Welcome to our newfound slice of "normalcy." Two months have passed since cast-off and life has begun to settle a little. Is life what we imagined it would be? That is difficult to verbalize... we could not envision what Hip Chick's future would hold.
Big Sis was at our home this past weekend and we enjoyed what is growing into a tradition... game night! Big Sis cooked dinner (with a little help) and delighted all with a bit of trickery. As with many games, things were not exactly as they appeared. Crushed potato chips masqueraded as breadcrumbs... fruit slithered as snakes... cereal molded into dessert. Such a far cry from our Saturday nights three months ago. We look forward to building on this in the coming months!
Below are more recent thoughts.
1. How is Hip Chick's mobility?
Her gains have slowed, but she still improves incrementally each week. She still will not bend her left knee while reaching for her left foot, in example, but she does bend it a little more while walking. She attempts to run, but cannot... it is a very quick walk, though!
2. How is her transition into the lower preschool class?
This feels like her most difficult class transition to date, as she is able to verbalize that she misses her prior class. We asked her new teachers for feedback on the transition and they relayed that she spends a significant amount of time in their play kitchen (an interest she comes by honestly) and she is quite good at puzzles. Mostly, she loves playing with her friends! Seems like a typical preschooler to us.
3. What advice do we have to relay from this stage in Hip Chick's DDH treatment plan?
A colleague was recently chatting with me about Hip Chick's hip dysplasia and the subject of unsolicited advice arose. She remarked that one of the difficult aspects of parenting is, generally speaking, that people tell you how you should raise your children and will offer opinions on just about anything you may do. She said the wise parents recognize that they alone know their children well enough to make those judgement calls... but will still smile and politely thank others for their advice.
I think that is fantastic advice for we "hip" parents. Daddy and I received lots of remarks about everything from Hip Chick's habits to her diet and more last year. Some people thought she carried her pacifier habit for too long, for example... yet, when she dropped it she did so without struggle. Alternatively, there are some children who barely or never use one and carry a thumb sucking habit into grade school.
So, do what you believe is best for your child with your head held high! No one knows your child, especially your "hip" child, better than you. And that is exactly how it should be.
No comments:
Post a Comment