Don't be mad...

         Amaya returned to school today and stayed for the entire morning (about four hours). She did great; her pain was managed, she had fun and kept busy. She used her wheelchair at school today. While she was at school Lidie and I picked up Tia Amanda to spend the day with us. We picked up Amaya at lunchtime and headed to therapy. She used the walker to go in, but when Kim met us in the lobby she took the walker away and had her walk on her own. 

Amaya walking into the gym all by herself. 

Lidie volunteered to push the walker for Amaya; she got several smiles from other therapists and patients. 

Amaya walked over bowling pins. Then she went bowling; she rode the scooter into the pins to knock them over. Then she rode the scooter into the other gym.

Me, Lidie, and Tia Amanda at therapy. 

Amaya walked on the stairs, and then bent her knee so that she could sit. Her knee seemed pretty tight and she had to work hard to keep her leg straight. On the way back to the peds gym, Amaya was able to bend her knee on the scooter a bit more than on the way there.

Kim started stretching Amaya's knee.

     Next came knee bends. Lidie started getting feisty, so Amanda took her in the hall to ride the bike. Amaya's knee measured at 43 degrees today (a bit higher than yesterday). On her first push Amaya got over sixty degrees (impressive). Then she made steady jumps to 73, 80, 84, 86. Then Melissa said, "Don't be mad Amaya, but I didn't stop at 90, you were pushing so hard and got 92!" That's the highest she's gotten in over a week! She was so proud and said, "we should tell Dr.Nelson" (I wrote him an email tonight). Later she told me, that she wasn't mad, but happy. Once again she was able to not only meet her goal of ninety degrees, but to exceed it. And it was in less than fifteen minutes. Although it's still intense and difficult, it's definitely a lot easier than it had been the past few weeks. Last night was her last night of antibiotics and we think that they did help. Her hip looks a lot better (I'll try to take a picture tomorrow), and most importantly it isn't causing her any discomfort or pain, which is making her bends easier.

After she recovered from her knee bends Amaya jumped into the ball pit to celebrate with Lidie.