Post-Op: Day 2, 3

Day 2:

E has been on Valium 2x day; one dose in the morning, one dose before bed. She has been sleeping well. This early afternoon we went on a stroller ride to investigate Santa at the Omni Hotel. E was excited! The trip lasted about 2.5 hours; E (and Vivian) started melting down before we left. Both were tired; I think E was a little sore.

E got Tylenol, then took a nap.

E can sit in almost any position, to color or play, for a long time now.

She crawled a little, and we can carry her normally now (hands below her rear instead of "cradle" carry). Passive range of motion exercises show she can easily extend her legs, nearly fully, without pain with her ankles flexed in her casts.

Day 3:

E is crawling and can get into a sitting position on a low stool by herself--this requires some weight bearing on her feet, but she's doing it on the "toes" of her casts and strong-arming the rest on a nearby surface. I can undress her for toileting by resting her feet ever so slightly on the floor while she holds on to my neck (she is holding most of her weight off the floor). E tolerated some ball exercises (small circles while she was sitting on the ball, hands either to the sides or not holding on at all). She can do her own range of motion movements (while lying down, bring knee to chest, then back down with her leg straight on the floor) but her control going "down" is poor (I hold her leg so she won't "bang it" on the ground). She can do full bridges with her pelvis, which also requires weight bearing on the heels in her casts.

We tried partial standing; she was nervous to put any weight on her right leg. She can be placed in a half-kneel position on either leg, without pain, but I haven't had her get in that position independently.

She is still sleeping in bed with me, b/c she has trouble repositioning herself during the night, but only b/c the pillow between her legs is too big for her to move. I am hesitant to put her in her own bed until I know she can get out of bed (bear weight on her feet enough to get to the ground slowly) safely. The "sleeping with a parent" issue is a big one for us, b/c we've had sleep issues for a while and *just recently* (pre-surgery) were making such excellent progress. E is very rational regarding her sleep arrangement--she knows as soon as she's more able, she'll be in her own bed. She seems to be very calm about this (we'll see what actually happens!!).