Leah is learning lots of new things everyday. She's getting so fun! She recently discovered her tongue and now we're starting to hear her talk and babble. She is quite the storyteller :) It's so much fun to watch her change and grow. I can't believe I've already packed up several newborn outfitst that she has outgrown. Her cries are even changing from those newborn sounds to more grown up crying, and we even saw her first tear.
My favorite time is first thing in the morning when she wakes up. She is smiley and happy, we talk and she is so excited to see me. Morning is also when I do a full work-up of her legs and rub vitamin E oil on her scars. She has 3 scars - on her head, belly and back. The oil will hopefully help minimize the scars and break up scar tissue. She gets some good tummy time too. I also do lotion on her legs, hips, knees and feet, and bicycle and stretch her legs. This is to help get them ready for her to be mobile, either walking or scooting or crawling, and to keep good circulation. Once she gets bigger, it will probably be harder for her to walk unassisted, but we still want to protect her legs from sunburn and frostbite and other injuries. As much as we can work on her legs now will help to build feeling in them, even if she can't move them much.
Leah had a playdate with a new friend! I met another spina bifida mom through my OB and heard about her and her baby when I was still pregnant. Her daughter is 7 months old and was born the week before we found out about Leah's SB. She has all of the same doctors that Leah has, so it was great to hear about what we're going to be doing in just a few months. She was sitting on her own and has some new foot braces and is starting to bear weight on her legs. And she was just adorable! It gives us so much hope anytime we see another child who is doing so well.
Our next appointment is on Monday. She will have ultrasounds to check her shunt and her kidneys. The doctors want to make sure her bladder is still draining fully and make sure she still doesn't need catheters. We then see our neuro to review the head ultrasound results, and our final stop is with our Spina Bifida doctor. It's nice that we haven't had one of these appointments for a month, and hopefully we'll keep stretching out how often we have to do them. It gets to be such a long day for all of us, especially Leah. She's not a great napper during the day, and going from doctor to doctor makes it even harder for her to relax. At least this time there are no stitches to pull. That really makes her cranky!
As everday passes, we get more comfortable with her condition. Yes, we have a little more to think about physically with her, but so far she is meeting all of her other development milestones. And of course I think she's getting cuter everyday!
Glad to hear that her condition is seeming "normal" to you. That is what happened with us with Ben. That was "just Ben." We expected all the same things, with some limitations, as we did of the girls. With attitudes and treatment as you would any child, she will go far. When I think what we were told for expectations when Ben was 9 months old, and I see the man he is now, well, a lot of that is Ben, a lot is us with our expectations and treatment, and a lot was accomplished with prayer. Keep at it, Jen (and Ty)! Sounds like you are doing great!
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