X ray day!

Some of you know, we originally had an x-ray scheduled for October 17th... well, it got moved.  Pushed back more like... to no other day than Halloween!  I was convinced that this is BAD LUCK!  Well, today proved me wrong... (I love being wrong in these situations!)

We show up at Phoenix Children's and we know the wait will be long... So, daddy goes in and gets us all checked in and the girls stay in the car watching none other than YO GABBA GABBA!  35 minutes later dad comes out to get us- we were called back... only to get so lucky and wait some more in the x-ray section... That actually went by pretty quickly- only about 15 more minutes.  They call her name, and Aaron takes her back to the x-ray room since I can't... She was so cute and little walking in there, and then she looks back at me and I say, 'it's ok baby!!!  You can do it!' She starts screaming and pointing and saying MAMA!  Goodness gracious.  I was doing okay until I heard that... 

So while Lucy is in the room crying for me, I am in the waiting room crying for her.  :-)

Finally that is over and we are moved to Dr. Segal's room.  He pops his head in after a few minutes and says 'hi guys!  Can I see Lucy walk please?!'  Ummm, hello- that must mean he saw something bad on the x-ray right?!  I put her down and she walks between Aaron and I, meanwhile I am beginning to panic... He smiles and says, 'she looks great.  I will be right back.'  WAIT!!!!!!!  Where are you going!

I turn to Aaron and say, 'he said the word GREAT so that's good, right!?'  It's funny how you begin to analyze every single word when you are worried... 

So Dr. S comes back in and has us come over to his desk to see x-rays.  He starts from the ones back in March which made my heart sink... He showed us that her AI angles were almost at a 40 back then!  That's NOT good... Then he is scrolling through and shows us in July they were approx 33.  Now today they are between a 29-30.  So I am going with 29!  Basically- we want them to keep going down!  That means the cup is being formed over the femur... 

The sense of happiness that came over me- I can't even explain it!  

He showed us pretty significant growth in her femur as well. Since it was out of the socket for so long, it didn't grow and neither did the 'cup.'  So the simple fact that both have grown in a few months is AWESOME.

Now, he explained to us he doesn't need to see Lucy for another 6 months... We are going to hope and pray for MORE growth and for those AI numbers to go DOWN.  He said if they don't, or if they remain the same for a long period of time, that's when she may need another surgery.  YUCK.  

So, we want SO badly to be a one-surgery success story... 

The femur is in perfect position for growth.  So at this point, I do what I have done my whole life.  FREAK OUT a little- then continue every single night and day to PRAY.  YES, you heard it.  I truly believe that God has a reason for everything, I may not understand or accept what he does some days, but someday I will understand... Lucy's life- and her hip- is all in His hands.  Plain and simple.  God has been SO great to us... Yes, we have had to deal with hip dysplasia, but you know what!?  He has also given us the BEST LITTLE GIRL to ever walk this earth.  I also have a feeling in January that I will have the OTHER best little girl to be born in her sister, Lily. :-)  Hey, what can I say, bias maybe?!

So in the middle of all my happiness today- I continue to thank God for every blessing in my life!

Here are a few photos of our day, and I am going to post links to a few videos from the last month or so of her walk... 

Happy Halloween friends!

Waiting with daddy in Dr. Segal's room

YAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

X-ray was awesome!

Yesterday at Gymboree class:  (You can guess who the star of this show is, right!??)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v58ZAU7pu6o&feature=g-upl

Walking 3.5 months out of her brace:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_gNHhhIUw8&feature=g-upl

Walking:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCpflYHcOi0&feature=g-upl

Physical Therapy and balance beams!

Lucy was a shining star (again) today in therapy!  

Now that Lucy is walking, she is ready to take on the world... and by the world, I mean every single adult, child, toy, book, chair- anything in her way she is climbing on, pulling on, running over... all while using her new found voice and saying 'I SEE!' 

Remember a few posts ago, I told you how our therapist said the 'trunk' and core muscles are related to speech and volume?  Well, Lucy's must be getting stronger because she is LOUD!  The other morning she was up at 2:30 in the morning... why?!  To talk, of course!  She was SO LOUD... I even turned the monitor off and could still hear her babbling away for hours... Heck... can I complain?!  Nope.  There is no one in the world I would rather hear babbling at 2:30 am... :)

Anyways, on to the therapy today...

Once again, Hilary (the Physical Therapist) was so impressed by Lucy's weekly progress.  

Our challenges at the moment are: 

1.  Her gait is still wide.  It's getting better, and will improve, but we are working on bringing her legs in closer together while she walks.

2.  Weight shifting.  Again, this is the BIGGEST thing after hip surgeries of any age!  

Lucy prefers to start off with her left foot.  (the 'bad' side.)  I thought that was a good thing... well, it's not!  Hilary said we need to force her to put weight over the left side, meaning starting with the right!  Confusing, I know.  She said just to force her to do the opposite of what she is doing. :-)  This is why SO many kids have a slight limp after surgeries... When the muscles are not worked properly, stretched properly, and in different directions, it throws off the alignment of the body.  

Even through these last few months of PT, Lucy is STILL tight in some of her muscles.  I mean, come on... a hip cast and being totally immobile for 16 weeks, what can you expect??  Also, in Lucy's surgery, the adductor tendon was 'released' aka 'spliced' to lengthen it, to release the bone to be put back in place.  That has to all be re-worked now that it's in a new place... Won't happen overnight, but man... it's way more in depth than I thought... 

We did a lot of work on the balance beam today... Of course, Lucy loved it.  She got to take balls to the basket via the balance beam.  Then she got to 'jump' off with the therapist and LOVED it!  The balance beam is going to teach her to walk with her legs closer together.  Again, working the muscles.  (Adduction muscles I believe they are called.) 

While on the balance beam, Hilary pointed out what Lucy was doing.  It is another example of weight shifting, or lack thereof.  She will take a huge step with her left foot, then a smaller step with her right.  Then a HUGE step with her left, small with the right.  To be on the balance beam and swing that right leg around requires a huge weight shift over the left part of the pelvis.  Again, so many kids have a limp because of this!  She isn't strong enough yet, but she will be!  I am going to have Aaron make Lucy a balance beam next week, and we will be all over that sucker every morning!  

So all in all, another great week... I feel like we learn so much every time we go to therapy with her.  I also think we got lucky to get such a great therapist.  She has been a God send to us!  Again, I can't recommend PT enough.  If your child has had a hip surgery- DON'T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE!  Find a pediatric therapy clinic and go.

Have a great rest of the week, and think of us melting here in Phoenix!  High of 104 today!!!!  

Here is the babe getting ready to go up the balance beam

We went to a local high school yesterday and did the stairs!  We practice going up- starting with the right... then starting with the left.  Then going down, lowering with the right- then with the left.  Lateral movement is SO important!

Getting ready to jump off!  WEEEE!  Another great sensory thing for Lucy, feeling the ground on her feet after a soar in the air!  Of course, she can't really jump yet, but Hilary would lift her and fly her through the air and have her land on her feet. :-)

More balance beam work to work her adductor muscles and narrow her gait

Stairs at PT  Why she loves these so much, I have no idea... 

Obstacle course.  She had to step over each beam and hula hoop starting with the right foot... Weight shift!

Her reward after doing the stairs yesterday!