Elias has a new favorite thing to talk about... his new monster truck leg! Chase finished it this past Friday and the fitting went really well. We got some good pictures of Elias checking it out for his first time and then walking up and down the "prosthetic gym" hallway. The difference between this fitting and his first one, just 8 weeks ago, was huge! Those first pictures have tears in almost every one. And now he's laughing and smiling in almost every picture. The transformation has been amazing.
In my mind, getting his final prosthetic leg marked the beginning of a two-leg life. Meaning, I put the leg on in the morning and Elias would wear it all day long, even outside of the house. So far, that's what we're doing, and it's working out great! The awesome thing is, Elias hasn't asked to take it off a single time.
The library was our first public outing. Elias did great of course. It was also my first experience to realize that now we are noticed by others even more than before. Kids ask a lot of questions about the walker. I try to give them straightforward, short answers that will not make Elias feel uncomfortable as he gets older and understands more.
Our best moment of the weekend was taking Elias to church and letting him walk through the doors on his own. We attend a Saturday evening service of about 60 people. Our church family has been a huge support of our adoption of Elias. No one had seen him wear his leg yet, so it caught everyone by surprise to see him walking with his walker. Everyone crowded around and cheered Elias along. It was like a parade, and Elias took his time walking by everyone just smiling and saying "hi". He kinda had this look on his face like, "What's the big fuss about!?! I don't know, but I like it!" Later, Chase and I were hit with strong emotions as we thought back to 15 months ago when our church surprised us by giving us money for our adoption, prayed fervently for us through the process, rejoiced when we got our referral, and then prayed for us and supported us as we made preparations to bring him home. Elias was deeply loved before he ever even walked through the doors. His life is a testimony of God's faithfulness, love and redemption. Seeing everyone cheer for Elias like that was so humbling and made me feel honored to be his mother.
Here are a few pictures of his new leg. Stay tuned for the next post from the Dad/Prosthetist perspective.
M. Chase Brown, CPO presents the new leg
In my mind, getting his final prosthetic leg marked the beginning of a two-leg life. Meaning, I put the leg on in the morning and Elias would wear it all day long, even outside of the house. So far, that's what we're doing, and it's working out great! The awesome thing is, Elias hasn't asked to take it off a single time.
The library was our first public outing. Elias did great of course. It was also my first experience to realize that now we are noticed by others even more than before. Kids ask a lot of questions about the walker. I try to give them straightforward, short answers that will not make Elias feel uncomfortable as he gets older and understands more.
Our best moment of the weekend was taking Elias to church and letting him walk through the doors on his own. We attend a Saturday evening service of about 60 people. Our church family has been a huge support of our adoption of Elias. No one had seen him wear his leg yet, so it caught everyone by surprise to see him walking with his walker. Everyone crowded around and cheered Elias along. It was like a parade, and Elias took his time walking by everyone just smiling and saying "hi". He kinda had this look on his face like, "What's the big fuss about!?! I don't know, but I like it!" Later, Chase and I were hit with strong emotions as we thought back to 15 months ago when our church surprised us by giving us money for our adoption, prayed fervently for us through the process, rejoiced when we got our referral, and then prayed for us and supported us as we made preparations to bring him home. Elias was deeply loved before he ever even walked through the doors. His life is a testimony of God's faithfulness, love and redemption. Seeing everyone cheer for Elias like that was so humbling and made me feel honored to be his mother.
Here are a few pictures of his new leg. Stay tuned for the next post from the Dad/Prosthetist perspective.
M. Chase Brown, CPO presents the new leg
Elias inspects the new monster trucks
God is amazing!! The monster trucks are pretty awesome too! It's good to see a smile on Elias' face. His progress since we met him almost a year ago is absolutely incredible! Good job Mom and Dad!!! 8^)
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I am truly blessed by the blog...
and what you all are doing...
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