Redefining MommyhoodJourney of a mom whose son is overcoming hypotonia

Well, Hubby went back to work today. He had about 2 weeks off, which was nice for all of us. Luke really enjoyed having Daddy around. Now it’s back to working long hours and long days for Luke and me.

We spent two nights at a local resort on the beach. It is apparently off-season because we practically had the whole place to ourselves. There were only a few people at the pool. It was nice to feel like we were far away, but only a short drive from home if we needed to make a quick escape.

Luke and I went to his new physical therapy center today so he could get fitted for his DAFOs (braces). They decided to go for the more aggressive, higher braces to help keep him from hyperextending his knees while he is standing. He did great while they did the mold/casting!! I told him that we are making him some special shoes. He loves shoes, so I thought this would help. I hope he does ok wearing them once we get them back in a couple weeks. Luckily, it’s getting a little cooler here, so he can wear pants over them. I’m anxious to get him in the braces so they can help with his positioning and he can get stronger. It is scary though to have to put your child in any kind of brace. Hopefully, he will get stronger and stronger and we can eventually phase the braces out. I know that kids sometimes have to wear them for many years though. We also get to buy some new shoes that will fit over the braces:) I will post some pics of Luke wearing them in a few weeks.

We had to say goodbye to our physical therapist today. This is her last week at that facility. We will be seeing a new PT, but her schedule is booked up until the first week of December. Ugh, another setback. So, now we are back to PT once a week with our EI therapist until we can get in with the new PT at the rehab facility. When will things get easier???? I’m hoping and praying that these braces will help Luke get stronger and he will be walking in the next few months. I’m going to need physical therapy if I have to carry him for much longer.

Well, this week we are back to seeing our EI physical therapist. Our session today was cut short, so we only had one thing for “homework” this week. We saw the other PT on Monday, so I think Luke has put in some good workouts so far this week:)

I’m hoping we see more improvement now that we will be doing therapy twice a week with 2 different therapist. Each one has their strengths and they each have their own methods and “exercises”.

We are still waiting on the orthotic company to figure out when they will fit Luke for his braces. I guess the new PT has decided to get the higher ones to keep his knees from hyper-extending while he stands. I’m all for it if it’s the best thing to do. Now that cooler weather will be here, he can wear pants and no one will even be able to see the braces.

It’s taken me forever just to sit down and try to update my blog. I’ll consolidate the week and weekend events into one post.

Tuesday we had our mommy & me class. Our Early Steps PT stopped by to see us. She wanted to see how Luke was playing and interacting w/ the other kids. He tries really hard to play on the toddler playground equipment and he likes to stand and “dance” to the music at the end of class. She was happy to see him in action:) I was a little confused though because she said this would be a “therapy session”, but she didn’t really do any therapy. She told me she has us back on the calendar for October 14th.

In the meantime, we are still pursuing the additional PT at the outpatient office. We had our first official therapy session on Friday. Our new PT there is pretty good. She showed me some things to do with Luke that were new. I think they will help strengthen his legs. She also put in the order for his ankle braces. We are waiting on the ortho company to call us to set something up. I think they will really make a big difference with the way he stands (see pic above).

Thursday we went to a local farm with the moms club. Luke loved all of the animals and was brave enough to try and feed one of the goats. We had fun, but I just wish he could have walked around with all of the other kids and interacted more with the animals. I will take him back and hopefully soon he can stand and feed the animals.

Our weekend was pretty boring. The only “family outing” we had was today to go to Lowes, then we had breakfast for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Well, Luke didn’t have breakfast, he had chicken and mashed potatoes. Daddy and I pigged out on breakfast yummies:)

We have a busy week ahead of us with mommy & me, therapy, storytime, and maybe a playdate.