Foot Fetish

No I am not talking about my last pair of Jimmy Choo's, nor the latest Crocs model, but about my Zoé's feet. The saga continues.

We started last Wednesday with both feet casted, removed one on Friday due to pain and frustration, but mostly pain.

Yesterday, we removed the cast on the left foot and it worked!!!!

Zoé made tremendous progress on her foot, she will no longer need to be casted. She will have a new pair of braces made for the left foot and we'll recast the right one.
It will enable me to buy her a new pair of shoes, and she should be ready to walk again to the playground.

I have to admit, I got really depressed last week when Zoé was in pain. Everything started to bubble up, and I found myself totally stressed out. The constant worry and nervous tension just kept accelerating and I felt I was on a treadmill of emotions that nothing would stop.

Last night, first bath in a week, Zoé was splashing water everywhere and the happiest I had seen her in a while. She was her "old" self again, rejoicing in the little wonders that make her world: her books, toys, paints and crayons.

She has become quite the artist and her first real mixed media painting hangs beautifully on our fridge.

Speaking of art, my first class of ceramics is scheduled for tomorrow...I am thrilled at the idea of taking an art class while Zoé is in daycare.

We are now waiting for the foot to heal before we recast...to be continued in our Serial Casting Part 3 episode.

collage

 

Having fun creating a collage of Zoé...

Serial casting--part 2

Well, Zoé is in too much pain, she can't put her right foot down. We are off to have it removed. I don't want her to be traumatized. We'll leave the left foot one in place, give it a day's rest and recast on Sunday or on Tuesday.

I feel totally guilty, but this was unpredictable and is part of the process. Serial casting is tricky as sometimes, if the child pulls on the leg when it is being casted, it moves the wedges and padding and this ends up hurting, bruising the foot.

We shall see what happened when we go to remove it later today.

In the meantime I've tried comforting Zoé: making "duddles" in the shade on this sunny Friday afternoon.

We send you our best wishes for a nice weekend ahead.

kind email

i miss the newsletters! has the blog replaced them/? zoe seems to be
excelling in all directions. It is amazing how much one can learn from
her stamina, determination and independence. i can;t wait to hear
about the next miracles she conquers. everything is in her power and
she is very inspiring to me. Thank you for sharing her journey with me
and my family. you are so right, Holland is so SO much better even
though more challenging, and my mom agrees too. it is a honor to
follow zoe's life.
i miss you guys!
hugs and love to all of you, and hope you re all well!
fiamma

this is what an "old" student of mine wrote about the blog. She agreed for me to share it. I miss teaching, but I am now a student in motherhood 101.
Thank you Fiamma for your kind emails and your support!

High Highs and Low Lows

Well, casting is done and so far it's been a hodgepodge of emotions: highs and lows. Zoé is simply a trooper and champion, but we might be asking too much of her.
We shall see.
yesterday, casting day, we spent 3 hours with both PTs to set Zoé's feet in serial casting, made of both plaster and fiberglass. I chose blue as the choice in color was limited: "black, perfect for Halloween; white, not easy to keep clean, and red:' crying hello, I'm here, can you see my feet!!!'"
So, blue it is.
Zoé had to be flat on her belly for the full 2 hours of casting. Legs up. Thank god for DVDs and portable players, for I had her watch her favorite cartoons while she was being casted.
She was a trooper once we got home, but then she suffered during the night. This morning, up at the usual time, ready for PIP to see her friends, and walking everywhere with the casts and boots, that seem rather medieval if you ask me! But at 12h45 pm she started melting down, and has been suffering ever since. We don't know whether she is overtired, realizing that these aren't coming off anytime soon, and perhaps suffering due to the fact that her feet are simply set in positions she isn't used to.
I've been feeling totally overwhelmed. When your child melts down it's hard, no doubt, but for Zoé it is so unusual.
I guess I've been lucky. Zoé is the most resilient, congenial little girl there is, and when I see her crying endlessly, rolling herself on the floor, I just can't bear it. I feel drained emotionally and helpless in front of her cries.
We might be taking them off, if she doesn't settle down. I put her down for a nap 45 minutes ago and she is now crying again.
yesterday we went to Sadie days Cafe a place where moms can unwind and sip on a latte while their little ones crawl everywhere, in little wooden kitchens, down slides, on bouncing balls and red balloons.
An obnoxious mother shouts to me across the room:"how old is your little boy, or is it a girl?",
"She's 21 months old."
"look at my son, he's 19 months and he's running everywhere..."
What am I supposed to say?
I simply say:"great!"
Zoé has taught me patience and composure. She's not about pity, she's about hope and all that she will achieve in her own time, in her own way.

Peekaboo, I see you

Playing hide and seek with Mommy and blowing on tissues with Kitty, her OT, before the big day.
Serial casting starts today. I am apprehensive but also very excited. Hopefully this will enable Zoé to walk better, remain ambulatory and we will thus postpone, if not circumvent surgery altogether...in the meantime, let's keep playing!

Little Red Riding Hood

HUGE news and amazing one for both David and I.
Zoé left our house with her walker, [that she calls "chacha" for her mentor, Charlotte, has one] and cruised all the way down Rose Avenue, turned left on Linda and walked two blocks to Beach School.
She even stopped traffic as a car had to stay at the stop sign to let us cross over to the other side, where Daddy was cheerleading her on.
She had to be carried onto the school playground, but she reached her destination safe and sound: not grandma's house, with the wolf waiting for her, but the shiny slide and the tire swing with Maman.
Such delight, another victory, one more trophy to carve in her name.