Happy New Year! Louis returned to Colorado on December 16th after a little over six weeks in Florida. Being home and spending time with family in Colorado for the holidays felt great. And while we left the daily grind at the Paley physical therapy center, his work is unfinished. Admittedly, there is some anxiety about furthering his progress at home and preventing him from backsliding. We continue to do his stretches twice a day for 30 minutes, which overall have improved. We are also continuing to work on encouraging Louis to walk. Right now, he uses a walker or holds someone's hands, but all the therapists working with him do not think he will need those supports long-term. We are also trying to strengthen his quads and glute muscles to get him strong enough to walk without the KAFO (essentially, full-leg) braces supporting him.
As Louis approaches two years old, his attitude has changed as he tries to assert more control over his life. So, as anyone who has spent time around a toddler can imagine, it is tricky to get a toddler to isolate a particular muscle group for ten reps or convince him to use his walker when he's so fast scooting on his bottom. But these are just some of our family's challenges to work through, and Louis is improving daily! He is getting plugged in back with his home PT and swim PT, and his mom and dad are working daily to help him achieve the massive milestone of walking. Also, the Paley Institute therapists said they're just an email (or a plane ride) away should we need more support.
It's difficult not to get too ahead of ourselves, as there will always be something to work on with Louis. After walking on smooth ground, will come walking on uneven surfaces (like grass) and the transitions from laying to sitting to standing. There are his arms to address so that he can achieve independence in feeding, dressing, toileting, etc. There will be a next thing as he continues developing through his childhood- all of which require considerable decision-making and planning. But if we always think about what's next- we will miss what is. And Louis is pretty amazing. So, right now, we are just trying to stay present and express gratitude for our many blessings and love this little boy the best we can.
Look at the Foster family go, good job everyone! You two are amazing parents and little Louis is doing pretty well himself. Super impressed by the three of you. What a whirlwind it all must be.
My precious little Louie, you have the heart of a lion and the eye of the tiger So nana and papa know you’re going to be running when you visit Michigan this summer! 😍🎈💙🏃♀️ we love you little man!!