To Run Faster and Jump Higher

Every Friday at 11AM, you will find us visiting Dr. R and his worker bees, getting Daphne some new casts. The cast guy, Mike, always tells Daphne he's putting on these casts so that someday she can run faster and jump higher than any other kid on the block. You see, Daphne screams throughout the entire casting event, so Mike does his best to reassure her that this is for her own good. He tells us (out of her range of hearing, of course) that he totally expects her to come visit him in 15 years or so and give him a swift kick in the head for putting her through this trauma.

We like Mike. He's called Daphne "Daph" since our first visit back when she was a tiny two weeks old. I like people who feel comfortable enough to give you a nickname 5 minutes after they meet you.

They put her soft casts back on her (which means another bath next week!) because they've decided they've done what they can do with casting and now it's time to move on to phase II: surgery. We're tentatively scheduled for Wednesday the 18th at Doernbecher. It's a small surgery just to stretch the tendon at the back of her heel, but she will probably stay one night so they can monitor her breathing after being under anesthesia. I would rather the trained professionals have the breathing monitoring job anyways, so I'm fine with her staying.















It's a three man job to do this. David holds Daphne, Dr. R holds her foot, Mike puts on the cast. I just watch, and occasionally take pictures.
































This is Daphne telling me she's mad that I'm not saving her from the mean people who are touching her feet. So sad!