There was a lot of down time while we waited for them to make adjustments to the brace, so Zoey amused herself with my cell phone.
All set to go shopping with her purse and cell phone!
Finally, the orthotist came back in with the finished leg brace. It has a panda on the back of it that lights up when she walks. Very cute. She wimpered a bit when he put the brace on her leg, but when she stood up to walk, she was all smiles. Although she still limps pretty badly, it is MUCH easier for her to walk. They built it up a bit, to help make up the difference in her leg lengths. They couldn't build it up to be even with her good leg, because her foot points downward. Having a foot pointing downward at the same level as the other leg would require her to swing her leg out sideways, rather than bringing it straight through in a normal gait. Not sure if that makes sense...but anyway...
When she realized that we were trying to help her walk better, she gave me the most beautiful smile of appreciation. It was so precious. She had this look on her face like, "I really get it that you are trying to help me and my heart is filling right up!" She was grinning from ear to ear. Tears pricked my eyes as I watched her walk and smile with such delight. When we got into the car, she hugged me tight and gave me another bright smile. Awww...my heart swelled. What a sweet little girl she is!
She is getting around pretty well, although it is definitely something she needs to grow accustomed to. My only complaint with the brace is that it is now hard for her to sit on the floor because she can hardly bend her leg. The brace is also rather cumbersome. So, it's great for walking but not so great for playing on the floor.
This is how her foot looks without the brace.
And this is how it looks with the brace. Much better!!
She is very proud of her brace and doesn't want anyone to touch it when she takes it off for nap and nighttime. Ryan got her up from her nap and he said that the first thing she did was point to her brace. I am really glad that she likes it and wants to wear it. We'll see if that lasts once summer is here and the brace makes her sweat. For now...it's all good!
Her siblings cluster around to see Zoey's new brace.
Zoey shows them her brace with the light up panda on it.
