We've been home for a little over a week now and in some ways it feels like were never gone. Not to say that Donovan's life is exactly the same, obviously it is not, but all the kids have an amazing spirit and they have done incredibly well. Donovan quickly got back in the groove at home. He gets around the lower level of the house with his walker and is very comfortable and strong with most situations like sitting on his stool at the island, swimming in the bathtub, maneuvering across the yard, and building houses for froggy.
Emma and Carl have welcomed Donovan home with tons of love, lots of care, and the most precious "I missed you buddy" hugs. Of course, we're also right back into the many joys of three young kids occasionally tormenting each other but it's all good.
We're taking Donovan back to Mary Free Bed each day during the week to continue with his physical therapy. He continues to work hard, shows a ton of self determination, and we're grateful to have therapists that can cajole our four year old, strong willed, silly, Donovan.
Each time we're asked how Donovan is doing, it's easy to say "great"! He is happy, getting around, and accomplishes all that he wants. What is a bit harder to understand is how much he'll gain in the long run. His work is very much centered around strength training. He continues to drag his right foot a bit and turn it inward, which we expect until he's stronger. We're learning ways to motivate him to do a lot of what you would find in a Pilate's class... strengthening his hips and quads. We're helping him to set new patterns like bearing his weight back on his heels instead of on his toes. Much of this is assisted through his AFOs (braces) or Robot Boots as Donovan likes to call them. They force him to place his feet flat on the ground and help prevent him from going back to old positions. The AFOs are important to Donovan's rehab. They were custom fit for him but require an amount of tweaking and work before we know they are truly helping and not hindering him. It's a continuous process of observation and inquiry. We're seeing his neurologist and orthopedic surgeon this week and are looking forward to hearing their comments on his progress.
As we left Donovan's stay at Mary Free Bed, we kicked off his homecoming celebration with
Carl's adventure at Fifth Third Ballpark. Along with his T-Ball team, Carl got to enjoy the game and even get down on the field for an entertaining between inning moment of cow tipping (two elementary aged kids blind-folded and set out on the field to find the guy in the cow costume by listening for the ringing bell). Carl wasn't quite a happy guy as he felt cheated by the fact that he never heard the bell but being on the field and with the players was quite a moment for him.
Emma and Carl have welcomed Donovan home with tons of love, lots of care, and the most precious "I missed you buddy" hugs. Of course, we're also right back into the many joys of three young kids occasionally tormenting each other but it's all good.
We're taking Donovan back to Mary Free Bed each day during the week to continue with his physical therapy. He continues to work hard, shows a ton of self determination, and we're grateful to have therapists that can cajole our four year old, strong willed, silly, Donovan.
Each time we're asked how Donovan is doing, it's easy to say "great"! He is happy, getting around, and accomplishes all that he wants. What is a bit harder to understand is how much he'll gain in the long run. His work is very much centered around strength training. He continues to drag his right foot a bit and turn it inward, which we expect until he's stronger. We're learning ways to motivate him to do a lot of what you would find in a Pilate's class... strengthening his hips and quads. We're helping him to set new patterns like bearing his weight back on his heels instead of on his toes. Much of this is assisted through his AFOs (braces) or Robot Boots as Donovan likes to call them. They force him to place his feet flat on the ground and help prevent him from going back to old positions. The AFOs are important to Donovan's rehab. They were custom fit for him but require an amount of tweaking and work before we know they are truly helping and not hindering him. It's a continuous process of observation and inquiry. We're seeing his neurologist and orthopedic surgeon this week and are looking forward to hearing their comments on his progress.
As we left Donovan's stay at Mary Free Bed, we kicked off his homecoming celebration with
Carl's adventure at Fifth Third Ballpark. Along with his T-Ball team, Carl got to enjoy the game and even get down on the field for an entertaining between inning moment of cow tipping (two elementary aged kids blind-folded and set out on the field to find the guy in the cow costume by listening for the ringing bell). Carl wasn't quite a happy guy as he felt cheated by the fact that he never heard the bell but being on the field and with the players was quite a moment for him.
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