Conner's Day with Mommy

It started this morning when Lynn came over to work with us on improving Conner's communication. I expressed my concern about the fact that I have been doing signs with him for a week and a half now and he does not use any of them. She suggested ignoring his whining since he has learned that will give him the attention he needs in order to get something. She also demonstrated how to work repeatedly with one sign to increase the likelihood that he will use it. Food is a big motivator so beginning with that may stimulate him to sign. I hope he starts to at least try soon. Right now I am still left guessing what his want/needs are at the fridge.


Grandma Sugie arrived around 10am to babysit Shannen and Conner and I headed out to begin our one-on-one time. Our first stop was the gym. He really loves running all over the place with no restrictions. Today he enjoyed kicking the big exercise ball and jumping into the foam pit.


After the gym we headed to McDonald's for lunch.(Yah, I know, exercise then artery clogging food way to go mom!) I could not believe how grown up my little man was sitting across from me. He carefully ate his cheeseburger and skillfully dipped his french fries in the ketchup. He was so proficient that we left there just as clean as we arrived!


Last stop was the pediatric orthopedist. We bumped into friends there which made the wait go by a little faster. Conner fell asleep in the car on the way to the appt so I ended up carrying him in and he continued to sleep for a bit. The reason for Conner's visit was to have his feet checked. They curve inward and trip him up quite often. What I found out is that he has what is called metatarsus adductus. What I didn't know but just found out when I google searched it is:

Metatarsus adductus is thought to occur as a result of the infant's position
inside the womb. This is a relatively common disease affecting about one out of
every 1,000 to 2,000 live births. Risk factors may include a condition called
oligohydramnios in which the pregnant mother does not produce enough amniotic
fluid.

When I went for one of my ultrasounds with Shannen I remember the sonographer saying my fluid was fine this time. I said what do you mean and she told me I had low fluid with Conner. I don't ever remember being told that during my pregnancy. I am wondering if that is the cause of some of his other problems too.

So what does this mean for Conner? Well, the Dr said that he still has flexibility in his foot which is good. Conner is using his big toe to balance himself which pulls the rest of his toes inward. There are two treatment options we can try. Conner can wear reverse last corrective shoes or he could wear casts for four weeks. I asked which one is the most effective and he said that casting is. Since Conner is receiving services through Early Steps, we are going to wait for a physical therapist to come out and evaluate Conner first before we proceed. If the PT decides that this condition affects his mobility then the program would cover treatment. An X-ray taken of his legs showed that his legs have developed fine just his feet are of concern. We were at the orthopedist's office for 2 hours. Conner did remarkably well for being there that long. While I was checking out and scheduling his next appt he was flirting with the female office staff and they were eating it up. Hopefully, the PT will be out here soon and we will begin the healing process.