I have been trying to figure out how to write this post. I am not all that sure who reads it but I thought just maybe if I shared what's going on with Miss Kiya that I might be able to give hope to another family.
Just over 1 month ago, Kiya got her first cast. I was TERRIFIED. I was so worried that I was going to lose my good sleeper, my silly, sassy little girl. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to do anything physically and she was already behind her peers in gross motor skills. I was worried she would be so ticked off at me, the world, everything that she would just give up. Everyone tried to reassure me that kids bounce back but I just couldn't believe it. I more than believe it now and give that same advice to other worried parents.
You see not only did my sassy almost 2 year old show glimpses of herself on cast day, she was back to being silly and loud and ridiculously adorable by the next day. Sure she had some trouble adjusting. Things were different but by 3 days in she was rolling over, crawling, pulling herself up and cruising. She wasn't walking fully prior to her first cast so we didn't expect that she would anytime soon.
We did have a couple of surprises post cast. One of the surprises was her appetite. She was always a great eater but now she is a picky toddler so she eats smaller meals more often which I chalk up to cast and toddlerhood combined. Other than night one, she had no trouble sleeping in her cast. She has only asked to have her cast off once and that was the day after she got it. She LOVES water and bath time and sees the bath tub everyday but has not once gotten upset about our new bath routine. Hair washing is a whole other beast but she hated that prior to casting so that is still a work in progress.
She knows that she has a cast in that she can say cast. She knows that it is purple. She knows that cracker crumbs and gravel and things fit down the front and require some attention. She loves to knock on her cast and say knock knock. I started that to lighten the whole casting experience. I would knock on her cast and say who's in there and say Kiya. Now when I knock and ask her who is in there she says Kiya. She even got grandpa to knock on her cast. It is really kind of cute.
Choosing to have your child casted is not easy. There is always worry. There is the dreaded waking up from anesthesia, there is Gwen with her tape and Robert with his saw but I know in my heart that it is the best thing I could have done for Kiya. Kiya has been such a trooper. She has amazed me on so many levels.
So I am pleased to say that at the wonderful age of 22 1/2 months with the help of her cast and her ankle supports, I have a walker. That's right folks, one month post cast my non walking toddler is walking. Sure she was making progress before her first cast and we knew she would be a late walker but her balance was never quite there. The cast helped her learn to balance. Her ankle supports give her that extra little boost. She actually walks better without her ankle supports on but for now they stay as part of her daily wardrobe.
I wrote this post to give others who may stumble across it, hope. This is so much tougher on us parents than on our kids. I fully admit that I did not give my daughter enough credit. I have had to take a step back and learn from her. She is truly my inspiration. She is my joy. She is my sunshine and I am honored to be her mother.
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