Clara thinks that the frequency of my blog posting is laughable. Here is proof:
In other news, Clara has recently been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. This means that her hip sockets are not forming properly, and not cupping the top of the femur bone as they should. Her case is mild; we only discovered it because she had been dragging one foot while crawling, and her doctor recommended getting precautionary x-rays. Clara is not in any pain now, but if left untreated the condition could lead to early arthritis and/or hip replacement when she hits her 20s.
What does this mean for now? For the next four months or so, Clara will be wearing a hip abduction brace 23/7 (one-hour break per day for bathtime and general brace-free romping). This treatment is generally very effective, and she should be walking and dancing without any trouble after this. She has been fitted with a Rhino Cruiser brace (second model on linked page), which lets her keep quite a bit of mobility. She got the brace on Thursday, and is already learning to crawl, "cruise" and sit up. We'll post some pictures of her sporting her new "fancy pants" soon.
Please pray for her hips and general well-being as we tackle these next months. She is a bit frustrated at the moment, but is still her jolly self, our same little peanut.
7 comments:
wow, that laughing is adorable! It reminds me of watching Owen Mangrum at that age, he would laugh hysterically when people jumped up and down in front of him, just like that.
Also, in terms of hip displacia, if you want to talk to anyone who just went through the brace with their daughter, Marty and Dean Kelly would be great. Their second daughter, Addy, had that and wore the brace and is now doing great at age 2. I'm sorry Clara has to go through that, but I'm glad they caught it now and that there is effective treatment. Let me know if you want me to get you in touch with them. love you guys!
Oh my word - the laughing. I LOVE it! I think that goes down as one of my all-time favorite sounds. Awesome. I'm glad to hear she's adjusting okay and is learning to get around with the brace. Give her a big hug from me.
One of the happiest babies I know. Her nona and paddy think she is wonderful!
Um, could this baby be any cuter? Prob not.
WOW! What a cutie pie.
Love, Grammy
LOVE HER....love you guys.
Uh-mazing. Dr. La Forge, you have quite the gift for comedy! Hanny & I are already coming up with little decals to adorn the brace. As they say, "If you can't lose it, decorate it!" xoxo Sum
Post a Comment