All about Abby

 Our princess is growing and changing so much!  I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that she is 9 and 1/2 years old.   Since her reflux surgery 2 years ago, she has gained weight and length!  She has outgrown her Tumbleform stander (which we donated to UCP and got a bigger size from the 'waste not' program).

We are scheduled to see the orthotist soon to get new knee immobilizing splints made.  These have become a more critical part of our therapy routine lately.  Because Abby has had so much growth her legs are becoming tighter and much more difficult to stretch and keep limber.  

That's how CP shows itself in her... the more she grows, the more of a struggle it will be to prevent problems related to spasticity.  

I'll never forget the first PT home visit we had when she first came home.  Six months old and weighing only 5 lbs, her tiny limbs moved easily through the range of motion exercises the therapist tried. Then he told us she did Not have cerebral palsy.  We were thrilled!!  Especially knowing that the bleeding in her brain as a newborn put her at very high risk for CP.   

Time would tell that he was most certainly wrong and we learned a valuable lesson...  never bank on predictions.  Only God knows the future.  We trust Him for today and live in the moment.   Try as they might, doctors/professionals can not predict how a child will recover from anything.  We've heard a lot of predictions since Abby's birth... some have come true, some haven't and some unexpected things have surfaced that no one saw coming.

working hard on taking steps!

So, here we are 9 years later, thrilled that our little girl is growing and becoming a young lady, but sad to see her struggle with pain and stiffness that we can't take away.

This month we added another specialist to our long list:  a Physical Medicine and Rehab specialist.  He focusses more on the functional abilities of kids with special needs; easing their spasticity and pain, helping them to achieve the most out of their abilities.  For Abby he recommends starting Botox injections in her hamstring and adductor muscles.  This will help her be able to straighten her legs and will make changing diapers easier.  This next step will hopefully bring her some comfort and keep us from surgical options in the near future.

Enjoying her new swing