We took Brayden yesterday to get his orthotics for his shoes. It went a lot better than I thought it would! They are basically insoles that slide into any pair of his regular shoes.
We had to go several weeks ago to have his feet casted so that the insole would be a perfect fit...in other words, not a cheap thing. To put it in terms where Bray could understand, "we could buy 4 Nintendo DS's with what we paid for your insoles so DO NOT lose them or hurt them!!" He tried them out and they didn't seem to bother him at all! Yay. Now we are working up to wearing them pretty much all day, even inside the house. The good news is that he doesn't need another pair for hopefully a year. We will go back in three weeks to check that his ankles are improving.
I just took Trace to the eye doctor today because he's had a little eye infection. She gave me some antibiotic drops for him to take three times a day for a week. It's nothing related to the strabismus, just a normal infection.
However, while we were there, the doctor went ahead and checked him for his two month checkup (which really wasn't scheduled until the middle of August). His right eye is not progressing as well as we had hoped, so we are having to start patching his eye for two hours a day instead of one. Sigh. That's ok though, I'm thankful we have options to correct it!
The doctor also told me that the worst angle of crossing is 50 and Trace is at 55. So, that's not so great news...she implied that the first surgery probably will not totally correct the problem and two surgeries will almost certainly be necessary. Which we knew from the beginning was a possibility...now it's looking more like a reality.
I'm soooo thankful that my children are healthy, and that these issues are entirely treatable. Also, I want to encourage any moms out there...if you EVEN THINK there may be a problem- even if other people tell you there isn't or they don't think it's serious- TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! Go see the pediatrician or a specialist! We skipped the pedi and went straight to the pediatric ophthalmologist for Trace because someone told me that their pediatrician had misdiagnosed their child. He ended up being blind in one eye when his condition could have been corrected. Oh, and EVERY child should have at least an eye exam around their one year old birthday. Important lessons I'm learning!
I'll end with a picture of Caleb...just so he's not left out :)
Hi! I saw your comment over at Raising 5 and thought I would come over for a chat. :)
ReplyDeleteHang in there! That e-mail from her friend, that was from me! I remember being where you are. My first three were born right after one another, so I had a 3yr.old, a 2yr.old, and a newborn! I knew I wanted more kids, but at the time, it seemed so overwhelming.
Now I have 5 kids, ages 8,7,6, 4, and 2. I love our big family! It's still easy to get overwhelmed at times though. That's why I follow blogs like Katherine's! Search through her blog and read through her ideas. She has been a lifesaver for me, because I know she's been through whatever current frustration I am facing.
Well, didn't mean to get long-winded on you. Just wanted to encourage you.
-Melissa