Physical Therapy

The other day at about 4:30 in the morning, Arley woke up from a sound sleep screaming in pain that her leg hurt. She described the pain as being the color "red," but wasn't able to describe it in any more detail. 

I called the pediatrician's after hours service and the advice nurse said to basically watch out for fever or an increased level of pain and to call back if either got worse. Arley had fallen back asleep by the time the nurse called back over an hour later so we decided to wait until the office opened to decide what to do next.

Eventually we went about our day and Arley didn't really mention her leg bothering her again. 

At our last Oncology appointment her doctor and I discussed how Arley still has the foot drop, still trips and falls a lot, balance is still off-kilter and the worry that we will need to get her fitted for braces again. 

He called for 12 weeks worth of Physical Therapy to see if that will help the tightness she experiences in her legs due to the side effects of the Chemotherapy and if it does that would be fabulous and if it doesn't she will have to be fitted for leg braces again.

It's a struggle as a parent to see your kid struggling too. She can't really walk for extended periods of time without her legs tiring out, struggles a bit with stairs (especially those at the playground) and then there's the fact that she trips and falls A LOT. 

So yesterday she had her first PT appointment and she did great! She walked the treadmill, did some stretching and balancing on the balance ball, did some jumping, used a tricycle, walked the balance beam and rode another contraption that mimics riding a bike. 

She seemed to enjoy the different activities. Some were easier to accomplish than others, but I'm sure by the time the 12 weeks is up she will have mastered all of them swiftly and easily.



Next up we will be heading off to Boston for a little bit, receiving second opinions and discussing different options of moving forward in other areas. Until next time...  

Preschool Accomplishments

Last week Arley crossed another accomplishment off her list, she graduated from Preschool. Hip Hip Hooray!!!

She truly has blossomed into a new kid since first starting with the Nursery school. She was very timid, shy, quiet, kept to herself mostly and observed everyone, didn't want to participate in too much group activity, and liked hanging out by herself, but as the year went on, she was like a little butterfly that finally blossomed out of her cocoon and her teachers said she was a pleasure to have in class, so full of life and zest that has most certainly made this mama very proud. 

At the beginning of the year her teachers weren't sure if she would be socially ready for Kindergarten because she kept to herself a lot. She was also slightly behind in some fine motor skills initially because going through treatment was a greater priority. We didn't get to practice running, skipping, balancing, or catching/throwing a ball as much because her energy level was significantly lower due to all of the chemo and radiation. Still though, with some time and patience everything changed shortly after the holidays. She loved to participate in different activities, made some friends (mostly with the boys), and enjoyed learning.

What I loved most about Arley's preschool was that it was small, intimate, and very family oriented. The school itself is a non-profit and relies heavily on donations from the parents and community. They have a lot of fundraisers throughout the year that you actually want to participate in (tag sale, casino bus trip, stuffed breads) and the tuition is very affordable especially on a single mama's budget. 

The two teachers are also amazing. They have an open door policy to where if there's ever a concern, or you just want to talk about the progress of your child they make themselves available to talk to you and listen and never rush you out the door. The curriculum is everything your child needs to be ready to enter Kindergarten and they do a lot of fun field trips and activities throughout the year too.

I am very pleased with the education Arley received and we plan to still stay involved with the school as much as possible because we loved being apart of it so much.

Somewhere Beyond The Sea

After the little stage fright episode at the Christopher's Haven Fashion Show, I was worried how Arley was going to do when it came to getting up on the actual stage of her dance recital. We had been practicing really hard, she knew the steps forward and backward could probably even do them in her sleep, and knew the lyrics to the song verbatim so I knew she was more than prepared to give her grand performance. 

I asked her if she thought she would be able to get up on the stage and do the dance routine with her friends, and I was met with a resounding "Yes!," but still I was a bit apprehensive as to how the whole dance recital thing was going to play out.

True to her word though, Arley was flawless. During the dress rehearsal they performed the routine twice and each time I bawled my eyes out. To see such grace and confidence in the fluidity of her motions was the most beautiful thing to witness. She never missed a single beat and some of her fellow dancers even looked to her as to what step was to come next. 

To say my heart was beaming with pride is probably the most accurate statement I could make regarding how completely blown away I was by the whole experience and it confirmed my thoughts that this was the best sport for Arley to participate in as she is constantly singing and dancing around the house on the daily.

I am so thankful that we found the dance studio we did on the recommendation of a friend whose daughter is also a dancer there. We enjoyed our time there so much that I signed Arley up for a 5 week summer session and already enrolled her in fall classes. Can't wait to see what the 2017 season has in store!


First Recital 2016

Genre: Tap
Song: Somewhere Beyond The Sea (Finding Nemo)

Also a special thank you goes out to all of Arley's entourage that showed up and supported her including members of the Hartford Hawks and Bristol Blues!