Back to Baltimore

You would never guess by the thermometer in our car around 3 pm, but today is the first day of December and snow is in the forecast tomorrow.  Actually, I heard there was some snow and freezing rain back home.  It was a good day to be in Baltimore.

Do you see that 70?  Your eyes are not broken.

"Are we there, yet?"
Driving across the Appalachian Mountains to return to Baltimore. 

Garrick, Henry and myself joined the going-back-home-from-Thanksgiving traffic Sunday, and despite sitting in DC traffic for a period, made it to our home-away-from-home in 9 hours.  This trip is our previously scheduled follow-up with Dr. Standard.

We came prepared with measurements and notes from physical therapy on Friday.  We also came with my usual list of questions.  I also came with some nerves.  Henry's ankle pronates more than I expected, and I was worried that it was a sign of a problem.

So, after reuniting with the ping pong table and Ms. Amy, we headed over to the RUBIN Institute.

Dr. Standard was thrilled with how well Henry is doing.  He said that Henry is ahead of the curve.  (Insert HUGE Mommy smiling face!)  He loved Henry's new Spiderman prosthetic and was impressed with how Henry walks on his own and with one crutch.  Henry has the full range of motion he would expect, a product of Henry's hard work in PT and at home.

We discussed what the x-rays show, that his hip is healing well.  There is a little extra space, but it is still within normal range.  The ankle looks good on x-ray.  In regards to my concern and the hip, they are both wait and see.  As Henry gets stronger and walks more without any crutches, if there is a problem there will be symptoms in his gait and signs of pain.  For now, though, all looks great!

We got the green light to start training Henry to use his ankle as a knee when he walks and on steps.  PT is about to get a lot more fun!

A short 3 hours after our arrival, we left armed with a plan, things to look for and do in case of a problem, and good news.  Baring any problems, we will return in 6 months.  We headed to Henry's favorite Subway for a late lunch, then enjoyed some free holiday fun in Baltimore. All in all, it was a great day in Baltimore. :)

First stop was Inner Harbor where it turned out there was a mini-Christkindlmarkt.  It really felt like Christmas after that!

My cute little elves.  hehehe

Inner Harbor selfie.

Next we headed to The Shops at Kenilworth for a fun holiday train display and a wave at Santa.
We even found Spiderman on the scene.  Here Henry is in front of Fort McHenry.

After dinner we headed to Baltimore's Miracle on 34th Street.  We managed to walk the sidewalks practically alone during a brief break in the rain - our own Baltimore Christmas miracle.

In the words of Garrick - Unreal.