A Randall's Ramblings: It's a zoo, and we like it like that

Friday, August 19, 2011

It's a zoo, and we like it like that

2 weeks ago we went to the zoo. The day was perfect. It was very overcast, so no fear of burning, but warm. Nugget LOVES the zoo. He loves the giraffes (couldn't get a decent picture of him with them) and the elephants and, while the zoo has them, the dinosaurs. Apologies for the scant few pictures, but Caden simply doesn't slow down enough to allow for many photo ops!

Of course everyone who's ever been to Hogle Zoo has to have a lion drinking fountain picture:

Poor bug, you can really see the lordosis (curve) in his lower spine on a side-on shot like this.

One of the animatronic dinosaurs they have throughout the zoo right now - this particular one sprays water at unsuspecting passers-by. Caden loved it.

Diggin in the dirt with Daddy:

The train ride. A little apprehension at first cause he didn't really know why we were so excited about him sitting on a bench that wasn't going anywhere:

And then OMIGOSH I'M ON A TRAIN!!!!! The kid was literally vibrating in his seat the entire train ride he was so excited.

Outings with Caden are always such a treat. Not just because of how much he enjoys them, but because of the joy other people get when they see him. I get comments all the time about how just soulfully happy this child is, comments from strangers about how much they loved watching him on the train, or by the ducks, or around the animals. He just touches everyone who happens to cross his path because he has such pure unadulterated joy for absolutely everything he sees. Love my little man.

1 comment:

Tiffany said...: Love reading your updates, promise to have one up soon too! He is growing so fast!; August 22, 2011 at 5:24 PM

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About Caden

Caden is a ridiculously happy little 3 year old. He's also our hero. He was born with two orthopedic abnormalities. Bilateral clubfoot, or congenital talipes equinovarus, and two forms of Arthrogryposis, a condition in which the joints of the extremities never fully develop in utero, never flex or 'exercise', leading to contractures of those joints (if you look closely at some of the pictures of him as an infant and even now, his wrists bend down, he never makes a fist, and the knuckles areas of his fingers are completely smooth because he doesn't have those joints). The clubfeet were a surprise, they were never detected on ultrasound because of the way he was positioned breech the entire 9 months. The Arthrogryposis was diagnosed about a year later. And in late September of 2011, he was given a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is currently in the nighttime bracing phase of his clubfoot treatment, in regular physical therapy for the joint contractures in his hips and legs, and full leg braces at night to keep him stretched, and while his autism is considered on the mild end of the spectrum, he has just graduated from Early Intervention (which he's been in since he was 6 weeks old) and will start a new preschool soon. He's had casts, surgery, more casts, blisters, a plethora of braces for his feet, ankles and legs, therapists and specialists and long car rides to Salt Lake City and yet through it all he stays happy. He just adapts to whatever is thrown at him and simply goes on with his life in the way he wants regardless of what he has done to him. He's a trooper, our little Tough Guy, a true gift from our Heavenly Father, and we wouldn't have him any other way.

A Randall's Ramblings

Friday, August 19, 2011

It's a zoo, and we like it like that

1 comment:

People who give a hoot

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