NHL Playoffs

     I'm a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, so by default so is Froggie. Tonight was a sad day for Penguins fans because it means we have to wait longer for hockey than if they'd of progressed in the playoffs.
     This was Froggie's response to tonight's game:

Halfway There

     Today marks 6 weeks of having a "Froggied Princess"!
     That means we have hit the halfway point for our current treatment. We have a clinical check next week to evaluate the fit of the harness and in 6 more weeks we'll have an x-ray to see of the harness has done its job.

     In 6 weeks maneuvering around the harness has become "normal". It is actually more normal for me to have Froggie in her harness than the time she spends out of it in the morning and evening. She seems more comfortable with the harness on as well since then she doesn't have to figure out what to do with her legs. 

     So what happens in 6 weeks... Froggie will go in and have another x-ray done. If it shows her hips are at the proper angles then my understanding is that she will no longer have to wear the harness or have any other treatment for her hips. She would likely have to go in at specific times in her development (once she starts crawling, walking, etc) to make sure everything is still correct and may have restrictions regarding things she can do. 

     If the x-rays show that her hips are not where the doctor would like them then she will either have to wear the harness longer or move to a more stable form of treatment. I'm hopeful that the x-rays will be good; the International Hip Dysplasia Institute website states "Once the x-ray is normal, then there's probably a 99% chance that the hip will continue to grow normally. Recurrence of dysplasia is very rare after successful Pavlik harness treatment and a normal x-ray at 9-12 months old, but most doctors still recommend x-rays at an older age just to catch any shallow sockets that might need treatment to prevent early arthritis."

A happy Froggie to brighten anyone's day!

Froggie's Throne (Bumbo Seat Modification)

     I finally found a Bumbo seat! I've been searching Craigslist for a few weeks because I couldn't rationalize cutting the seat we have. The other night I posted that I was looking for one and didn't care if it had the recall straps. (I mean who cares about straps? By cutting the seat its not like the company has any liability if Froggie falls out anyway.)
     After work I made a pit stop to pick up the Bumbo and another to pick up some cool Duct tape. Modifying a Bumbo was recommended on the International Hip Dysplasia Institute website but there were not any directions or links for a "how to" so I did a little searching. I found one advice page for spica casts that showed how they had modified a seat for a child with a Spica Cast but that wasn't quite what Froggie needed either. I thought I would outline my process in case anyone out there wanted to know what had been done and what the IHDI site means by "modified Bumbo". 

Step 1. Buy a Bumbo Seat. I found this one on Craigslist for $12. It was a little less painful to cut up a $40 chair when I didn't spend that much on it.

Step 2. Mark where your child's legs are held by their harness. Froggie was not as terrified as she appears in this picture, I promise. I couldn't figure out how to get it to take without my flash and she was not a fan!

Step 3. Cut new leg holes in the chair. The spica example cut clear from front to their new end point. Because Froggie is in a harness and can still move her legs I opted to just move the leg holes back and leave some of the chair for support. I just used a plain old steak knife to cut it.

Step 4. Test your work! Before you move on to finishing your chair make sure what you cut is the right width for your child. My advice is to cut less at first and cut more if necessary to avoid ending up with a $40 chair that no one can use.

Step 5. "Finish" your work. The foam is kind of flaky and I would assume if you were sitting with your skin against it that it would become itchy so covering the "raw" foam is a good idea. I picked out Duct Tape with a girly print that was close in color to the seat. 

Step 6. Use your Bumbo! Our newly revamped seat is Froggie approved. She was really interested in the tray as well and I think having it will be a nice addition to having a seat for Froggie.

Is it working?

     That's the big question isn't it? I know I've been hearing things like "how long does she have to wear the harness?" a lot lately. The simple answer is I don't know. 

     I can look Froggie over and think she's perfect (she is my daughter and I think she's perfect regardless) but an X-ray may show that she's still in need of a harness or other treatment. And that's really the only way we'll know. We're quickly approaching the halfway mark of her current treatment. It's hard to believe that on Thursday she will have been in the harness for 6 weeks! In another 6 weeks they'll do another set of X-rays to see where Froggie's hips are at. 

     Our doctor had told me about children who are taken out of their harness' and their legs stay in the position the harness holds them in. Well this morning when I was changing Froggie's clothes I thought I'd take a picture. She's pretty wiggly so it's not the greatest picture but that's how her legs lay as long as she's not moving them around. I hope this means it's working!

Family Walk

     We had decided to take family walks back in the start of spring and we stopped going. There was either something else to do, it was too hot, or it was raining and we made excuses to not go. Obviously we wont cart the kids out if we're all going to get soaked or going to end up with heat stroke but we're going to keep up with family walks as best as we can.
     This may have something to do with the fact that we registered for a 5K this afternoon. We're registered as walkers in the local Armed Forces 5K in July and we're planning on taking Froggie and Big Brother with us. It will primarily be a bunch of Navy reservists and their family members since it is a Navy Ball fundraiser.
     On our walk tonight Froggie chilled in the Ergo and we let Big Brother walk to see how long of a walk he can handle. Not to mention it makes him REALLY tired right before bed time. While we were walking we watched a guy catch a fish. He offered to let Big Brother see it and let him feel it. He was SO proud of himself for touching the fish and chased EVERY bird he noticed. Here are some pictures from our walk:

Shriners Hospital for Children Community Open House

     Today was a community open house at the Shriners Hospital where Froggie is receiving treatment for her hips. We thought we would go and check out all that they had going on and show our support for the wonderful organization that we have come to love for all they have done for us.

     We went a little later in the open house but still got to experience some pretty awesome things. As soon as we crossed the street Big Brother was excited to see the parking lot full of the cars set up for the car show.     

Picture with the ZZ Top car

Checking out the cars with Grandma

     We headed inside to catch the craft tables, clothing sales and self guided tours before they shut them down. On our way in we got to listen a little to some young entertainers singing broadway tunes. We missed out on the roaming magician, zoo animals and clowns but I'm sure they were tons of fun for those who showed up earlier in the morning.

Some young entertainers

     Big Brother, Froggie and I showed my mother around the hospital. She had been there when my sister was younger and her legs were turned inward but things had changed a lot since then. His favorite part was showing her the boat and train table!

Driving the boat

Froggie and I touring

     After our tour and my purchase of a new Steelers bib each for Froggie and Big Brother we headed back outside to listen to the band.

The Zem Zem Band

     While outside with the band we encountered an AMAZING little girl. We had watched a video of her story while Big Brother played at the train table with her but she had left the room before they interacted much. Her family had sought out treatment at Shriners after receiving advice from professionals that they did not believe was their only option. She has been receiving treatment since she was born and uses a significant lift in her shoe as well as a crutch but boy can she dance! We ran into her again when we went outside and she asked Big Brother to dance with her. He became shy and got quiet, not that you could really hear him over the band anyway, and asked about her lift as well as the brace that reached up her leg. She did not seem bothered by his asking and showed off her brace and explained it all to he and I the best way that a young child can. He was still resistant to dance with her but didn't hide from her either and she turned her interest to Froggie. Several staff and Shriners had noticed that she had her harness on and were excited that she was "one of ours" and there today. I explained Froggie's situation to our new friend and even took her out of the Ergo to show how her harness worked. She excitedly told me that she was getting a baby sister this summer and smiled at Froggie while asking a few more questions about her harness. We listened to the band a little longer and headed out to lunch.

     It was a great event and it gave the public a chance to see how great the people and facility are, which is something we already knew!

In front of the sign on our way out

Hip Dysplasia Awareness Month

     June is the month of busy weekends! It is also Healthy Hips (Hip Dysplasia) Awareness Month!

     Please show your support in some way for Hip Dysplasia Awareness. Hip dysplasia is more common than I was EVER aware of. Many people affected probably miss the window for treatment that is noninvasive and the more information available the more likely it is that cases of hip dysplasia will be caught quickly, like in Froggie's case.
     One Hip World promotes fundraising for the International Hip Dysplasia Institute year round and they update their cover photo on Facebook frequently to show the total raised through them. The Git-R--Done Foundation started by Larry the Cable Guy also raises funds for the International Hip Dysplasia Institute through events.
     Please think about looking into one of these foundations/programs this month and making a donation, however small it may be, to help gain awareness and research for hip dysplasia. If you cannot make a donation please consider simply spreading the word about Hip Dysplasia. Here are some Facebook Cover photos that were put out by organizations for this month.

     Completely unrelated to Healthy Hips Awareness Month Froggie is still working on those front teeth. She has officially figured out how to chew on things other than her blankie, hand and clothes. 

     Also my hubby has been working very hard lately and was ready for bed before I was last night so he took Froggie with him. They were holding hands across the bed when I got upstairs!