Brace...Again

I know all of you have already celebrated the fact that Lauren got the "all clear" to stop wearing her brace. And that is still true. However, there are professionals in Lauren's life that would still like to see the brace back on for a little while each day. She doesn't need it to walk, it would just help her gait get a little more like other children her age. Right now, when she walks she slaps her right foot as she is walking. Imagine yourself walking and your foot goes from heel to toe in one smooth motion. Because Lauren had never been able to move her right foot, she doesn't have the strength to move her foot in a smooth motion. It slaps on the ground without much control. It doesn't affect her ability to walk, but a new type of brace will help build the strength to correct it.

We have ordered a new brace to help. It looks like a bionic brace and is pretty much the coolest thing I have ever seen. I will do my best to describe it, but I promise I will get a picture of it when it comes in. The bottom of the brace looks just like a shoe insole. It is thin and rests perfectly on the bottom of her foot. There is nothing that comes up over her foot. There is one thin piece of metal that comes up the back of her leg. It is thin and flexible. You can hardly even see it. The bulk of the brace wraps around the top of her leg, right under her knee. You don't even know she has it on. It also gives her more flexibility in her foot and leg.

You might think that I am disappointed about the decision to get a new brace. I am not at all. She will only wear it a few hours at school and a few hours over the weekend. I don't look at it as a set back but as a step forward. We are now just fine tuning what was already corrected. I am happy that the people in Lauren's life are not settling for mediocre, but pushing her to achieve her full potential. Even if it is just getting her to walk as normal as possible. It would probably be hard to tell a parent that their child would benefit from a brace shortly after a surgery to correct the problem. I am proud of their courage to do that for Lauren's sake. I am thankful these people care enough about her to make sure she gets where she needs to be. You can't be disappointed about that!

Top Chef

I think Lauren might enter the field of Culinary Arts. I decided that after I gave her lunch Saturday afternoon. I made Lauren an English Muffin with melted Swiss cheese on top. I gave her a cup of applesauce as well. I went into the kitchen to prepare my lunch and then join Lauren at the table. When I got back, a new food creation was born.

Lauren took the applesauce and heaped it equally on each side of the English muffin. So, I saw English muffin, Swiss cheese, and a pile of applesauce. She ate the entire thing like it was the best thing she has ever tasted. She even cheered herself on by raising both hands and yelling "I did it!" after she was done.

I guess I will need to be a bit more aware of the food combinations I give her. It could get pretty disgusting if I'm not careful.

Sneak Peak

Our dear friend, Sean Lyon, is one of the most amazing photographers in the world. He did a Christmas shoot with Lauren and it turned out great. He never takes a bad picture and I am thankful that he is in our lives to help us capture these wonderful moments. I wanted to give you a sneak peek of a picture he took so you can see that I am not lying about his talent.

Potty Perfection

I have no idea how this happened, but I thank the good Lord every time it does. Almost every day this week, Lauren gets up at night, walks into the bathroom, goes potty, and gets back into bed without calling for either me or Tyler. She shuts the door behind her and covers herself up with her blankets. She rolls over and we don't hear from her again until the morning.

I wish I knew how that happened. I would write it down and use it on the next kid.

Now, if I can just get her to flush...

Testing

I've found myself doing things lately that end up making me chuckle out loud. Every once in a while I will be doing a daily task that I have done a million times before, and decide to do it with my left hand only. Just to see if it can be done as if Lauren was trying to complete the task.

For those of you who don't know, Lauren's right side was affected by the stroke and she has limited use of the right hand. She is making progress everyday and I encourage her to use it, but she is sometimes too smart and learns how to compensate without it. For example, she will hold things under her chin in order to manipulate objects and bypass the right hand. It's quite impressive to see her adjust and adapt.

Anyway, I was opening a two liter of pop (yes, pop, not soda. I'm still a little bit Northern) the other day and decided I would try it with one hand. Then I laughed at myself because I am not as resourceful as my four year old and I looked pretty silly. Every so often, I try to put myself in her shoes and see what things are like in her world. Maybe I could find a new method of doing things so she can learn to be more independent. Sometimes it works and sometimes it didn't. I at least feel like I'm doing something to help, even if it is just comic relief.

Not Boring!

Thanks Steph for helping me make my blog a little more interesting. I don't feel so behind the times anymore. This could be a bad thing, I might not get any real work done. There might be a new background everyday.

Outfit of the Day

Today, Lauren decided to get dressed, her way. After I got her clothed in a really cute outfit, she decided that the day needed to be a bit more formal. I guess there was a special occasion that I was unaware was happening today. Please note the glove on the left hand. I feel that she might be ahead of the fashion curve. You will definitely see this look in Vogue someday.