After a good night Amaya woke up with pain in her foot. I massaged it then it felt better. When I mentioned it to Melissa at therapy she said it made sense because of how much she moves and rolls over on her ankle. Her ankles seem kind of loose and weak. On the drive down we saw an eagle gliding over the lake; what a beautiful way to start the day!
As we got to therapy a man started talking to Amaya about her fixator. He said he had the round halo kind a few years ago. He said, "its tough, hang in there, it'll get easier, stay strong, you'll do fine." Then he added, "make sure you clean your pin sites. I din't and I got a bad infection." We thanked him for his kind words and advice then went to sit and wait for Melissa. Since Amaya didn't wear her weight in the car she wore it on the way into therapy and in the lobby. When Melissa saw it she said, "oh, good job. You look like your ready to reach some big numbers today." Amaya got new tape today and complained that her middle pins were itchy. Amaya asked if she could start by riding the scooter, but Melissa likes the bike better (Amaya gets a better bend that way) so she had her ride the bike first. She knocked over ten bowling pins then rode around the trampoline five times. Then she got to bowl with the scooter as well. As we started to do the bends her knee measured at 48, but with a scoot she got her knee to 60 degrees. Amaya's goal for today was 105, so far this week 104 was her highest number. In a little over four minutes she was able to get to her goal! 105! It was very hard work, but she did it. The first pulls are the easiest but as she goes along they get harder as her knee gets stiffer. Melissa said that its amazing that she's even in the hundreds at all. Even starting at 60 thats a 45 degree gain, which is very impressive. Melissa didn't say anything about taking any days off next week, but with the holiday on Wednesday we only have four sessions scheduled for next week. On the way out to the car Amaya complained of hip pain, so I had her stand and stretch it before she got it so that she would be comfortable on our ride to the zoo.
We went to the Orange County Zoo with her two cousins and aunt. The zoo was a small, nice and located at a great park that kept the kids busy for hours. After exploring the zoo they played by the lake, climbed trees and just had fun. It was a nice day with family. While they played Amaya's aunt commented on how well she was doing. I agreed, but couldn't help thinking of all that Amaya still struggles to do, is working toward and all that's ahead. It's a hard balance between optimism and realism. I'm so happy for how well Amaya is doing, yet have to remember all that we still have to work toward. There's no taking it easy, not yet at least (no skipping PT, no skipping showers or gauze changing, or PT homework, or extra stretches, or doctor appointments, etc.). But, Amaya's progress keeps me motivated and going.
Lidie went to see the "doctor" (aka. Amaya) yesterday morning who decided she needed a fixator so here's what she got.
Here she is ready to knock over some bowling pins.
Melissa had Amaya place her leg on the roll and lean forward to bend her knee. Amaya grimaced a few times, because she could feel the pull quite a bit. This is the first time we use the roll to bend her knee.
Then she tried sitting back onto the roll to throw balls. Melissa has Amaya hold the bend for thirty seconds, but since Amaya is busy throwing balls she's distracted and doesn't realize how long its for. She was reaching for a bright yellow ball and I got it for her, but instead of handing it to her I put it in the ball pit for her to reach for it. Then Amaya told Melissa, "My mom always makes me work." Melissa said, "yeah because she wants your knee to bend." I said, "Of course, because I love you." And I will do everything to help her leg be the best it can be, so that she can be the best she can be.
The girls picked "creepy" eye patches from the goodie box after therapy. Amaya said she wanted to "scare her friends."
The girls with their cousins Myhkiah and Kailei at the zoo. It was hard getting a picture of all four facing the same direction.
As we explored the park they started climbing trees and had a blast. I was a bit nervous watching Amaya but she did good. She only climbed up as far as she could get herself up.
Then they tried hanging from the branches. What a monkey!
Here's a silly picture of Amaya from last week that I forgot to post. This girl definitely has personality.
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