13 Thursday Sep 2012
Posted in Walking
We had a scare last week.
It wasn’t huge on the scale of things, but it’s been niggling in the pit of my stomach for a week now.
After being told back in February that Frog’s walking delay was NOT due to hip dysplasia, we had a letter telling us otherwise. After the countless appointments we’ve been to and the blood tests and the physio sessions, this was a setback. And a confusing one at that. Continue reading »
20 Monday Aug 2012
Posted in Walking
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Picture the scene: a sunny garden, complete with paddling pool, sandpit and naked toddler.
Nothing unusual about that for August – except the toddler isn’t actually naked. She wears not a stitch all over her body, but her feet are adorned with a pair of socks and some heavy duty boots.
A good look, I’m sure you’ll agree.
The thing is, my two year old is still wobbly when it comes to walking. At 26 months, she only fully mastered the craft of getting up on two feet before her recent birthday. She has hypermobility issues, which means she is very bendy, making it hard for her to balance properly. Continue reading »
08 Wednesday Aug 2012
Tags
activities, ballet, clubs, dance, hypermobility, Parenting, toddlers, walking
When I was the age my toddler is now, my mum signed me up to ballet lessons. I loved them.
Ballet was a big part of our Saturday morning routine throughout my childhood. The walk along the leafy Bristol streets, hand in hand with my mum, chattering away. The smell of new ballet shoes and the excitement of visiting the dance shop with all its multi-coloured tutus. Sitting in a freezing church hall practising “good toes, naughty toes” before getting onto the fun stuff – the jumps and the routines.
Parenthood has a habit of bringing all the best bits of our own early years into sharp focus. I can still hear the rip as my friend shredded my pink tutu, made lovingly by my mum, during one of the many shows we put on for the adults (who were probably incredibly bored at the time but did a great job of hiding it). I can still feel the scratchy net, deliciously puffy and rigid against my skin, as I proudly pointed my toes and imagined myself the lead role in Swan Lake. Continue reading »
19 Tuesday Jun 2012
Posted in Walking
I chased my daughter around a shop this afternoon. I watched as she let go of my hand and made a dash for the tills, running behind the counter, before playing peepo in an empty changing room.
It was beautiful.
A week tomorrow my baby girl turns two years old. And it is only now that I am beginning to see her as the toddler she has been for the past six months. The speaking, singing, mischievous toddler. The non-toddling toddler who is no longer of the non-toddling variety. Continue reading »
20 Sunday May 2012
Posted in Walking
Tags
Usually on a Sunday I like to post a photo with no words, taking part in the Silent Sunday tradition.
But not this week.
Because yesterday I filmed a little video. And after all the posts I’ve written about my non-toddling toddler’s struggle with walking and hypermobility, the frustrations and questioning looks, the worry and negativity… I wanted to put something positive here.
This is what determination looks like, in the form of an almost 23 month old little girl with wonky feet and uber flexible limbs. This is what not giving up looks like. Continue reading »
15 Sunday Apr 2012
Posted in Walking
This time last week our house was not such a happy place.
I’d been told my nearly 22 month old daughter had an “issue” with the joints from her hips downwards and she was, to put it simply, too flexible to walk.
We sat there, our family of three, on hard plastic chairs next to a picture of everyone’s favourite donkey Eeyore, and tried to decipher the medical jargon tumbling into our confused brains.
Your. Child. Has. A. Problem.
Your. Child. Needs. Treatment. Continue reading »
04 Wednesday Apr 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
development, doctors, flexibility, hopsital, hypermobility in toddlers, joints, late walking, Parenting, walking, x-ray
Hospital waiting rooms - a good source of books
I didn’t sleep last night.
I was too busy tossing and turning in bed, mulling over the various different things that could mean my toddler isn’t toddling. Why is it that things always seem so much worse in the dark?
Today’s hospital appointment – both dreaded and anticipated – wasn’t particularly pleasant. The X-ray which I was hoping to avoid did actually happen. The consultant examined Frog’s gorgeous hips and sent us straight to the room with the “special camera”. Continue reading »
03 Tuesday Apr 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
.motherhood, development, doctor, hip dysplasia, hospital, mobility, Parenting, toddler, walking
I’m dreading tomorrow. I’m anticipating tomorrow. I can’t wait for it to come. The thought of it fills me with dread.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow I should find out what is wrong with my little girl, if anything. Tomorrow I should find out if my non-toddling toddler is just a late walker or if there is, indeed, a more sinister reason for her lack of mobility. Continue reading »
27 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
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This time next week, we’ll be less than 24 hours away from some answers. Hopefully.
There are now only seven days between us and the hospital appointment which may shed some light on why my 21 month old daughter is still not walking. Or standing.
Since the referral I’ve flitted between absolute unerring hesitation that there is nothing wrong with my child, and the unquestioning certainty that, actually, there is a problem. Continue reading »
20 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
I was going to call this post, The Day I Didn’t Miss My Daughter’s First Steps. But then I decided to be completely upfront and go with the title above instead.
Because, after hurtling through a whole array of emotions, from elation and joy to despair, guilt and wretchedness, back to elation, I am now at the point of denial.
Being a working mum has it’s benefits, a healthy bank balance and a stimulated mind not least among the working virtues. But, sometimes, it can be utterly rubbish. Continue reading »