+ Hippie check +
You had your one-year orthopedic surgeon appointment today to check those groovy hips of yours. If there is a reader around here who's new to the game, Ceili was diagnosed with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips when she was a few weeks old and spent 12 weeks (6 full-time, 6 nights-only) in a pavlik harness to help set the hip sockets. She's had a handful of checkups since to make sure things are developing normally. So far, so good.

Today's appointment, you went with Daddy. Of course, silly Daddy did not call me to give an update. Grumble grumble. So I called him to get one myself. According to Daddy, all the Dr. did was look at the x-rays and didn't examine you himself. And he said you seemed fine, but there was something on the x-rays he didn't like and he wants to see you again in 6 months. Daddy thinks it's because you lifted your leg when the x-ray was taken and that everything is fine. I'm going to pray he's right, because I've been so relieved that you developed normally and the next steps in treatment if you haven't are just awful.

It really made me think back to the day, the moment the doctor put that harness on you for the first time. *sniff* I complained to your regular doctor later because I really felt horrible after that appointment. Here's a so-so picture of what you looked like in that harness (taken April 17, 2003):



Yeah, it pretty much sucked. We got used to it, all of us. But my heart just broke the moment he put that harness on you, and you just screamed and screamed because you couldn't understand what was happening. Combined with my 3-week post-partum emotional wreck of a self, and I pretty much cried for days. I kept saying 6 weeks was nothing, and I'd look back on it and be thankful we did something for your hips early, but I really didn't buy any of the self-talk. You know what? I was right. As emotional as I was, as sad as it was that you didn't get to wear many of your cutest outfits, or co-sleep anymore, or be held in a normal cradle hold for weeks... It really was all for the best.

Assuming it actually worked. I guess we'll find out definitively in 6 months. *sigh*