Baby Steps

Nicholas originally had a goal with his physical therapists that he would be independently walking by age 2. Obviously that hasn't happened, but he's still working very hard on getting that goal. His physical therapist at his school suggested that we get him orthotics to give him more support while we build up his leg strength to support standing and walking independently.

We ordered the orthotics (not much insurance drama this time!) and were lucky to have the same person and company who made his helmet make the orthotics. He is what is known as SMOs (Supra-Malleolar Orthoses). They encompass his whole foot and rise to just above where his shoe stops. He took to wearing them very quickly and seems to be doing well with them.

His physical therapist at school has been trying different ways for him to walk and has found that he liked walking with a gait trainer best and really took to it. She had tried using the push walkers that many babies use to support walking but found that he was too tall for most of those, and that they didn't have the strength to hold the full weight of a two year old. The gait trainer supported him and also gave him the confidence to walk on his own.

We were very lucky that the physical therapist was able to borrow a "floor model" of the gait trainer from the manufacturer before we had to involve insurance and authorizations to see if it would work. Once it was determined that he was doing very well with that, we decided to order one of our own. It took about two months total between placing the order, getting the documentation for medical necessity together, the measuring, the build, and the delivery, but Nicholas finally got his own walker last week and he is loving it. Suddenly, there are places viewable in the house that he's never noticed before. Suddenly, he can keep up with Emily and Zachary when they take off to a new game. Suddenly, he can control his own direction. He's so excited and I think with the additional assistance of the walker, he'll gain the strength and confidence he's currently lacking to walk on his own.

It's amazing to watch him get stronger and stronger - this past weekend he walked for significant periods of time through Disney! He's such an amazing little warrior!