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.