This last week has been busy but in a really good way. My sister and her kids came to visit for several days. And it just so happened to coincide with the same Sunday our church was doing "Baby" Dedications. We have had all of our kids dedicated soon after they were born and it only seemed natural to have Mia dedicated as well.
At home before the dedication. On a side note... I think I finally got a good Christmas picture. Unfortunately, it is just a couple of months late.
I think in the past this has been called "Baby Dedications." Maybe they changed it to "Child Dedications" for us:)
On Thursday morning we said goodbye to my sister and her kids. On Thursday afternoon Mia and I drove to Shriner's in Lexington (about 3 and a half hours) for her appointment on Friday morning at 9:00am.
This was my first time at a Shriner's hospital. Given that I have zero experience with prosthetics, I really had no idea what to expect. I was very impressed. Just walking in the front door into the waiting area it was easy to see this place really cares about kids.
We saw "Mr. Chris" who gave us all of the prosthetic options for Mia. For instance, she could have an arm that looks like an arm and hand but really has very little function. Maybe it would help her hold her paper down at school and small things like that. Then we were shown the arm with the hook which has lots of function but definitely lacks in the looks department. We were also shown a Myoelectic arm which while it is a very cool arm it is also very heavy and would take a lot of training. Plus, it is very expensive and we would want to know that she really wanted it first. We ended up choosing the hybrid. It is a cross between the arm/hand that look like an arm/hand and the hook arm. Basically, the hand is in the pincer grasp position (thumb and first 2 fingers) and Mia will be able to use her shoulders to open and close it.
They did x-rays and decided she does indeed have an elbow but not much past the elbow. It will be tricky for Mia to bend her elbow with a prosthetic given how soft the tissue is past her elbow. He said her range of motion will be limited because of this. However, he said he has some "tricks up his sleeve" and will try to do what he can to give her the most mobility with it.
Mr. Chris making the marks and measurements. He used her right hand/arm to measure everything (length of her arm, length of her fingers, etc.).
At home before the dedication. On a side note... I think I finally got a good Christmas picture. Unfortunately, it is just a couple of months late.
I think in the past this has been called "Baby Dedications." Maybe they changed it to "Child Dedications" for us:)
Sisters
It is so neat that my sister and I both have boys born so close together (less then 4 months apart).
And girls born close together. Christina (on the far left) was born 23 days after Ashlyn.
We celebrated at Red Robin after church. Poor Ryan...fortunately, he handles the biggest kid role well.
On Thursday morning we said goodbye to my sister and her kids. On Thursday afternoon Mia and I drove to Shriner's in Lexington (about 3 and a half hours) for her appointment on Friday morning at 9:00am.
This was my first time at a Shriner's hospital. Given that I have zero experience with prosthetics, I really had no idea what to expect. I was very impressed. Just walking in the front door into the waiting area it was easy to see this place really cares about kids.
We saw "Mr. Chris" who gave us all of the prosthetic options for Mia. For instance, she could have an arm that looks like an arm and hand but really has very little function. Maybe it would help her hold her paper down at school and small things like that. Then we were shown the arm with the hook which has lots of function but definitely lacks in the looks department. We were also shown a Myoelectic arm which while it is a very cool arm it is also very heavy and would take a lot of training. Plus, it is very expensive and we would want to know that she really wanted it first. We ended up choosing the hybrid. It is a cross between the arm/hand that look like an arm/hand and the hook arm. Basically, the hand is in the pincer grasp position (thumb and first 2 fingers) and Mia will be able to use her shoulders to open and close it.
They did x-rays and decided she does indeed have an elbow but not much past the elbow. It will be tricky for Mia to bend her elbow with a prosthetic given how soft the tissue is past her elbow. He said her range of motion will be limited because of this. However, he said he has some "tricks up his sleeve" and will try to do what he can to give her the most mobility with it.
I really have no idea how much Mia will benefit from this arm. Mr. Chris said that most kids find it cumbersome, heavy, hot (basically a pain) and do not want to wear it. This is especially true if they already can do everything they want to do without it. The kids that do tend to wear it regularly are the kids that have found certain things that they can do better with a prosthetic. I am hoping that this "helper arm" will help Mia ride a scooter and a bike. If this is the only thing it helps her with it will be well worth it.
Mia was casted for her new arm and was even able to choose fabric for it. And even though she was telling me she only wants one arm (I can tell that she is not completely sure whether she wants this or not), she did put her request in for it to be a Hello Kitty arm. Today when she was outside trying to ride a scooter (for the hundredth time) I kept thinking I really wish she had her "helper arm" now and I really hope it helps her to ride this scooter.
After Mr. Chris makes her arm we will go back to Shriner's for several days to be fitted and have training on her arm. They will have us come on a Sunday evening so we can start the fitting on Monday morning. Mia will have 2 sessions of training each day probably staying until Thursday. We were told to bring the scooter with us so they can work with her on riding it.
The Waiting area. Mia's is in the background on the little car.
Mr. Chris making the marks and measurements. He used her right hand/arm to measure everything (length of her arm, length of her fingers, etc.).
Casting for her "helper arm."
