Nine weeks in and although for many they would now be counting down the final weeks (many children spend 12 weeks in spica) we are approaching the half way mark with this first cast. I still have more unanswered questions than answerable ones. I don’t know whether in 9 weeks Erin comes out of spica until her osteotomy which we think is scheduled for May or if she will stay in spica until the operation.
I am not looking forward to 2012, if the truth be told. I don’t know what its going to bring for Erin and we have the cloud of ddh hanging over us. If I could swap places I’d do it in a flash but I don’t think I’d cope aswell as she does. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t try.
Yesterday we took her out for a long walk in our new double pram (well new to us!) and its a great big carriage of a thing and we have Erin rear facing in it. As we were walking we see people approaching us and they think we are going to have a matching pair in the double, as they draw level you see them sneak a peek – what is it about a pair of twins that makes everyone smile? but that inquisitive look gets mixed with a look of disbelief and shock when they see the cast. Never mind we say but it does become tiresome when your met with those looks time and time again. I don’t mind the ones, who have a story to tell, the ones that knew someone else in a cast and they are fine now- they dance they run etc… and I don’t mind the ones that ask the questions, I want the message of ddh to get out there, to let others know that that new born check only detects half of cases, and I want to tell people about the common indicators to look for, you know like the asymmetrical creases that the health visitors picked up at Erin’s 9 month check ( I still can’t forgive them for not x raying her then – they knew, they are the professionals) like the late weight bearing (again the health visitors knew and commented on it in her developmental checks). But the ones that look with pity I could do without thank you very much.
Therefore nine weeks in – its gone quite quickly really, life is different I am starting feel the lack of money from taking this time of work. Normally I would be shopping the sales but I am trying to be good, I’ve succeeded on the whole, although online shopping is tempting and I may have been naughty once or twice!
I wish we could fast forward through this year and just get to the end and see what happened. However I know that Erin will continue to amaze us all with her beautiful character.
