Thomas Update: Walking and Running!

It has been a bit of a challenge for Thomas to regain strength after the casts were removed a month ago.

He has been working daily to regain strength... and, we expected that like it is with a baby learning to walk... it just takes time, and then suddenly they are off and running!

Well, not so much with Thomas.

He has had difficulty getting his toes to figure out what to do. Because his body was not formed the same as most when he was born, his muscles don't really know how to respond to a "normal gait" or walk. ( as well as the fact that he has been in casts for over 12 weeks!) They are very weak and have little or no memory. Yes, our muscles actually have a so called memory. Can you believe how amazing our bodies are? We are created with such amazing detail.

We have spent the past two weeks in Physical Therapy doing exercises to both strengthen Thomas' weak muscles but to also train his muscles how to work in a way they have never been required to move before.

Most of our work has centered on balance. A lot of walking requires little muscles in the feet and ankle that balance the entire weight of our body... Thomas has currently adapted to walking on his heals, without using the rest of his foot, and pushing forward with his hips. Even before the surgery, he walked with his heal first and then rolled onto the tip of his toes on the outside of his foot. He rarely used the ball of his foot. He had the movement down very well and did it fast enough that most would not even notice he walked a bit different. The odd wear on the heal of his shoes told the story!

Over the past couple of weeks we have been daily working on stretching and strength of his entire foot, ankle and hip and have focused on working to wake up those toe muscles!

I can say that I see improvement. We are not to the point of "normal" but we are improving daily.

For the first time this week... we saw Thomas running (ever so gingerly) to his sister in the park. Speed equals strength! The faster he moves the more strength and balance he is developing. Our hard work is paying off... what a joy to see our son enjoying his life... in all circumstances.

Especially those that are fun!

Look Ma! No Casts!!

Today was a very much anticipated day... We are so thrilled to be rid of those hard clunky casts!


Thomas is doing great...

As soon as we got home...he insisted on jumping into the bathtub! I think of all the things Thomas has missed most while in casts... it was his bath time. He would cry when he heard the bath water running knowing he was not able to have one himself... Tonight, he had a nice long warm bubbly bath! :)

As you can see, he looks good!

Thomas' feet post surgery and casting!

The Doctor says he needs to see how Thomas' feet will look after a bit of time...
at this point, he is happy with the results...

As for his current condition, Thomas is in good spirits, but is unable to put any weight on his feet... they are very sensitive and in a bit of pain... so I am letting him work at his own pace... I am hopeful after a few days he will be gaining more and more strength...

Keep him in your prayers!

"Oh Mommy, I just love my own knees!"

Yesterday, we went to the Dr. for a cast change and got a great look at Thomas' feet and the progress he is making. I left a bit more sober as I realized the hill we still need to climb toward full healing and recovery for Thomas...

Thomas now has two purple casts for the next 4 weeks... he is thrilled with his new mobility and the ability to stand and walk a few steps with assistance... He does have pain and is not able to really walk yet, but soon his muscles will develop and he should be moving about pretty well by the end of four weeks.

April 1st is our big day! He should have the casts removed and move toward seeing if his little feet are going to cooperate with the work that has been done on them.

For now, we will enjoy bending our knees!

Thomas Update: A Little Turn for the Worse

Sarah is scheduled to present her Oral Presentation for her 4H project this weekend... It is on Horse Illness (I could not help but borrow this photo from her presentation)
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My little boy is not feeling so well today... but he is hanging in there like a real trooper!

My husband started feeling badly last week and has suffered with a head cold and various other ailments over the past week.... as is common in these cases, three days later...Sarah and Thomas have both been sick with a bad head cold and fever. Although Sarah is recovering, today we found out Thomas has Pneumonia . It is not good to get sick with a head cold when you are confined to a wheel chair! Poor little boy...

My Mother Heart is breaking for him.

Keep us in your prayers.

A Little Fresh Air

The sun finally came out about 4:00 this afternoon... we have been under an impenetrable haze for several days now... Thomas was sitting in our family room and was filled with happiness as the sun streamed through the windows...

I suggested we take a walk... and he looked at me with a "How in the world can I go for a walk" kind of look. I smiled and told him not to worry... I gathered a few pillows and blankets and made a cozy little nest for him in our wagon and off we went!

He had a great time and enjoyed the fresh and very brisk air!

I think he stayed much warmer than I did...

Welcome Home Thomas!

Thomas got through his club foot surgery and, after about 24hours in the hospital, he is recovering here at home....happy and without a lot of pain. (Pain medication is a wonderful thing!) We are so happy to see him in good spirits and resting.

His surgery was fairly uncomplicated and, although he has to return for a second minor surgery to finish up in a couple of weeks, the Dr seems to feel that all went well... we will know more as Thomas heals and we will just have to wait and see how the muscles respond.

The next six weeks will be a challenge for us. Thomas has to keep his feet up and is not allowed to put any weight on them. Imagine a 5 year old boy sitting still for 6 weeks! It seems almost an impossible task ... Keep those prayers coming as we meet his needs with selfless patience and love as well as pray that Thomas' attitude will remain positive and cooperative.

He is still able to provide lots of goofy faces for photos!

Check out the Red and Green Casts... He chose the colors himself.

Perhaps he still is wishing it was Christmas???

A New Year and More Snow!

Today we awoke to yet another snow fall... I am always struck by the beauty of falling snow. It is pure and lovely, covering all that is dirty and in need of work in my garden!

The New Year has come and we are looking forward to what is ahead...It has been fun as a family to plan and create goals... thinking ahead and trying to live purposefully.

We are also enjoying a quiet time of rest as we recover from our whirlwind of Autumn activity! Our cozy home feels nice after being away for so many weeks...

We are also planning on staying indoors a lot this winter... My youngest little one is going to be having surgery one week from today. He was born with bi-lateral club foot, and although we did our best to correct it non-surgically, it has returned... We are hopeful that this surgery will correct it so that he can walk comfortably and without pain. We would appreciate many prayers of healing for Thomas as he endures this event.

Today I found my dear son playing in the snow as his father was shoveling the driveway. He was trying to be helpful and was pushing snow out of the way... but as happens with all little boys...

Hard work turns into fun!