Marching On

Daphne had two doctor's appointments yesterday, one at Hanger to get fitted for new shoes and one to see her orthopedist (Dr Renwick). It's a good thing we know the layout of St Vincent's so well 'cause we had time for a long coffee break between appointments.












Daph used to scream and scream her way through Dr Renwick visits but today she was a gem. It's partly because I discovered that there is definitely a time and place for fruit snacks, and partly because Daphne really enjoyed rolling herself up like a burrito in the curtain in our room and getting into the cupboards and drawers filled with toxic items.




































Both doctors were so happy to see her walking. I distinctly remember being told in the NICU that Daphne might never crawl, so to have her walking around like it's nobody's business is very impressive to those who didn't know if they should expect much from her. (Physically, that is. We've always known Daphne is as sharp as a tack, which she definitely gets from me.)

Dr Renwick says her feet are doing amazingly well. I was busy trying to keep The Daphinator from destroying the room, so I missed a lot of what he was saying to David. The gist is to keep on doing what we're doing, since it's obviously working so well. She doesn't need any help being in an upright position (being able to walk and be 'upright' when it is developmentally normal affects mental development, too, did ya know?) so the doctor sees no need to try anything beyond her little braces for the time being. We'll go back in 6 months for a re-check.

Her heals are loosening on their own from her walking, her ankles are getting more and more flexible...all things that are good to be happening naturally instead of forcing another surgery right now. (Although another surgery will come.) Someday, he says, her feet will be pretty much as normal as they can be, and she'll be shopping for regular shoes that hopefully won't cost thousands of dollars. And if they do cost thousands of dollars, she can pay for them herself for once.