Yummy Watermelon & Jenelle update!

Jenelle had a few appointments this week, so I have some new information to update you about. Last Friday, I took Jenelle to Mission Orthotics to be fitted for new AFOs (ankle foot orthotics). Yes, her shoe size has changed yet again! Prior to this appointment, I spoke to Jenelle's physical therapist to ask her if she wanted to make any changes to Jenelle's AFOs. She gave me her pager number and told me to have the man who does the casting to give her a call. Prior to having the casts made, I spoke to the "orthotic" guy (not sure what he is called) and explained that Jenelle was really mobile these days. I then put Jenelle on the floor to give him an idea of what I was talking about, and he was encouraged and thinks she is very close to walking! The good news is that because Jenelle has mastered "standing", she can now advance to the next type of AFO, which would provide more movement of the ankle to help her walk easier! He was going to contact our PT to give her his opinion, and will call us when the new AFOs arrive! Should be exciting!

Monday, Jenelle had an appointment with her G.I. doctor. Jenelle continues to grow and gain weight (bummer for me on the lifting) and is now 41 pounds! Jenelle is now in the 75th percentile for weight! This is amazing for a child that once fell off the weight chart prior to getting her g-tube. The doctor was so pleased, she said she only needs to see Jenelle once a year now to continue monitoring her growth. This is great news for us - one less appointment to keep! Jenelle's feeding by mouth hasn't improved much for us so it looks like the feeding tube will be with us for a while. Speaking of feeding issues, Jenelle took some interest in watermelon on the 4th of July and actually took a couple of bites. Luckily Brett got a great photo, so I can share it with you.

We hope you had a wonderful 4th of July holiday. Ours was enjoyable and Jenelle really seemed to enjoy watching the fireworks. Afterward she was so tired, she was asleep by the time we got home! Thank you for the continued prayers and positive thoughts - I'll keep you posted on anything new!