Sister and Brotherly Love

Quite fortunately, we have had a relatively calm new year so far. Our milestones are coming in the form of small things, like Oli's new words, Mac's always developing sense of humor, slowly expanding Oli's range of mobility by taking his walker to new locations like the library and the bookstore, karate testings, new vegetarian recipes that the kids only like every 4th or 5th try, and movie nights. Here is a perfect example of how Mac and Oli pass the time on any given day.



They crack me up when they play together, especially when they think nobody is looking. Also note in this video Oli's outfit. He got the Jet's gear for Christmas, and they won every game when he was wearing the outfit. It was a joke for a few weeks -- right before game time, I would get him suited up. Unfortunately, the "magic" wore off last week, but it was fun while it lasted.

Starting off the New Year Right

We had our spina bifida clinic appointment on Wednesday, and got good reports across the board. While we didn't see neurosurgery, because we just saw them in November, we did see all of the clinic regulars (pediatrician, orthpaedist, nurse practitioner, and physical therapist), as well as NOPCO (orthotists), and urology. While neursurgery used to be the appointment I most anticipated, now it is physical therapy. I am so eager to be sure that Oli is on the right track, and to figure out how we can help him along in his journey to walking.

Overall, we learned that he is in the 5th percentile for height and 55th for weight, so we have to make sure that we make smart food choices for him moving forward. He is a slight 30 lbs., so it is no emergency, but still something to watch for. We most likely have to up his Miralax (laxative) and keep up with his daily enemas (to get him on a bowel management routine that will enable him to be socially continent). He is on the right track walking, but not nearly ready for reduced bracing (bummer, because I can't wait to get rid of his HKAFOs), and his feet remain "tight" (wanting desperately to go back to the club foot position) but manageable. Perhaps most importantly, we learned from his renal ultrasound that he has "normal bladder and bilateral kidneys" (direct quote from his u/s report). While we knew we weren't having any problems in this area, it is always nice to have a medical confirmation. All this, and we were in and out in just about five hours. That sounds like a lot, but is a best-case scenario for clinic day.

What a great way to start off the new year!