The past few months have been extremely busy with doctor appointments, mostly for Arthur. We started Arthur back up on physical therapy. Then we decided to do serial casting which means he had three casts put on and taken off over the course of three weeks. It did wonders though as we were able to stretch his ankle to an angle that was pretty much 20-25 degrees better than it was before we started the casting. Truly a blessing. It was really hard for the first day or two with each new cast as it was stretching it even further than the previous one and it would hurt him terribly. I always have a hard time watching Arthur when he is in pain from something related to his Cerebral Palsy. Yet, even with all the pain he endures he still loves the doctors he has because they can help his foot feel better. He at least understands well enough to know they are helping him.
After the serial casting Arthur was fitted for a new orthotic. An AFO which goes up to almost his knee. This one is supposed to not only help with his arch support but also his toe walking. He chose Spider-man for the design and he really loves it for that fact but he doesn't enjoy the wearing it part much. He also has a night cast again and we are still trying to wean him on that one as it is currently hurting him a lot. We try to have him wear it for at least a couple of hours each night before bed but it is definitely his least favorite thing right now.
Arthur also had an appointment to have an EEG done in order to measure the amount of secretions coming from his brain in the area where the polymicrogyria are located. If he has a lot then it puts him at a much higher risk for seizures in the future. He was happy before hand but was not so sure when he was getting all of the electrodes stuck all over his head. He kept making me take pictures of him so he could see what he looked like. Poor kid did not understand but at least he stayed lying down. Once he was all hooked up we had to do a few tests and then try to get him to fall asleep. Amazingly it did not take all that long for him to fall asleep and then it was only another ten minutes or so until it was time to wake him up. He was not happy about that but it was in order to get the best results from the test. Another blessing is that the test came back looking great. Arthur is no more likely than I am to have a seizure so that is not a worry.
We also had an appointment to meet with an Endocrinologist to see how likely it is that we need to worry about Arthur's thyroid or pituitary gland. She doesn't see any problems but we will keep taking tests for both as he grows older just to make sure. Overall, Arthur hardly shows any signs of his disorder which is a miracle considering how severe it could be. Other than his hemiparesis which is mostly noticeable in his ankle you wouldn't even think he has Cerebral Palsy. I am still amazed by his stamina to deal with all the appointments he has had and the amount of pokes and prods he has received. I am truly so grateful for him in my life.
We still love taking the children to the zoo and they love it even more. It is amazing how fascinating animals are to watch. All of us get so focused on the various things the animals do, even if it is as simple as watching the black bear hang out in his tree, as pictured below.
Arthur was very protective of Eliza while on the carousel and kept checking to make sure she was doing alright. He kept his hand on her leg like that for pretty much the entire ride. I love seeing the children interact with each other and take care of one another.
In October Tim was traveling to Kansas each week and so I drove with the children out to California to spend some time with Tim's family and my oldest brother. His parents and grandma loved having so much time with the three little ones and I know my children loved it almost as much! The last weekend there Tim's best friend was getting married in LA and Tim flew out for the wedding. I drove down with the children and Tim's parents to meet him there. We had a fun weekend visiting Downtown Disney and spending time together as a family. It was wonderful to be together for even that short of a time.
Halloween was so much fun with the children this year. Arthur dressed up as Batman and wore Tim's old costume from when he was about Arthur's age. He kept going around pretending to be Batman for the whole week leading up to Halloween. Camilla went as a ladybug and she loved the costume. Eliza was a butterfly and wore the same costume Milla wore for her first Halloween. It was a fun way to spend our last night in California before heading back home.
I love this picture of Arthur and Camilla. We took it on the dinosaur outside Little America in Wyoming on the drive home.
In the last couple of weeks Eliza has learned to crawl up the stairs and to walk! She is growing so fast and I am enjoying watching her learn so many new things. Arthur and Camilla are so good at helping Eliza, although there are still the times where they hurt her too. Each day is an adventure. Sometimes more bad than good but there is always something to be happy about and grateful for.
