Leg Braces for what?

It has been FOREVER since my last post. I started working on Case's birthday post the first week of April but have been so busy, haven't had time to keep it up! I wanted to give you an update on where we are with Caedyn and all her therapies and milestones. We are so happy with how far our little miracle has come! However, forgive the rant I may start on.....

Caedyn started PT at Mary Free Bed back in January. It was recommended by her therapist, Lura, that she get braces to help with walking. We had her fitted the second week in February. While we waited for them to be custom made, we continued on with therapy every Wednesday religiously. We have seen a vast improvement in her locomotion skills! She has learned how to crawl up and down stairs (the down part is still a little scary for me as she prefers to go head first using her hands rather than turning around), can crawl as fast as any runner and learned to walk, though unstable, on her own the first part of March.

We went to pick up her AFO's (Ankle/Foot Orthotics) April 6 from MFB. They are adorable. I guess they better be for $1600 a pair. We are thankful that our insurance pays for 50% so we have an out of pocket cost of $800. Yes, I said $800. Sigh. Lance, our "fitter" if you will, showed me how they worked and answered any questions I had. He said she would need a size bigger shoe for them to fit and as luck would have it, I just got her size six Nikes for the summer. Excellent, right? No. I got them home, excited to put them on Caedyn so she would be a stable walker by summer. Not so much. I couldn't even get them on Caedyn halfway. I was so discouraged. When Jeff got home, we dropped the boys off at AWANA and headed to the store for shoes. We visited shoe stores all over for two hours finally ending at Stride Rite. Stride Rite has extra wide shoes and is used to fitting for orthotics. A size seven extra wide wasn't going on my child. Talk about frustrated, anger and discouragement! I was more furious that we would likely have to shell out ANOTHER $100 for custom made shoes she would outgrow in three months to go with the $800 orthotics I was told she had to have to walk. While, in our two month wait, she was walking on her own anyway.

I called MFB, explained my frustration and very politely asked that they figure this mess out. Not only did she really not "need" the braces for walking, but they didn't fit and I wasn't about to go to their custom shoe department to spend more money. We met with Lance and he was very nice and empathetic. He told us he couldn't get the shoes on her either, which is rare, and that he would talk to Lura and his boss to see if the orthotics were still warranted and what are next step wer and get back to me within a week. That was over two weeks ago. When I called, apparently, they are waiting on the therapist for a decision. Pretty sure someone forgot about us. Maybe they forgot about our $800 as well? Doubt it.

My Baby Boy is F.I.V.E.!

Oh my goodness. Where has the time gone? It is the age old question every mother asks as her children get another year older. Not only do we grow older (and get more wrinkles) but this just means our precious babies that we once wondered would ever grow out of "that stage", finally are. Boo.
Case has always been difficult, er, strong willed. We knew he was trouble from his frequent, multiple hour screaming fits at only a few weeks of age. While the temper tantrums and frequent events that would make any parent lose their mind were a daily occurance, I wouldn't change a single thing about my Case. He is a sports fanatic, independent, extraordinary loving (he is such a momma's boy, I love it)sassy and knows what he wants but doesn't always get it. Oh, wait the dimples. TO DIE FOR. I love them. Thank you Hennip genes, thank you.
For some reason the 1st and 5th birthdays are important ones in the Hennip family. We always do extra fun things for these birthdays like have a party with more than just family. For Case's special day, he wanted to have some buddies over for pizza and cake and then spend a couple hours at For The Kidz Gym in Wyoming, MI. Case invited his cousin Zach, Torin, Luke, Alec and Anderson. They had so much fun jumping on the trampolines, in the foam pit and balancing on the balance beams. It is a really cool place.
It's hard to believe my little bugaboo is 5 and going to full time Kindergarten in the fall. Here is to a wonderful 5th year, Case!

From Left: Torin, Zach, Alec, Luke, Anderson, Cam and Case

We are having a GREAT time!

Dimples. Need I say more?

WALKING!!!

I am so incredibly behind in my blogging. It is quite sad really. I am really going to try to get back on the bandwagon, although, with two boys in Little League and daddy gone most nights, I may just be too exhausted to even turn the computer on. That being said, what better way to re-start my blogging than with a huge HALLELUJAH! Caedyn has taken her first "real" steps and is finally meaning business. Ha! I wasn't so optimistic this day would ever come. She started taking her first steps the first week of March, just one week after we had her orthotics fitted (which are purple with green polka dots, by the way). She definitely still needs the braces as she is not real stable and hesitant with each step. We are excited to get them after 6 weeks of waiting, on April 13. I posted a video most of you have already seen on Facebook. I cannot get enough of my diva in training. Seriously. God is so good!