New Legs

 Yesterday Sarah finished her appointments for a new leg.  She brought it home and likes it very much.  Erika's legs are still a work in progress.  We have had double appointments for the last few months trying to solve problems with fitting....
Staying in a small room for what seems like an eternity can make one rather.... well.... SILLY. :)

 The Great Leg Mix up. :)

Sarah thinks her leg looks rather large!

 Trying it out!

 I think she likes it!

And into the elevator to go home!
Erika will have 2 more appointments before delivery. They sent her home with unfinished legs so she can take notes on problem areas .We go back September  6 and turn them in, and then..... this LONG ordeal will be over. Until next time. :)

The Princess and the Prosthesis

We had a very early appointment at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital so Erika could pick up her new legs.  They are a lot different than the ones before and will take some getting used to.  There were a few bugs to work out, but I think she will like them.

We started out with Robert coming to say hello....

 GO TO COLLEGE! Was the message this a.m.  :)

Then we started the final fitting..... "The Princes and the Prosthesis" is what we deemed her today. :)

There were a few "kinks" to work out. :)
 Anna came along for the Appointment:

She took them for a test run:

And then we headed back home:

We had a good time and then headed back to the hacienda for SCHOOL! :)

Dolphin Tale

There is an exciting movie coming to a theater near you!

DOLPHIN TALE .......
Sally Clarkson's Son is involved in this movie.  You can read about it HERE.
Pretty cool! A dolphin with a prosthetic tail! :) You can watch the trailer on youtube. :)
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jdpg9NsgEaI

The Girlies and Compassion

Tonight, Sarah and I watched this video about a dog who is wearing a prosthetic paw.  Sarah's response was, "Oh, poor dog, what happened to him?"  "Oh poor thing!"

I have seen Erika at the hospital when we are there for a visit do the same thing.  "Oh poor child!"
One time, she was sitting there with NO FEET recooperating from surgery and saw a little child with CP walking with a limp and was full of sympathy.

It is really sweet that neither of them think this about themselves. They don't think to themselves, "poor me"; in fact, they work hard to overcome their differences and do what everybody else does.... so it is humorous to me when I see their reactions to something like this.

Funny Things You Never Expect To Have a Discussion About

Erika and I were in the prosthetist's office EARLY on Friday morning for her fitting.

She has begun to outgrow her legs, and before that happens, they start a new pair so she won't go without. One time,  we waited too long and she wound up not having feet for a few months!

So, as we were sitting there waiting to see the doctor, the therapist, the prosthetist and everybody else that comes to see us every time we go,  and after she had put on her shorts..... we had a discussion about what her new legs would look like. 

In all honesty, I was not pleased that she had picked playing cards and money to adorn her last pair of legs.  I was especially not pleased with them on Christmas Sunday morning, as they just didn't seem to go with her dress. LOL

So here we are, mother and daughter, sitting in a small room for what seemed like hours and we were talking about TATTOOS!  We were talking about what would adorn her legs next and her comment was, "Well mom, you know I don't like wearing dresses anyway, so if I didn't have to wear a dress, nobody would have noticed my playing cards and money. LOLSo then I say, but Erika, I really think you need to be prepared for Shorts and warmer weather, and really, we should be careful about what we want to portray on our legs..... and then I say, "If these weren't prosthetics, we wouldn't even be having this discussion! 

Sometimes it is hard, when there is STRONG influence to let the kids pick things that normally wouldn't be appropriate..... I think when they are littler, a butterfly or horse or princess is fine..... but now that they are older, I think we need to tone it down.

As we were driving home it kind of cracked me up that we were even having such a conversation.  If you had talked to me 10 years ago I wouldn't have understood anything about the world of prosthetics.

It is amazing how life changes.

Sarah has already agreed that she probably won't get anything put on her next set of legs.  I am hoping Erika feels the same way soon, even if she doesn't wear a dress. :) 

BUT.... I have put my foot down on the money and cards. ........that won't happen again.

Mr. Robert

This is Robert. We met Robert 5 years ago when Sarah came into our lives. He is the guy who actually MAKES the girl's legs.
He is a "behind the scenes" sort of guy at the hospital, hidden back in a little workshop. But he knows each kid whose legs he makes and makes a point to come out and see them when they visit.

Now at CAMP.... it is a TOTALLY different story. Robert is the endless Taxi driver for all the kids, and Cabin Counselor for the boys. He is an amputee himself, but that doesn't stop him from being the guy everybody jumps on. He is a mammoth of a man, with a very tender heart. He LOVES the kids, and he LOVES camp.

This year, he made sure to arrange for a host of pranks against all those sweet, innocent, little girls. :P The best one was the Silly string attack in the middle of nowhere. The boys were hidden when he drove by and then stopped! Of course he had a load of little girls on his taxi, and by the time the screams ended, they were all covered in a volley Silly String. :)

Erika and Sarah both said, "I LOVE Robert!" So I think after a week of being tickled, poked, jumped on, prodded, kidded,
and the famous line of "I'm not ready yet, just one more minute!", while he patiently waited outside the girl's cabin....., I couldn't think of a better person to post about.

Thanks for all the hard work Robert!

Family Camp at Peaceable Kingdom

Did Somebody say CAMP????


We went to Family Camp at Peaceable Kingdom Retreat Center for children, sponsored by Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. We had a great time.(except for my minor mishap)
The kids settled in



and then it was off to the lodge for some game time with old friends.




There were numerous events including the Pirate ship, spider web, movie time, golfing, and the Chili Cook off!

Here are the "Chili Girls" doing their chant and watching the judges taste their creation.

Robert thought it was abit hot! LOL

We had a really fun time. All the kids played hide and seek after dinner, and we had the joy once more of watching Jarroth Play the Piano.

The Challenge of Being Different

Today, Erika was out of pants to wear. She LOVES wearing pants. I suggested a dress, she has that is very cute. It is like overalls, but is a jumper type dress. It turns out, she doesn't like showing her legs. Not because they are hairy, or skinny, or fat, but because they are fake. Prosthetic. DIFFERENT.

So I ask in my most cheerful motherly voice, "So what's the problem with different?"

Everybody stares. I don't like them staring...... Hmmmm.... She is definitely becoming a young lady. And those stares from strangers and friends alike can make us feel like a piece of pepper in a salt shaker. So we had a discussion about how EVERYBODY stares at everybody. If you are tall, fat, skinny, ugly, pretty, have moles like mommy, smoothe skin, blue eyes, etc. etc. etc. EVERYBODY gets stared at!

But she has something happy on her legs to share. Butterflys, soccer balls, basketballs. Things that make those who stare SMILE. :) People decorate themselves in tattoos these days. I'm sure they know others will look. SO, her legs are different. SO WHAT! She WALKS. She is a walking billboard for the grace of God in our lives. She is a walking billboard for those who cannot come out of their homes; to help us remember those who are shut in and in need. If she is out here in Wylie, all by herself, I wonder how many more children there are in the world like her? Who are shut in, or cannot get out and play?
She is a walking testimony of the Lord's grace, and a testimony of those who have compassion on those less fortunate that give to the hospital that graciously cares for her and Sarah.

But she is oh so much more than that. She is not defined by her legs. She is not defined by arthrogryposis, she is not defined by being an amputee, any more than I am defined by those moles that I am so glad I have kept, even though I hate them.

Erika is a blossoming, lovely person, who is full of life, full of energy and humor, and love, and kindness, and boy is she ever smart. She loves all the things little girls love and best of all she loves Jesus. (and mommy too) :)

So, we are going to go out in that dress today to the store. We are going to hold our heads high and walk down the aisle and have a wonderful time, and hopefully, anybody who stares today, will see a precious little girl who is living a full and happy life, and they will WANT what she has. Joy,Peace,and a nice mommy and daddy. :)

A Mother's Joy and Tears

This is a very special video for me. It brings me both tears and joy. OR should I say, tears OF joy. :)
It may not seem much to many to see a child of 10 swinging on an old swingset. But LOOK! Look closely! She is doing it all by herself! 6 years ago, she was in a bed, laying in a bed, laying all day and all night, just "left to lay", that is what they call it. By a miracle, she was transferred to an orphanage where they started to work with her. I met the woman during our last missions trip who taught her how to walk in cumbersome braces. She taught her to feed herself and talk. And I was able to tell her thank you.

Swinging herself though! This is a new thing. She is so proud, and I am proud of her.
She got all muddy swinging so I had to take her socks and shoes off. This is what I found!

They didn't have purple toenail polish in the orphanage either. :)

Erika has come so far. It will 3 years in April. It seems so long ago, like she has always been with us, yet it seems like yesterday when we brought her home forever.
So today I have tears of joy, just because a little girl is happy and can paint her toenails any color she wants.

An Update On Erika

We serve a merciful and loving God. He must have known that we needed a rest. :)
Erika's legs have started to fit better and better over the week, and she has fit down into them with a size 2 sock now! (YEA)

For those who don't know what that means. Prosthetic socks come in many sizes of thickenss. 5's, 3's, 2's, 1's. Her last legs, she wore a 5, 3 and 2 1's, and then as she grew we removed thickensses until she could not fit.

But she was growing so fast with this set, while they were making them, that when fitting day came, they were almost too small. We wrapped her legs, and put her in them, with a 1. She barely fit. Then..... a couple of days later bruises showed up.
She wasn't in pain, but we were concerned.
We thought we were going to have to scrap the legs and start over, and this time with surgery so she could get a better fit.

BUT.... over the week, the bruises actually disappeared and she was able to get into her legs with a size 2! I can't tell you how excited we are.

So the plan is, to let her wear these as long as possible, and when the time comees that she is out grown them, hopefully later than sooner, we will then discuss surgery to reshape her symes area.

Our goal is still for her to be able to get legs she can take on and off by herself.
These she can't. So the rest of us gladly chip in and help her.

We are also going to ask that her next legs be a little shorter. I am worried about how tall she is. When she falls it is scary. Her prosthetist said she can be made a little shorter with a different foot. (she isn't thrilled but Anna is) LOL
And I am too. It will hold off a few more gray hairs. (for a while)

What a joy and RELIEF!!!!!!!

Sarah's New Leg Just In Time!

Something Happened to Sarah's foot! She said she felt a "POP"!


And her toe fell off!


I think this leg has had a great work out! Anna tried to fix her toe. Thanks Anna!


Luckily, we picked up her new leg a few days ago, but she isn't used to wearing it yet.Aren't the princesses darling?


I think she'll love it when she gets used to it. It is like getting used to a new pair of shoes.
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