I know A Guy

You ever hear this before? Usually happens when you are telling someone about how your car needs repairs but the three repair guys you took it to are going to charge an astronomical amount of money. Or you want concrete poured, but you can't get anyone over to your house to give you a quote. The person you are talking to will respond "Hey, I know a guy..." Not sure about everyone else, but for us, it rarely pans out. Often, their 'guy' has either moved, or raised the prices recently. Often, but not always.

The boys needed new shoes. For those of you with little boys, you will understand this mathematical equation

boys+bikes=missing toes from shoes

Or maybe it is just my boys who drag their feet to turn, slow down, do tricks, stop, etc.

Regardless, they needed new shoes. And, I dread shopping for shoes for Matthew. Not only do I need to find a pair that he likes, I have to find a pair that he likes AND that his AFO fits into. AND now we have the added bonus of finding a shoe that has minimal tread so a lift can be attached.

I know. I had posted about the shoes at Keeping Pace but after finding out I would need to buy them without getting a chance to try them on, I was leery. They may not work for his unbraced foot.

So, off we went to the stores. I lucked out. After 45 min and two stores, I found a pair that fit, had little tread, and, after some fast talking, he tried them on and liked them. Yay! Matthew only had one request...ok...demand. He refuses to have a lift put on the new shoe because it makes the shoe heavy.

The next day, Matthew saw Steve (his p/t) and was showing off his new shoes. I asked Steve what our options are for lifts. Told him why Matthew didn't want to have a lift put on. Steve said "I know a guy..."

I decided to check him out. I stopped in and talked to Tony. Told him what we needed. He looked at Matthew's shoe. Then, he showed me a man's running shoe he had just finished. He said, "I split the sole, added a light weight material, then reattach the sole. I can do this shoe for $50" I looked at the man's shoe. Held it. It felt lighter then Matthew's old shoe with the lift.

I looked at Tony and smiled. I said we'd be back.

I will share photos when I get a chance to get his shoe done. I have a feeling Tony and I will become good friends.

So for any of you who need lifts in Calgary, I know a guy...

If You Don't Like The Weather

They say here in Calgary, if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes. Today was like that.

This morning at the zoo.

Then, at dinner time.
(I tried to post this earlier, but we lost power...due to the snowstorm)

I know, we need to moisture, but I am patiently waiting for what the next five minutes will bring.

Progress in Six Weeks

Six weeks was all it took for the boys to go from beginner skaters to this.

Ryan



Matthew



Yes. Matthew still skates mainly on his right foot. Yes, he still has a weak ankle. No, he will never be a great skater. But that is ok. He loves it, and tries hard. And he has made great progress. At one point, I was worried Ryan would pass the class and Matthew would not. Turns out, their report cards are identical, except for Matthew's extra comment of "Slow down if you need to." Nope, he doesn't need to or want to...ever.

Back a few weeks ago I blogged about Matthew being able to Dig. And I said

"Yes Ryan. Right now you are a better skater then Matthew. But keep looking over your shoulder. Matthew knows what he wants and he can dig deep for it."

Well Ryan, you no longer have to look over your shoulder to find him...



I leave you with one last skating video, because it makes all of us laugh when we watch it. (No children were hurt in the making of this video.)




So, what do you do when skating is over? Learn dangerous tricks on your bike of course. (Ryan was hurt in the making of this video...he scraped his knee)

Ryan still needs some practice.



Matthew needs to stop practicing, Mommy is getting gray hairs.

It's All An Illusion

From time to time I have others tell me that I seem to be very organized or that I have it all together. I almost always reply "It is all an illusion."

To me, life is like juggling, only I can never keep all the balls in the air at the same time. Usually it is the 'house' ball that I can't keep up with. I am forever digging out of mess, laundry, groceries, menu planning, cooking. But lately, it seems I have dropped the 'Jo-Ann' ball. It fell weeks ago and rolled somewhere, lost for now.

Maybe part of the problem is my thinking. Lately I have been thinking a lot about just how long we have been at this foot issue. March 16 marked six years of the secondary diagnosis of nerve damage. Seven years now with no end in sight yet. Seven years of doctor appointments, casts, surgeries, AFO's, p/t, fights to wear said AFO, fights to go to said doctor appointments. Will there be more casts? Most likely. Will there be more surgeries? Possibly. Will there be more AFO's, p/t and doctors appointments? Definitely years of that to come. Some days that weighs heavily. I need to stop letting it do that.

Maybe I've had too much on my plate these days. Lot's of important decisions to be made. Questions to be asked and explored.

Maybe this is how most people feel. Maybe there are many other illusionists out there, struggling to keep all the balls in the air.

I think I need to go and find that lost ball. I'm just not that happy right now with it gone.

To my fellow illusionists out there, you know what that means. I'm going to have to drop something else for awhile. But that's ok. As long as it looks good from the outside...right?

An Exciting Find!

I was checking out a yahoo group for clubfeet today when I found a post by a mom about shoes for AFO's. I have seen this site before

Hatchbacks Footwear

And was not thrilled. The shoes don't look like normal shoes for an older child.

So when I saw this site

Keeping Pace

I took a cautious look.

What I found thrilled me! Normal looking shoes! That are specially made so it is easier to put on without destroying the back of the shoe. And specially made to allow for a child who only wears one AFO. AND the best part... specially made to HIDE a shoe lift. That's right, they hide the lift between the shoe and the sole. Brilliant. Obviously designed by a frustrated mom like me. I took a peak at the designer stories.

I had tears in my eyes when I read this

I have come to dread picking up our new personally designed and meticulously crafted AFOs, because it would be followed by endless hours of shopping and searching for a pair of shoes.

I can truly relate.

I called the company immediately and found out they do have a distributor here in Canada but I need to order through an orthotist. That shouldn't be a problem. And they are pricey. Not sure how much, will have to look into it. But, sometimes, cost is worth it.

Now off to spread the word to a few moms I know who have little ones with leg length discrepancies and Jamie with a 2 yr old with the same condition as Matthew. I bet they will be as excited as I am!

Inspiration Of Olympic Proportions

Maybe they watched too much of the Olympics.

Here is an early morning training session before school for their two new favorite sports,

skeleton


and luge


and of course lot's of giggles



Oh the fun we have before school.

Eyes Up Mom

Most days, my eyes are downcast at that little foot. Watching, processing, analyzing.

But some days, I need to take a break from that. This video shows exactly what I mean.

The boys wanted to go to the neighborhood rink Friday to skate. Their third time on skates, first time in an outdoor rink. At first, you can see how terribly turned his little foot is. How he struggles. Then, for a few seconds, you only see him from the waist up. All of a sudden, everything is just right.



Eyes up Mom, even if it is just for a moment. Eyes up and enjoy.