Just about a boy. :)

Yesterday was good. I like the podiatrist at University hospital. He spent a lot of time talking to me-adressing my loooong list of concerns about Jake. I left feeling so good and now I am a little confused. I hear so much information that I don't typically process it until I am driving home or have time to think.

Jake doesn't need any more sure-step orthotics. (This is the kind that he had before) Instead Jake will get inserts to help his arch and time. Time to see what he will/can do over the next few months with his new walker that is coming. The doctor is afraid of doing too much to take away from the natural growth of the foot and ankle. He thinks Jake has the most strength in his quads and hamstrings but he doesn't have the development in his calf muscles and it is possibly going in the opposite direction so we want to help him now.  He feels like Jake will be a walker and that the actual walker might not be good for him for long because he thinks with his upper body strength he will be using his upper body and his feel will learn to "skim" the floor and not do any work. I can totally see this happening. He thinks that an ideal situation would be to have a ballet bar (one on each side) down a hallway with motivational things on the end to get him to "walk" to the end without a walker but still using support. This feels like a long way off. I was keeping in mind that he is a podiatrist not a gait training doctor-plus he doesn't know Jake as a whole child. Looks like my dad might have a job to do!

I just wonder...like all things with Jake....why I have to hear 45 different opinions and I have no clue who to listen to. The things this doctor said made sense but I also know that Jake "had" to have the orthotics during therapy a year ago. Sometimes being the one who makes the decisions isn't all it's cracked up to be. I mean I like to be in control at home--just kidding, honey! I wish someone would just tell me what to do and who to listen to-and who's advice to follow.

We were there for a long time waiting too-so although my boy was pretty good-we were both ready to leave at the end. Some highlights include playing peek a boo with the curtain in the room for 30 minutes, throwing cars, ripping the paper off the exam chair, and ripping up a magazine. In general, he was a little boy! He was pretty good so we stopped by the vending machine for a treat for him. No oreos but peanut M&Ms were just fine with him.