Hip Chick has completed her second week post casting and, well- it wouldn't be our little hippie without a few surprises up her sleeve. She always seems to out pace our expectations and this week was no exception. More about that later- Big Sis was here this weekend!
Big Sis had not yet seen Hip Chick since her cast was removed. With Hip Chick's unanticipated mobility gains, we had opportunity for a little seasonal merriment. It had been three months since we four enjoyed a wheelchair-free outing and there is a bit of catching up to do!
First up was a trip to the movies. A fancy new theater recently opened nearby and we took advantage of a matinee. Who could not enjoy a movie after strolling the hall above?
We treated Big Sis and Hip Chick to Disney's new animated film, Frozen. The sisters' wintery fairytale was a hit for our young pair (and it did not hurt that the venue served lunch). Afterward, our girls walked to the exit hand-in-hand for the first time since September. I love seeing them walk together so much, I can hardly contain myself!
As it was only Hip Chick's second "big movie," we considered it a success. I had to remove her for ten minutes near the end, but we managed to view the finale. Unfortunately, we cannot relay that all of our weekend was as cheery as the experience above. Hip Chick had a very rough night on Friday night and was volatile through Sunday. We simply aren't past that part of this year's phases yet.
Today we had a different type of fun in mind. An area resort featured an array of family-friendly activities and one in particular seemed to be a perfect opportunity for the girls. First, we strolled the grounds to fill their sights with seasonal cheer.
One specific fountain gained special attention from the sisters. We let them stand near the nutcracker's base and gasp at how high the water shot above.
We wound our way through the atrium gardens to the day's event: gingerbread decorating! Each sister selected a pet, parent, and sibling to dress in icing and colorful candies. Daddy and Mommy assisted with the icing (although Big Sis managed much of hers). The girls may have snuck a piping of icing or two as a snack. Voila! Beautiful.
The girls followed their cookie decorating with a unique photo opportunity. Instead of waiting in line for Santa, as many children do this time of year, our girls waited in line for photos with "Gingy," the life-sized gingerbread man from the movie Shrek! Both girls were equally excited and staff even coaxed Daddy and Mommy in front of the camera for a family shot. Fellow parents must agree: an oversized cookie is infinitely less creepy than a strange man asking for children to sit in his lap and discuss secrets.
Hip Chick was especially taken by him.
We ended the outing with an additional "meet and greet" experience. The girls met "Toothless" from How to Train Your Dragon (Hip Chick requested to ride him), "Po" from Kung Fu Panda, and "Shrek." While our outings were fun, Big Sis showed her maturity in regard to her ability to navigate Hip Chick's volatility otherwise. We hope to see incremental improvement each day.
Below are additional thoughts:
1. Hip Chick's volatile disposition is heavily referenced in this blog- what is the reason behind it?
We cannot be certain of the source(s) for her angst, but we have a few suspicions. First, she wants to accomplish more than she physically can at this time, which causes frustration. Second, the personality qualities which carried her through the casting phases now need to be honed. Meaning: characteristics such as willfulness and verbosity need to be softened now that she is on the move! Lastly, she still has pain, stiffness, and other lingering issues which will carry her until her physical movements are smoother.
2. After the summer's cast removal, she experienced night terrors. Has she developed any new sleep disturbances after this second cast removal process?
She cries and moans intermittently overnight, but does not always seem to be conscious while doing so. This replicated itself during an afternoon nap today. This could be a manifestation of night terrors- but we cannot say for certain. I had polled my support group about such things earlier this fall and received numerous responses about lingering nightmares. A representative of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute recently asked support group members to submit essays regarding psychological issues related to their child's plan of care, but there is not much data on this topic at present.
3. This blog entry opens with a reference to Hip Chick's antics. What surprises did she provide in her second week of mobility?
Our biggest surprise occurred in the wee hours of our morning. Around 2am, Daddy and I awoke to discover her walking into our room. This means that she climbed out of bed, walked through her room in the dark, opened her door, and walked to our room! I pulled her into bed with us, but subsequently awoke around 5am to discover her climbing back out of our bed. She informed me that she needed to "walk around" our home. Needless to say, Mommy had an early morning... and we now need to safety-proof our doorknobs.
She also seemed to surprise her daycare teachers this week. Upon her first day back, they could not believe she was walking! That first morning, the class went outside to play and Hip Chick immediately requested to climb on the jungle gym. Her teachers advised that her legs needed to grow stronger first... so what did our little hippie do? She had them help her walk circles around the playground while her classmates climbed and slid. She repeated her circles each day for the remainder of her week. I can just hear her little voice retort: "Challenge accepted!"
4. What mobility gains has she made within the past week?
She can walk independently for greater periods of time and I noticed today that her knees are starting to bend ever-so-slightly as she walks. She can climb off of and onto certain furniture pieces, although it is easier to climb down. I can now pull very loose pajama pants on and off of her legs and hips without much of a painful whimper.
5. Her legs were quite sensitive, scaly, and dry after cast removal- how are they now?
They have improved quite a bit! I attribute this to the Aveeno product line she is using at bathtime and clothing changes. They are softer and most of the dead skin is gone. As mentioned after her summer cast off, she did grow hair on her legs. Her surgeon advised that this is common for children casted for these extended periods of time. My fellow support group moms have advised that it can take up to a year for all of the hair to fall off.
6. How is she dressed for now?
For the first few weeks, I wanted as little pull near the hip area as possible. I opted for thigh high socks with warm dresses and Charlie Banana reusable diapers over her disposable ones. I loved her first two pairs of Rock-a-Thigh socks so much that I purchased them in additional colors and patterns. I wanted her to be proud of her legs and thought the fun patterns would help.
7. While she has realized mobility gains, are there any lingering physical concerns?
We have noticed that there seems to be a considerable difference in her hips' latitutde and her knees don't appear to align as she walks. But we were informed that her first month would realize a lot of stiffness and that she would walk with a limp for six months. She returns for imaging in early January, so we will reconfirm her hip's positioning at that time.
That aside, I have noticed that she howls and tears if her femoral scar is accidentally poked. Her surgeon had advised that many children realize an arthritic response to weather changes at their surgical sites, but we cannot assume these are related.
8. Has she displayed any other developmental issues outside of DDH?
Her daycare just relayed that she will be promoting into the next class up in January. I took this as an opportunity to inquire about additional issues the school may have noticed. Her teacher remarked that she is very bright and has no such issues (outside of her mobility) at this time. This next class will be the transition between daycare and preschool, so we will have greater opportunity to discover any such concerns over the next six months. Otherwise... next stop, preschool!
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