Wednesday 5 January 2011

It's Magic!

On 2nd January we went to the Magic House with the other families for the afternoon.  What a fantastic place.  Evan was on his feet for over 5 hours apart from lunch and a bit of crawling through tunnels.

http://www.magichouse.org/

This is the best play facility I've ever seen and is really magic, as around every corner there was something new to see and after 5 hours we hadn't seen everything.  All the kids had a great time and we will definitely go back.

Out for a drive with Pola

The Great Escape


Presidents Hansen at the Oval Office:  Bring me some M & Ms now!!!!

Shocking

We have had some great physio the last few days and Evan tried using the coupe car like the one he has at home.  At home he can only go backwards and goes around in a circle.  By the end of the second session he had gotten the idea of moving his feet forward to move it forward so we are hopeful by the time he leaves he will be able to use the one he has.

Video footage on YouTube at this link:

Evan in his car

We went swimming for the first time since surgery, which was something I was really looking forward to.  In the UK Evan would go stiff as a board and his legs would float up to the surface which meant we haven't been able to teach him to swim.  My expectations were probably a bit high as I didn't feel it went so well. He has no stiffness in the water, but still isn't grasping the kicking and arms together actions.  Even for able bodied children it takes time though and he is still young - plenty of time.

Today he saw Michael who really enthuses him to keep going.  Evan is quite lively and likes similar characters to himself, so Michael is perfect for him.  We tried on the treadmill again going forward, backwards and side stepping.  He managed 15 minutes which is excellent for only a second go ever.  We are trying to get him to take longer steps which will help to keep his feet flat.  He walks now in small steps out of habit as he can take longer strides when he wants to.  The physio here is really excellent and Michael asked us at the end if he could have improved in any way or done anything differently.  They are so open to working with parents and learning from parents experience - we had nothing to add as it was all positive, but the thought was there and we really appreciated it.

You tube links of Evan on the treadmill:

Walking Forward

Walking Sideways

After physio we went to see Dr. Dobbs the Orthopaedic Surgeon.  We have been looking forward to this as our main concern all along and the reason for us having the surgery quickly was Evan's hip problem.  Dr. Dobbs was happy with the result of the surgery, but has said that if Evan had come to him and not had the surgery he would have strongly advised to have tendon lengthening in the groin area.  As it stands he cannot say he will definitely not need it, but the chances are reduced and with good physio he could recover.  The need for more invasive surgery is less likely.  This is great news so we now just have to ensure his hips are monitored going forward to keep checking if the less invasive surgery is needed.

All in all a good couple of days.  Evan has surpassed his walking target to lap the physio room and is getting stronger and stronger each day.  The best part of the trip other than the improvements Evan has seen has been meeting the other families.  Evan has had so much support from the children and families going through the same experience and we have met some lovely people.  This is also helping the other children who are really progressing.  Pola is getting stronger in her walker every day and runs rings around Evan.  I have no doubt she will be walking independently in the near future.  Abi took a massive step by taking a few steps independently and being able to walk holding one hand with her dad.  Well done to all of them for working so hard, even though it hasn't been an easy time for them.

Evan and Pola - so cute
Well done Abi

2 comments:

  1. brilliant progress Evan. You are such a little star. Nana & Gramps

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  2. Well done Evs, we are really proud of you.
    Nanny & Bampy

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