Isn't it ironic...don't cha think?

...A little too ironic. As of today, Camille is wearing a CAM-walker boot.

Pobrecita!!


There is a story behind this. From a perspective I only have because of Camille's history.


If you are a "Jen's Little Space" reader, you may recall my musings about Camille's nighttime wanderings (See "The apple doesn't fall far..."). As the parent of a child with a visual impairment, I find myself oddly celebrating these trying nighttime rituals. Continually getting out of bed and finding one's way down two flights of stairs is a sign of independence--independence in terms of gross motor skills, thinking, planning, orientation and mobility---things that are sometimes taken for granted.


Well, these nighttime wanderings have come to bite us in the bud. Ten days ago, Camille, unbeknowst to us, crawled out of bed to wander around yet again. Usually, the hallway light is still on while we are up, but this night, it was off. And Camille came unexpectedly face-to-face with the stairs and tumbled right down about six or seven of them. Thumpety-thump-thump.


For a day, she wouldn't stand. For another couple, she wouldn't walk. Ever since, she has refused to run, and simply just is kind of gimpy looking. So, off to Dr. Scherl in ortho we went today to get it checked out. She did an X-ray, which didn't show anything, but Camille got the CAM boot anyway. Dr. Scherl said that sometimes "toddler fractures" don't show up until they heal. So, for two weeks, we try this and hope for the best--that our girl will want to be running down the sidewalk again in a few weeks.


In the whole scheme of things, this is a drip-drop in the bucket of the story of her life....hopefully. And because she has the story that she does, the perspective is...."what's a little hairline fracture here or there?"

I guess we'll just chalk it up to another piece of "equipment" that she's collected over time along with the bili-glasses, wee-pees, eye patches, orthotics and fake eyes.

I have always been a firm believer that everything is cuter in minature....and this drives the point home. Who would have thought a walking boot could be so darn cute??


And of course, the girl wearing just keeps on trucking.