I was greeted at the door by a Mabel crawling on her knees, no army crawl. Oh, I'm a happy mum!

So, Zack and Mabel have a Papa and Mabel Saturday today, I know Mabel has missed her Papa the last couple of days since he hasn't been here for her dinners and baths. I have to work a few hours but not a long day and we have tomorrow off together. Last week the three of us enjoyed the beautiful weather on Saturday - this week we hope tomorrow we can get out and do something fun too.

Now I'm happy to think of our life as not revolving so much around Mabel's hip. We have another check up with the orthopedic in a month and we have two more sessions scheduled in physical therapy. So, we'll see what April has to bring!

Adjusted Age...

Mabel was born a month early so for the first year I was told to use her "adjusted" age based on her due date to determine her milestones. Although she reached her all so important (in a sarcastic tone) milestones on time most of the time even without adjusting her age, I have found myself wondering if she's on track after the surgery, spica and brace.

Physical therapy has helped to catch her up to where I feel she would have been, but I kept searched for info online that may help me feel like I know physically where her development is falling. The doctors typically say "everyone is different" and it is true, but I finally got a nice little formula from a friend of my mother's who use to be a pediatric orthopedic nurse that adjusts Mabel's age. I found comfort in the early months of Mabel's life with adjusting her age so the idea of doing it now made me feel good.

She said: Take the baby's age now. Subtract the amount of full time therapy in the cast/and/or/brace and in Mabel's case she said to also subtract the month she was early and then you have the adjusted age for physical milestone development for crawling, standing and walking. So for Mabel: 16 months - 4 months for cast & brace - 1 month for being early = 11 months or so and she is right on track with that if you look at the milestones for a baby 11 to 12 months.

Sigh of relief. It seems so simple, but sometimes its the simple things in life that makes you feel better.

Still plugging away...

Mabel is still making strides with her new found mobility. She is really working on a real crawl and her pulling up to stand is becoming effortless. She is really doing so well and I'm so proud.

Her physical therapy is really helping, the doctor is still working on the tightness in her back and legs from the spica. Mabel can't really bend forward well when her legs are straight due to lots of tightness in her lower back. Our physical therapist thinks that is what is really causing the problem now, so we are working on that. She does some insane looking stretching having Mabel's feet by her face and to the side, but Mabel doesn't seem to mind, in fact she really seems to like her hour of physical therapy every week and that makes me happy.

At home Mabel is amazing, she crawls around - still mostly army crawl, but still uses her knees a lot more. She's standing to look out windows and at the ottoman and she also is continuing to talk up a storm. She is so amazing to me. I just can not even picture her walking on her own, but we'll take this one step at a time. To celebrate her new found uprightness I got her some shoes. I wanted something that was bootie like so it doesn't interfere with her feeling the floor under her feet and I found the isabooties. She loves her new shoes!

This past Wednesday we celebrated St. Patrick's day as always and Mabel hosted our annual party. She had such an amazing time with the babies and kids that came to visit, she did great entertaining everyone!

Feeling Pretty Good...

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling like a "normal" parent lately. Mabel is making such progress with her physical therapy and she can move around so well. She sits and stands on her knees and she's pulling herself up a lot more. She has come so far. Yesterday at physical therapy the doctor said she is very happy and impressed with Mabel's progress. She did some more stretching to loosen up Mabel's lower back and rib cage that is out of whack from being in the spica, but overall she was very happy with how far we've come in such a short time. The doctor helped Mabel "walk" while holding on to a toy shopping cart. Although Mabel is happy standing now, she doesn't want to lift her right leg at all, that is her stable strong leg, so the doctor is trying to encourage her to put weight on the left leg and lift that right one, she managed to get about 3 feet of walking out of her. Seeing that is just surreal to me, in fact seeing Mabel upright is still such a trill. I can't picture her standing unassisted, never mind walking. The doctor said her body is very adaptable, that is why she is so out of whack from the cast, she just adjusted her posture, but it makes the physical therapy easier because she just responds to it so well. For Mabel it is playing, but for her body it is hard work. She has so much fun, I'm so glad our orthopedic prescribed this, I was so worried when he did, but so happy now.

I've read online that the average age for babies to begin walking is 15 months, Mabel is there now, but some healthy active babies don't start until 18 months. 12-18 months is the average age range for normal baby walking to start, some ambitious few start around 9 months from what I read...I wonder if Mabel didn't have hip dysplasia when she would have started...I try my best to not focus on those average milestone ages, but it is hard. Every time someone who doesn't know that she has had the surgery and spica asks me old Mabel is and I tell them the first this they typically ask is, "Is she walking?" and then I have to say no, sometimes I explain, sometimes I don't feel like it. I try to interject that she talks up a storm though. Her new thing yesterday was if she wants something and you ask her to say please she goes: "Pleeezzz" so very cute! I mean the other day I met a couple and their 13 month old, their baby was just standing, no walking. Now I felt a little better thinking that since Mabel was born a month early her adjusted developmental age is 14 months and so she isn't that far behind, I know it is a stretch, but it made me feel better.

Anyway, we are doing good. Mabel's next orthopedic appointment isn't until the end of the month, she continues with physical therapy, but over I feel normal and the spica, surgery and brace feel really behind us now and we are moving forward.

Getting Mabel Moving...

I've been thinking of ways to encourage Mabel to crawl on her knees. I guess after three months in a spica and another few weeks in the brace she learned to get around means to drag your legs behind you and old habits die hard. She's doing so much better, moving her legs but still not getting them under her. I was trying to figure something out that may help and came up with this tunnel. We ventured out for the day, a most beautiful day I might add. Zack had a meeting for work so Mabel and I walked around town for about an hour and a half. She even fell asleep in her stroller, that has never happened.

After Zack finished his meeting we went for a nice lunch. Mabel was so refreshed she was charming and sweet saying "Hi" to most anyone who walked past our table.
She ate her lunch and when we were leaving two tables commented on how wonderful of a baby she is. I agree!

We stopped at the toy store, one of my favorite toy stores around, all imagination toys and not much plastic! We got Mabel a kids tunnel. She loves it and crawls through on her knees! She can't drag herself in it, so I think this is great practice for her! Plus, all she knows is it is fun!

Not Expected at All...

I was putting laundry in the washer before work and Mabel was playing in her pack n' play. When my mother arrived I told her that Mabel was playing in her crib, when my mom looked in the other room she said, "She's standing up!". What?!? I couldn't believe it! I looked in and sure enough she pulled herself up to standing. You know most parents have this trill much sooner. I've had people comment how one day you walk in thier nursery and the baby is standing, but I've all but given up that thought. It has been so long since she could be upright and she was casted before she ever even tried to stand and obviously I knew she would stand one day, I just stopped thinking about when. Everything comes in time and the trill is no less trilling, maybe more exciting after all we've been through. It is a sign of how far we've come and how strong Mabel really is.

The Doctors Agree...

I couldn't have been happier than when I heard the Physical Therapist say that Mabel has already shown a lot of improvement. She is excited about the progress that she has already seen in the past three visits. This past Thursday she said that Mabel is really doing great and to keep up the home work that we've been given. Mabel can now successfully get up to the sitting position herself and back to her belly without a thought. She also likes to pull herself up and although she doesn't crawl on all fours yet, her left knee does get moving when she's army crawling. She also keeps her left foot on the floor more when standing and she straightens that leg more.

Mabel's Orthopedic Surgeon agrees that her mobility is much better, but he wants to see more flexibility so he agreed to stick with the physical therapy. He took an x-ray to get a good look at that joint. I was relieved that he wanted to x-ray since he hadn't ordered one since Mabel's cast was removed on January 8th, I'm so worried that her hip will dislocated again. He said the joint still looked good, but he wants to see her in a couple of weeks to keep an eye on it, he too said right now it is a delicate balance of getting that joint to move but keeping it in the socket.

Every day I see more mobility improvements with Mabel. I sometimes wonder where she would be at if she hadn't had this problem, would she be walking? Running? Climbing? It is impossible to know and to picture. Our new PT homework is sitting on the floor with her legs straight out and knees straight so she can reach forward to stretch her lower back and upper thigh muscles. She doesn't seem to mind at all. When ever I have to legs lined up like that I make sure her heals touch and her legs are the same length, I still remember that realization when Zack and I saw her legs were different lengths, it was panic. I just keep my figures crossed that her left hip stays right where it needs to be, I have to honestly say I'd be devastated if we had to go through surgery and the cast again when we've come so far!

Oh, what do you think of Mabel's bow? Yes, I did that to her, but she looked so cute...poor Mabel hasn't she been through enough without her Mummy putting big bows in her hair?