Below is a picture of Devin ENJOYING a bath. We have had quite a struggle to get him to enjoy this process. This is the first time he has been in the water long enough to get wrinkly skin (Thanks to Allie the Entertainer!).
Devin had a Spina Bifida clinic yesterday. Some of his doctors have changed over and been replaced by others but all of the areas except neurosurgery were covered.

We have been very hopeful that all of the bracing and casting Devin had in his first year would help him for at least a few years, but yesterday we found out that Devin's left hip is shifting out of socket. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails! Most of the other children with spina bifida, that we know, have had this same hip surgery Dr. Wintersteen is recommending.

As I understand it, children's femur bones typically bend as they develop. The pressure of standing and/or walking cause the top of the femur bone to bend inwards just below the socket. This is not happening with Devin's left leg so they want to go in and cut and turn the bone (help mother nature). They would insert a temporary plate and it would require Devin to be in another Spica Cast for about 8 to 10 weeks.

We are looking for any information others might have on local (Rochester/Twin Cities) Pediatric Orthopedic doctors! Dr. Wintersteen had shoulder surgery and is out of commission for surgery until August. At this point she is recommending we go to Madison, WI for the surgery. We have decided to take this opportunity to look at other doctoring options for Devin.

Above is a picture of Devin jamming with Allie the Entertainer!

I thought you might also enjoy this clip of Cooper playing basketball!

A visit to Mankato

Mom and I went to Mankato today to see The Owatonna and Northfield Filzens. Amy and Jessie had a basketball tournament. It was awesome to see everyone! Leah, Amy, and Dar = Metal Mouths = $15,000. Leah gets her braces off March 16th, and Dar, probably by Easter! Whoo Hoo! Caramel, peanut brittle, ice cubes, here we come! :-)

For those of you concerned after my last post, here are some fresh pictures to ease your mind and reassure you that he is indeed overcoming the anxiety of the new braces. He was very willing to "ham it up" for the camera!

Happy 45th Birthday Dan!

Happy Valentine's Day!

(Pause blog music in the lower right side bar to listen to video audio)

A Picture tells a Thousand words!

Devin is not so excited about these new things (KAFO's...Knee, Ankle, Foot Orthotics) as they allow him quite a bit less mobility. Once he uses the proper muscles and figures out how to walk using them, the hope is that he will not need these any more. In the mean time we are to strap them onto him and try to help him get used to them a couple times a day. They seem rather bulky at the moment but as the months go forward and he overcomes these obstacles they too will just be part of a routine.

Devin has been very busy talking. He has begun saying "bye" to others and also uses the words "hi", "hey", "this", "that", "more","ba bye", "Dad", "Aaaaa" (Allie) and even repeated the name of a show today "Word World". "Mom" is a universal word that he uses for many different purposes directed at Mom. There are others that come and go. Last time we visited with Grandma and Dar, he really liked calling for Dar like everyone else does!

He babbles stories and points as he does. He has definite opinions about lots of things.

Today as the PT left our house after coming to give us some instruction for the KAFO's he said "Bye" for the first time before they actually got out the door. It was almost a directive, like he wanted them to leave because he was so disgusted with the KAFOs.

He also stood at the window and waved and smiled to Dad & Cooper (just like Allie) as Dad left for work (and Cooper for school) this morning.

Devin has continued to make progress in his ability to stand. As I had mentioned in the previous post Devin's Orthopedic doctor did order him to get KAFOs (Knee, Ankle, Foot Orthotics). She says we should alternate between the AFOs and the KAFOs but I am betting that Devin will figure out how to do everything in the KAFOs with some assistance and will be off walking in no time. The hope is to go back to just AFOs once he is walking well and develops the muscle strength to have his feet in proper alignment. The PT gave us a walker to start getting him used to that and he has stood at that several times today. Eventually we will actually be using it facing the opposite direction as he is in this photo. As you can see in the video, getting to things Cooper and Allie have is his main motivation!

Matt WDN article

Matt's engineering class at WSHS was featured in a Winona Daily News article on Dec. 24th.  

Allie's Birthday at CEC