slacker

I've been a little behind on posting lately but not for lack of things going on over here. The girls and I are looking for new and creative ways to keep busy this winter. The latest trick is to go swimming at a local gym on Friday mornings.

We're signed up for private lessons with a woman who's like a legend in these parts. I think she has taught probably 90% of the kids in our area how to swim. She's pretty low-key and has lots of fun ways to get little ones to feel comfortable in the water. We've been swimming at this pool before (it's actually the warm water "soaking pool" right next to the colder lap pool) with Hannah's OT and it's a great spot because it's only around 2.5' deep and toasty warm. Perfect for keeping muscles loose and relaxed. Both girls love it and it's a great way to keep them physically on the move when we'd otherwise be sitting watching the snow pile up outside. And it leads to great naps!

In other news, Isabelle got fitted for her orthotics last Thursday, which went pretty well. The orthotist actually recommended we start by only bracing her right foot since that one is so much tighter than the left, and is up on tip-toe with more frequency. She said it's possible that once Isabelle's right foot stays flat, her left will also. So we're going to give it a try. It will take about 2 weeks for insurance to clear and another 2 weeks to pick up the brace. So far, Isabelle seems pretty open about the idea of wearing it and was excited to pick out the design for her velcro straps. I guess the proof will be in the pudding when it comes time to actually put it on her foot. Even though I'm not at all excited to have another kid in braces, I really think it's the right thing to be doing. Isabelle has gotten super tight and she almost never walks flat-footed anymore. Hopefully we'll nip it in the bud and she'll regain a more normal gait pattern soon.

Next Friday, Hannah has her first round of botax injections. As the date gets closer, I'm getting anxious but also excited and hopeful. We're engaged in all of these different therapies and activities and I'm curious to see how, if at all, the botax impacts her performance and capabilities. B will be going with me to the appointment and Isabelle will stay home with my mom who is in town for the week. I'm hoping that after dealing with the pain of the injections, B and I can shower Hannah with some individual attention and love to make up for it. A little tylenol won't hurt either! We're opting not to sedate her for this first time, to see how she fares. If it seems like she has a harder time tolerating this than a typical round of immunizations at the ped., we may rethink this strategy in the future.

After botax, we'll be seeing Hannah's PT with more frequency and focusing even more on stretching and strengthening. In some ways, it's a good kick in the pants for us because we've been slacking on this lately. In our every day caretaking of Hannah, we always implement correct positioning and movements that enhance her strength and function and incorporate stretching of her muscles. But we haven't been great about doing more deliberate and focused work with her. To our credit, some of that is because it's not very easy to get an independent 3 year old to let you stretch her. But it's also just hard to squeeze it into the daily routine.

We're getting better though, especially now that Isabelle is going to be getting orthotics and needs to be regularly stretched as well. So hopefully we can maximize the botax window and be more diligent about working with Hannah.

Other than that, it's nice to see more sun and longer days but it's still freezing here and there's snow everywhere. This winter has felt endless: it started to get cold and snowy in October and hasn't let up since! I for one will be rejoicing the coming of spring...