Footloose and Fancy Free!

It's hard to believe Verity's tenotomy surgery was a month ago today! After a scary reaction to some medication, she actually did quite well recovering, and life was a lot more calm than we had anticipated it would be. Of course...we realized WHY it was so calm the morning after Thanksgiving: Verity was plotting her escape! Would you believe she managed to get her right leg entirely out of her cast! (There are more photos and details on her Facebook page, Verity's Voice...maybe try this photo link.)

After a trip to the ED for temporary splints on 23 November, she got recast on Monday when the clinic opened...this time by casting techs who knew what they were doing and made sure there was a bend at her knees! So THOSE casts worked very well for the remainder of the 22 days she had to wear them! (I know she looks so sad in this photo...she was doing amazing work with her therapist, but clearly she wasn't too happy about it, lol. Fear not, the therapist gives her a break when she needs it!)

Cast-wearing quickly became a means of working out her abs, as Verity clunked and banged her legs up and down--with the brace between her ankles (put there to keep her hips open since the tendons in her groin area were also lengthened), it was definitely a good core workout simply to move and groove the way she wanted to!

So yesterday was the long-awaited cast-removal day! In the second picture below, you can see Verity covering her face--this is her way of shutting out people or experiences she decides she doesn't want to put up with, ha! But at last she was freeeeeeee!

We've been lotioning her legs like crazy, which seems to soothe her. I don't have a great photo (yet) of her temporary plight, which involves removable splint casts to keep her feet flexed until she gets fitted with AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) a couple days after Christmas. I'm glad I didn't take time to get her fitted for new boots...we anticipated going back to the boots and bar, but after the surgeon examined her, he said that her right foot simply will not flex all the way. He did what he could, but Verity will need a little wedge in her specially fitted AFOs to allow her to bear weight evenly.

Let that sink in...! Bear weight!! Not only will our girl sit on her own (she's awfully close now), but someday, she will stand. Walk. Maybe even run!!

Our girl has some spunk for sure! Just yesterday when she was supposed to be napping, she was practicing sit-ups instead!

We've had other appointments (finally) related to the sleep study we did at the end of September, but I will save those updates for another time. I'm so grateful to be on the other side of this cast experience, and I am loving what I see Verity doing now that her legs and hips are free! Lots of movement (no surprise that she keeps kicking off her splints), lots of rolling back and forth (even onto her belly), and a ton of progress toward sitting on her own. My dream was to have her sitting unaided by Christmas...6 more days...!!