First Shriner's Appointment

Today our oldest baby turned four! It's a mix of emotions... I just can't believe she is already four years old. It's gone by so fast, that it scars me that the next four years will go by just as fast, and I'm not ready for that! But, I am just so proud of her and so thrilled that she has turned out to be such an awesome kiddo. 
Kyle took Amelia and Allison to a Giants game for all of their birthdays. Amelia's is today and Kyle & Allison's is May 1st. A little father/daughter bonding time, which I think did the whole family some good! The girls had a blast. 

Alli at Mission Park before the game

They really do love each other! 

So excited to be at the game!

See what a big girl Amelia is!!

But today was a big day for all of our girls. It was Amelia's fourth birthday, Allison had a fever because she had her shots yesterday, and Anabelle had her first consult with Shriner's. (Allison is doing great now, no worries :) )


Today we meet with Dr. Rab, and he seems like a nice guy. He is however leaving in about a week for a two week period for a vacation in Italy.. bummer, but he said we will be in good hands. He believes her hips are not dislocated, but time will only tell. And if they are, they won't put them back in place because it can lead to stiffness, which could effect her walking abilities. Then he commented on her arms. Same stuff we've already heard. He explained the dimples more, how it pretty much means they're isn't a whole lot of muscle and the chances of it improving isn't great, but we will see. I got the feeling that he was already limiting her, but then he would say that he didn't want to, and we will let her tell us what she can/can't do... I guess we will give him another chance. But then he said that the first thing he thinks would be best is serial casting. I think that's what it is called.. He wanted to do long casts on her legs over a period of 4-5 weeks, with the cast being changed every week. He hope is to get her knees bent, but said it rarely works. Then it sounds like the next step would be surgery. He also said the first 12 months are the most important for getting her into the right position, because after that everything is pretty much where it will be. 
Also, they have a weekly meeting on Thursday mornings with all the orthopedic doctors. They get together and discuss the more sever cases. He recommended that we stop by and do a show and tell with Anabelle and they can come up with a treatment plan for her. 
I can't help but think that her little casts are just too cute! It might sound bad, but if she has to have them at least they are cute! I'm still upset they didn't have pink :( But see, aren't they just too cute :):):)

All in all, it was just a meet and greet and getting casts. I still have questions, but was able to get a lot answered. 


Oh, and we finally have an appointment for a feeding evaluation for next week. Thank GOD! She has been doing so-so with bottle feeding, and I might have to go back to work next week. They had a months long waiting list, but then I explained our situation and she bumped Anabelle all the way up! Finally!! Someone who understands and helps us! We are still waiting for the ENT evaluation. My insurance is trying to deny the auth and get another type of consult done... I think it's to the point where I need to video her when she has problems and play it for them when I'm on the phone.. 


But things have been going ok. I don't know if we will ever figure out a schedule or how to get everything done. I just hope things will become a little  smoother as time goes on. Thankfully we have so much support from other AMC families! All the other mom's I've talked to have given us so much insight and guidance, I really am not sure where I'd be without them! Thank you all!! :)


Oh! And a big thank you to my sister for babysitting Amelia and Allison so both Kyle and I could go to Anabelle's appointment! 


With love, 
The Polks