Physical Therapy

We started physical therapy on Thursday for Bella's toe walking. She's been toe walking since I can remember her taking steps and her pediatrician wasn't concerned because she can walk flat on her feet if asked to do so. She just reverts back to the toes when not thinking about it. He said we'd worry about it if she was still doing it in Kindergarten. Well, now we're in Kindergarten and her tendons in her calves are so tight we have to take action. (Don't get me started on being reactive instead of proactive. It seems a no brainer to me that we should've done something before it got this far, but I'm not a doctor. I can't imaging how long it will take to break a 5 year habit though!) Bella is so upset about the prospect of leg braces she'll do anything to avoid it. We arrived at the doctor's office amid tears and drama - classic Bella-style! By the time we left an hour later, she was beaming and counting the days until she could return. Thanks goodness! She learned stretches, walked on the treadmill, and got to watch herself walk in a full-length mirror, one of her favorite pasttimes! Last night at dinner she declared that she LOVED her new doctor, despite forgetting her name! I can only hope her motivation continues in the weeks to come.